LinkedIn’s Obsession With “—” Is Getting Out of Control

Everyone’s copying the format. Almost no one is creating real impact.

Author

Glenda Carnate
April 10, 2026

Read time: 2.5 minutes

This is the harsh reality: your posts on LinkedIn don't underperform because of the algorithm, they underperform because they are visually similar.

You go to LinkedIn and every post is almost identical… like Short lines, long dramatic pauses and a ton of long dashes. At first, it seems to have a lot of power and impact, but then they all look the same to you, and you start scrolling even faster, with even less engagement, until you can't remember any of it.

So, the format fails because it no longer has any meaning.

What Goes Wrong With “Dash Content”? And What Works Instead?

1. Format Does Not = Value
• Dash styles do not give insight into thought.
• Clear thought does give you insight into thought.
• No amount of formatting will ever fix a weak idea.

2. Predictable Patterns Will Destroy Interest

• When all post layouts are the same, your brain will be on ‘tune off’.
• Pattern will create difficulty and create opportunity.
• Break some patterns of structure/guideline from time to time to give you a chance to be noticed.

3. You Are Writing To Impress Others Instead Of Helping Them
• Adding Over-Drama (highly structured with a little substance) at best will be helpful.
• What your reader wants:
→ clarity
→ usefulness
→ details

4. Scannable Does Not = Shallow
• Short lines are a good thing.
• Empty lines are a bad thing.
• Make each line be full of meaning, not simply for the sake of rhythm.

5. The Best Posts Answer Real Questions
• “What should I do differently out of this?”
• “What is the reason I fail?”
• If your post content can’t answer real questions, it won’t stick.

💡Key Takeaway: 

It isn’t simply that there is a dash, but that there is nothing behind it to justify it.

👉 LIKE if you think LinkedIn posts look very similar to one another now because they all use a dash.

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