Brent Dykes's Data Storytelling Playbook

Brent Dykes's Data Storytelling Playbook

I clicked into Brent Dykes's profile expecting the usual "data guy" content. You know the type: charts, jargon, and a few safe tips.

Instead, I found a creator with 73,755 followers, a 40.00 Hero Score, and a posting cadence of 4.4 posts per week that somehow feels calm, structured, and genuinely useful. No hype. No frantic personal-brand theater. Just clean teaching.

So I got curious.

I wanted to understand what makes Brent's posts work, and then compare that approach to two other very different (and very successful) creators: Dan Koe and Marie Robin. Turns out, they all hit the same Hero Score, but they get there in totally different ways.

Here's what stood out:

• Brent wins with clarity and structure that lowers the reader's mental effort
• Dan wins with identity-driven ideas that feel like a personal philosophy you can borrow
• Marie wins with operator energy: practical transformation moves, especially around AI and marketing ops

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Brent Dykes's Performance Metrics

Here's what's interesting: Brent's audience isn't the biggest in this comparison, but the engagement relative to audience (that 40.00 Hero Score) says his content is doing the job. Combine that with 4.4 posts/week, and you've got a creator who shows up often enough to stay top-of-mind, without spamming.

Key Performance Indicators

And a small detail that matters more than people admit: the suggested best posting window is late afternoon UTC (16:00-18:30). Brent's style is perfect for that time slot because it's skimmable. When people are tired, they don't want a novel. They want a clean takeaway.

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What Makes Brent Dykes's Content Work

Brent's success isn't mysterious. It's engineered. But it doesn't feel robotic because the writing reads like a helpful expert talking to you, not at you.

1. He teaches in frameworks (and makes them feel light)

So here's what he does: he turns messy concepts into tight, repeatable structures. Dashboards vs. stories. Context vs. numbers. "So what" and "now what". If you've ever had to explain insights to busy stakeholders, you instantly recognize the pain he's solving.

Want to know what surprised me? Even when the topic is advanced, the reading experience feels easy. That's not luck. That's craft.

Key Insight: If you can name the problem and give it 4 to 6 parts, you can teach it in a LinkedIn post.

This works because frameworks reduce decision fatigue. The reader doesn't have to figure out "where is this going?" Brent tells you. Then he walks you there.

Strategy Breakdown:

2. He writes for scanning first, depth second

Most people think "great writing" means long paragraphs and perfect transitions.

But LinkedIn is a phone screen.

Brent writes like he respects your thumbs.

Short lines. Lots of white space. Single-sentence paragraphs for emphasis. And compact emoji bullets that act like visual signposts.

Comparison with Industry Standards:

Honestly, this is one of the most underrated skills on LinkedIn: making your content readable when people are distracted.

3. He uses "practitioner empathy" as the hook

Brent doesn't just say "here's a tip." He starts from a real frustration:

• "Executives like data until the data says something uncomfortable"
• "A statistic without context doesn't communicate much"
• "Dashboards aren't stories"

You can feel the room he's been in.

And that matters because readers want to feel understood before they want to be taught.

So he builds credibility without bragging. It's more like: "I've seen this movie, and here's how it ends unless you change the script."

4. He pairs value with a consistent, low-pressure CTA

This part is sneaky-good.

Brent often ends with a real engagement question (not a fake one), then drops a consistent promo block. The value comes first, the ask comes second. And the ask is reasonable: newsletter, masterclass, workshop.

It feels like: "If you want more of this, I've got more." Not: "Buy my thing because I'm yelling." Pretty refreshing.

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Their Content Formula

Brent's posts usually feel like mini-lessons. Not stories about his weekend. Not hot takes for attention. Lessons.

Content Structure Breakdown

The Hook Pattern

He tends to open by challenging a belief or highlighting a common mistake.

Template:

"Most people think X, but X is only a piece. The missing part is Y."

Examples you can borrow (in his vibe):

• "A chart isn't a story. It's a scene."
• "A single metric doesn't persuade. Context does."
• "Dashboards can show numbers, but they struggle to create meaning."

This hook works because it creates a tiny tension: "Wait, am I doing this wrong?" And then it promises a fix.

The Body Structure

This is where Brent is almost unfairly good. He builds a learning path inside the post.

Body Structure Analysis:

And notice what he avoids: long detours. No "once upon a time" fluff. It's straight to the point, but still human.

The CTA Approach

Brent closes in two moves:

1. A real question that invites practitioners to share what they see
2. A simple "next step" offer for people who want more

Psychologically, it's clean. The question creates participation. The offer catches intent.

And because the CTA is consistent, repeat readers know what to expect. Familiarity builds trust.

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Side-by-Side: Brent vs. Dan vs. Marie

Now, here's where it gets interesting.

All three creators have a 40.00 Hero Score, but they earn attention in different ways. Brent is the instructor. Dan is the philosopher-builder. Marie is the operator who helps you modernize.

Table 1: Audience + Cadence Snapshot

What I take from this: you don't need the biggest audience to play at the same engagement tier. Marie proves that. Brent proves it too.

Table 2: Content Style and Reader Experience

And here's my opinion: Brent has the most "save-worthy" style. Dan has the most "share-worthy" lines. Marie has the most "send-to-my-team" posts.

Table 3: CTA and Monetization Energy

Brent's CTA is the most "systemized". Dan's is the most "identity-based". Marie's is the most "let's fix the business".

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What You Can Copy (Without Being a Clone)

If you want to borrow from Brent, don't copy his topic. Copy his mechanics.

A simple Brent-inspired post recipe

1. Start with a belief your audience holds
2. Challenge it with a clean sentence
3. Teach a framework in 4 to 6 bullets
4. Synthesize in one punchy line
5. Ask a question that invites real stories

And please don't skip step 4. That synthesis line is where the post becomes memorable.

A quick note on timing

Given the suggested best window of late afternoon UTC (16:00-18:30), Brent's structure makes even more sense. That time block catches people in "scroll mode". So his formatting is doing extra work: it pulls tired readers through the lesson.

If you're posting around that time, write for low attention. Short lines. Clear signposts. No walls of text.

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3 Actionable Strategies You Can Use Today

1. Write one thesis line per post - isolate a single sentence that summarizes the point so readers can remember it.

2. Turn your expertise into a 5-bullet framework - people share frameworks because they feel like tools, not opinions.

3. End with a practitioner question - ask "What do you do when..." so comments become experience-sharing, not just applause.

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Key Takeaways

1. Brent's edge is structured teaching - he reduces cognitive load and makes complex ideas feel simple.
2. Hero Score parity doesn't mean strategy parity - Dan, Brent, and Marie hit the same engagement tier through different reader promises.
3. Consistency beats intensity - Brent's 4.4 posts/week plus repeatable formatting builds trust fast.

If you try one thing from this analysis, try the thesis line. Write the whole post, then add one sentence that sums it up. You'll feel the difference immediately.

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Meet the Creators

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This analysis was generated by ViralBrain's AI content intelligence platform.