Patterns
Authority: what 22 posts that lean on it have in common
22 posts in the library lean on authority, reaching a median of 891 likes. Eight that use it, what it travels with, and how to use it without faking it.
Rests on:the post,the post,the post,the post,the post,the post,the post,the post
Authority, as the analysis uses the term: the post carries evidence that the writer has done the thing — a role, a result, a track record — so the claim borrows credibility. 22 posts in the library lean on it, and they reach a median of 891 likes — well above the library's 632.
Eight that use it
After 18 years at Microsoft, with roughly a decade of that time working on TypeScript, I have unfortunately been let go in the latest round of layoffs. I need to take a few days to process before I start looking for work. Thanks to everyone who's been part of my journey so far.
Leads with a specific number, which is concrete enough to be worth a second of attention.
We're coming out of stealth.
Opens with a short, self-contained line that is easy to take in at a glance.
We've raised $700M at a $21B valuation from Jane Street, Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia, A16Z, Peter Thiel, BCV, and Blackstone.
Leads with a specific number, which is concrete enough to be worth a second of attention.
Today, The Mill was put into administration and shut down after 35 years. They are the company responsible for the VFX of around 150 episodes of #DoctorWho, SJA and Torchwood.
Opens with a short, self-contained line that is easy to take in at a glance.
I've built several SAAS and side-projects those last 5 years 🛠
Opens with a short, self-contained line that is easy to take in at a glance.
Every social media company is “under the gun” of the EU right now because its fines are bankrupting. 6% of GLOBAL ANNUAL REVENUE, not profit from just Europe offices. The US gov’t, after 7 years of the EU building this legal gun, still hasn’t even brought a knife to the gunfight
Draws on direct first-hand experience, which earns the right to make the claim.
We've built an API that allows Claude to perceive and interact with computer interfaces.
Opens with a short, self-contained line that is easy to take in at a glance.
After 8 years writing the tech column @washingtonpost, I am among folks who were laid off today. I’m grateful for the stories I got to tell and the impact we made on privacy, sustainability & AI.
Draws on direct first-hand experience, which earns the right to make the claim.
What it travels with
Authority rarely works alone. In these posts it most often appears beside specificity (4 of 22) and social proof (2). The opening that carries it most often is an observation — 16 of the 22.
How to use it without faking it
The mechanism is a description of why something worked, not an instruction to manufacture the effect. The post carries evidence that the writer has done the thing — a role, a result, a track record — so the claim borrows credibility — so the question to ask of a draft is whether that is actually true of it, not whether it sounds like it is. The posts above pass that test; the library's rejected ones mostly did not.
From the analysis of the strongest example: Preserve the Hook → Landing structure and the leads with a number opening. Replace the subject matter entirely with the writer’s own product, story and numbers.