In partnership with
Nikita Bier is one of those rare builders who doesn’t just talk about growth, he repeatedly proves it.
He built two teen apps that went viral:
TBH, acquired by Meta
Gas, acquired by Discord
Today, he’s Head of Product at X.
In a recent interview on the Out Of Office podcast, Nikita broke down exactly how he:
Reignited stalled growth at X
Took the app from #78 to #2 on the App Store in 30 days
Designs viral loops, onboarding, and monetization
Thinks about growth in a way most creators never do
The key insight:
The same mechanics that build viral apps also work for personal accounts.
Here’s how creators can apply them, step by step.
Growth Is a Funnel Problem, Not a Talent Problem
Nikita said they audited every possible funnel at X and threw everything at it to find leaks.
For creators, your funnel is simple:
Impression → Profile view → Follow → Engagement → Share
Most people lose momentum early, not because their ideas are bad, but because the funnel leaks.
What to do:
Check impressions vs follows in analytics
Test your bio, header, pinned post, and opening hooks
Treat your profile like a landing page, not a diary
Nikita predicts conversion because he obsesses over data.
Creators should too.
Ad Break!
First sponsor today: Check out what SYNTHFLOW is offering!
6 AI Predictions That Will Redefine CX in 2026
2026 is the inflection point for customer experience.
AI agents are becoming infrastructure — not experiments — and the teams that win will be the ones that design for reliability, scale, and real-world complexity.
This guide breaks down six shifts reshaping CX, from agentic systems to AI operations, and what enterprise leaders need to change now to stay ahead.
… back to the article 👇
Win a Small Room Before You Try to Fill a Stadium
Nikita’s apps didn’t launch everywhere at once. They started in a single high school.
Why?
Because value only appears when enough people are concentrated in one place.
On X, this means:
Pick a narrow niche and dominate it first
Stop trying to speak to everyone
Practical moves:
Reply consistently to 10–20 accounts already respected in your niche
Post inside relevant Communities
Collaborate or cross-post with creators talking to the same audience
Once density forms, reach compounds naturally.
This is how virality actually starts.
Your Profile Is Your Onboarding
X doubled time spent by redesigning onboarding for new users.
More clarity. Less friction.
For creators, onboarding happens on your profile.
Ask yourself:
What does a new follower understand in 10 seconds?
Improve it by:
Pinning one high-value post that shows your best thinking
Making your last few posts immediately useful or memorable
Guiding people to what to read next instead of leaving them guessing
Nikita rebuilt X’s onboarding in days, not months.
Speed and focus matter more than perfection.
2nd Ad Break!
Check out what DEEL is offering!
Payroll errors cost more than you think
While many businesses are solving problems at lightspeed, their payroll systems seem to stay stuck in the past. Deel's free Payroll Toolkit shows you what's actually changing in payroll this year, which problems hit first, and how to fix them before they cost you. Because new compliance rules, AI automation, and multi-country remote teams are all colliding at once.
Check out the free Deel Payroll Toolkit today and get a step-by-step roadmap to modernize operations, reduce manual work, and build a payroll strategy that scales with confidence.
… the article continues below 👇
Monetization Comes After Trust, Not Before
Gas made $10M in 90 days with optional subscriptions.
Not by forcing payments, but by delivering obvious value first.
For creators:
Free content builds belief
Paid access monetizes trust
Smart options on X:
Subscriptions for exclusive posts, or closer access
Ad revenue share once scale kicks in
Simple, accessible pricing that feels fair
If teenagers paid for Gas, your audience will pay too, as long as the value is clear.
Last Ad Break today: Check out what KAJABI is offering
One Platform. Every Product.
Build courses, coaching, communities, memberships, and more. All in one place. Kajabi gives real experts a single system to launch, sell, and scale, without juggling tools or breaking momentum.
…Back to topic 👇
Quick Principles Worth Stealing
From Nikita’s playbook:
Think adversarially: why wouldn’t someone follow or share this
Build in public: raw learning attracts real people
Optimize for organic distribution first, paid later
Make posts easy to share with hooks, questions, and visuals
These ideas aren’t theory.
They’ve already built billion-view apps and revived one of the biggest platforms in the world.
Your move now:
Which are you fixing first: your funnel, your niche focus, or your onboarding? Hit reply and tell me.
And if this helped, forward it to a creator friend. Density starts with sharing.
Enjoying this newsletter and want to start your own? I built a guide specifically for beginners, starting from zero. Grab your copy below 👇
Beehiiv for Beginners
Build, launch, and grow your first newsletter even if you’ve never done this before
If you want to support my work, you can Buy me a coffee here. Thank you 🥰
Sign up for Beehiv. Use this link below to get a 30-day Free Trial and 20% off your first 3 months:
See you on the next one
Karata♡