BE THE REPLY GUY

A while ago, I launched a small trend — BE THE REPLY GUY — on the Fail In Public community on X to help you build a real audience.

In this short guide, I’ll show you exactly how to build one.

How to build a real audience?

It’s very simple.

You want real connections with real people.

You don’t want zombie followers (more on that below).

You need to talk and engage.

As often as possible.

Every day.

That’s unavoidable if you want to build real relationships with your audience.

Here’s an unbeatable routine that will get you results:

• Block 20 to 30 minutes per day on your calendar (I personally recommend every day except Friday and Sunday on X).
• During that time, go into your niche or community (e.g. fail in public).
• Read each post and ask yourself: am I interested? Would this interest my circle?
• If yes, write a short reply — this is where the magic happens:
  • Your reply must be relevant and bring value.
  • Don’t reply randomly just for the sake of replying. If you have nothing valuable to add, don’t post.

Repeat the process.

Again and again, for 20 to 30 minutes.

2 to 3 times per day if you can.

I’d even go as far as saying: you want to get rate-limited by X (which happens to me all the time).

X will block you temporarily, thinking you’re a bot — don’t worry, it only lasts 30 to 60 minutes before you can post again.

That’s it.

What results can you expect?

You can see quick wins, but the long-term results are even more impressive:

• You create more content (which makes the algorithm push you forward),
• You show up more (which increases visibility),
• You get more engagement (meaning quality replies and connections),
• You boost your growth (followers, likes, DMs — more on that later).

On top of that:

• You discover hidden gems,
• You generate interesting conversations,
• You find clients!

But: you don’t want to focus on your follower count. You want to build a core audience.

In short: you don’t want a horde of zombie followers.

You don’t want a horde of zombie followers

Zombie followers are people who follow you but bring zero value:

• They never like your posts,
• Never reply,
• Worse: they don’t even log in anymore.

Follower count means nothing: what matters is building a strong core audience.

How to build a strong core audience?

There’s only one way: be patient and consistent.

• Show up daily on social platforms and apply this method (or a similar one).
• Ignore shiny distractions (buying followers, chasing virality, useless courses…).
• Be authentic and in the right community (personally, I wouldn’t engage in a tennis community — I know nothing about tennis).
• Reply, reply, reply.

A few common misconceptions:

• Follower count = clients: completely false. What matters is your core audience — your real target customers.
• Virality: for 99% of us, virality is like winning the lottery — it almost never happens.

That’s it — hope this helps.

I’ll keep updating this guide regularly.

See you soon,

Guillaume