post-formatter.

post-formatter is the opposite of post-writer in one specific way. post-writer asks the writer to pick an angle and then drafts inside the voice. post-formatter takes a topic and forces it through a named framework with strict formatting rules, so the output is always publishable shape regardless of how loose the input was. Both skills are useful. The choice between them is a choice about how much constraint the post needs.

The reason a framework matters on LinkedIn is the same reason a sonnet matters in poetry. The form is doing real cognitive work for the reader, telling them where the post is going before they have to decide whether to keep reading. post-formatter exists to apply that form rigorously, so the writer can choose a shape and trust that the draft will hit it.

§01What it does

The skill asks for a topic, a framework, and any context the writer wants to lean on. Then it drafts inside the chosen frame with a specific set of constraints: 200 to 250 words total, twenty lines maximum, blank line after every line for mobile rhythm. The hook is fifty characters or fewer. The twist line, which sits second and reframes the hook, is also fifty characters or fewer. The body splits the framework across roughly three to five lines per stage, with arrows for flow where they help. The close is two or three lines and ends with a repost ask plus the recycle symbol.

Five frameworks ship by default. PAS is the most common: problem, agitation, solution. AIDA layers desire between interest and action. BAB sets up a before, an after, and the bridge that connects them. STAR walks situation, task, action, and result, which suits case studies. SLAY is the framework Charlie Hills uses most often: story, lesson, actionable advice, you, where you is the line that turns the post outward at the end. The skill will also pick a framework on request, which is useful when the topic does not obviously suggest one.

§02The constraints are the value

The interesting choice in post-formatter is its refusal to negotiate. No questions in the body unless the hook itself is a question. No em-dashes anywhere. No emojis except checkmarks for numbered lists and the recycle symbol in the close. Grade-six vocabulary, zero adverbs, zero jargon, zero filler. Most lines are one sentence at fifty-five characters or fewer; up to four lines are allowed to be mini-paragraphs of two or three sentences and a hundred and ten characters.

Most "make it punchy" instructions are negotiable. These are not. The result is that the framework actually shows up in the output. A PAS post drafted with no constraints often loses the agitation step, because the model finds it uncomfortable to dwell on the problem. With the constraint stack in place, the agitation has to do its job in the lines available. The framework lands.

§03Setup

# Trigger phrases:
#   "format this as a post"
#   "turn this into a LinkedIn post"
#   "write it as PAS"   (or AIDA, BAB, STAR, SLAY)

post-formatter pairs naturally with hook-generator. Generate six hook variations first, pick one that earns its space, then call post-formatter with that hook locked in.

§04Caveats

Use post-writer when the topic deserves an angle review and a longer form. Use post-formatter when the shape is the point. The two are not competing, and most writers will end up using both depending on whether they are exploring or executing.

The skill defaults to British English, like the rest of the bundle, and flags the Rule of Three as something to use sparingly. Two trios per post is the cap.