# LinkedIn authority builder Human Guide

## What This Is For
Here's what most people get wrong about LinkedIn: they're trying to go viral. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for social content: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the LinkedIn authority builder agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for LinkedIn authority builder.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the LinkedIn authority builder guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- [ ] **Current positioning:** One-liner, ICP, key differentiator (load from `positioning-basics` output if available)
- [ ] **Target audience on LinkedIn:** Specific titles, company stages, industries
- [ ] **Posting history:** What have they tried? What worked? What didn't?
- [ ] **Content goals:** Leads / job offers / speaking / partnerships / audience growth
- [ ] **Available time per week:** Hours they can realistically commit
- **Positioning check:** Is the one-liner specific enough to anchor content pillars? If it's "I help businesses grow," that's too vague — push for specificity before proceeding.
- **Audience clarity:** Are we targeting a specific title + company stage, or a demographic? Specific is better.
- **Time-to-output match:** If they have 2 hours/week, don't recommend 5 posts/week. Sustainability matters more than ambition.
- **Goal alignment:** Content for lead generation looks different from content for speaking gigs. Confirm goal before building pillars.
- You have genuine expertise (not just interest)
- Your target audience actively cares about it
- You can produce content on it consistently for 6+ months

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Mode, Context Loading Gates, Phase 1: Positioning Alignment Analysis, Phase 2: Content Pillars (3–5 Required), Phase 3: Format Selection & Post Templates, Format-to-Goal Mapping, Post Templates, Phase 4: Content Calendar with Real Dates, Phase 5: Self-Critique Pass (REQUIRED), Phase 6: 30-Day Iteration Protocol.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- Do not build a content system for an unclear position — the content will be unfocused.
- **Time-to-output match:** If they have 2 hours/week, don't recommend 5 posts/week. Sustainability matters more than ambition.
- Phase 2: Content Pillars (3–5 Required)
- Each pillar must pass all 4 tests:
- Phase 5: Self-Critique Pass (REQUIRED)
- Each pillar must pass 4 tests: you have genuine expertise, audience actively cares, you can sustain it 6+ months, it connects to your goal.
- Self-Critique (required)

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the LinkedIn authority builder human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the brianrwagner/ai-marketing-claude-code-skills skill entry for `linkedin-authority-builder`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# LinkedIn Authority Builder

Here's what most people get wrong about LinkedIn: they're trying to go viral.

Viral doesn't pay your bills. Being remembered by the right 500 people when they need what you do — that pays your bills.

This skill builds a content system around consistent positioning and clear pillars — not hacks.

---

## Mode

Detect from context or ask: *"Starter plan, full content system, or 90-day build?"*

| Mode | What you get | Best for |
|------|-------------|----------|
| `quick` | 3 content pillars + 1-week posting starter plan | Getting unstuck, first week of consistency |
| `standard` | Full content system: pillars, formats, posting rhythm + first week written | Building a repeatable presence |
| `deep` | Full system + 90-day calendar + 10 posts written + engagement playbook | Serious authority-building campaign |

**Default: `standard`** — use `quick` if they just need to start posting. Use `deep` if they're committing to LinkedIn as a growth channel.

---

## Context Loading Gates

**Before generating any strategy, load:**

- [ ] **Current positioning:** One-liner, ICP, key differentiator (load from `positioning-basics` output if available)
- [ ] **Target audience on LinkedIn:** Specific titles, company stages, industries
- [ ] **Posting history:** What have they tried? What worked? What didn't?
- [ ] **Content goals:** Leads / job offers / speaking / partnerships / audience growth
- [ ] **Available time per week:** Hours they can realistically commit

**Sequencing gate:**
If positioning isn't clear yet, stop and ask:
> "Before building a content strategy, I need your one-liner: 'I help [specific audience] with [specific outcome] through [unique approach].' Do you have this locked, or should we nail positioning first with `positioning-basics`?"

Do not build a content system for an unclear position — the content will be unfocused.

**Also suggest:**
> "Run `linkedin-profile-optimizer` if you haven't — the content we build needs a profile that converts the traffic."

---

## Phase 1: Positioning Alignment Analysis

Before recommending any content, reason through:

1. **Positioning check:** Is the one-liner specific enough to anchor content pillars? If it's "I help businesses grow," that's too vague — push for specificity before proceeding.
2. **Audience clarity:** Are we targeting a specific title + company stage, or a demographic? Specific is better.
3. **Time-to-output match:** If they have 2 hours/week, don't recommend 5 posts/week. Sustainability matters more than ambition.
4. **Goal alignment:** Content for lead generation looks different from content for speaking gigs. Confirm goal before building pillars.

Output a brief strategy assessment:
> "You're a [role] targeting [audience] with [X hours/week] and a goal of [outcome]. I'll build a [3/5 post/week] strategy anchored to [X] pillars. The main gap in your current approach: [specific gap]."

---

## Phase 2: Content Pillars (3–5 Required)

Each pillar must pass all 4 tests:
1. You have genuine expertise (not just interest)
2. Your target audience actively cares about it
3. You can produce content on it consistently for 6+ months
4. It connects to what you sell or want to be known for

**Pillar ratio:**
- 70% core expertise → builds authority
- 20% adjacent insights → makes you interesting
- 10% personal → makes you relatable

**Output format per pillar:**
```
Pillar: [Name]
Ratio: [%]
Content types: [frameworks / stories / case studies]
Example hook: "[First line of a real post]"
Connection to goal: [how this drives the stated outcome]
```