In 2021, Tony Dinh (@tdinh_me) had roughly 100 followers on Twitter (now X). He was a software engineer from Vietnam experimenting with side projects while still employed. Fast-forward to 2026: he sits at over 181,000 followers, runs TypingMind at $137K MRR, and has built (and sold) multiple six-figure indie products like Black Magic ($128K exit) and Xnapper ($150K exit). His journey from software engineer to full-time indie hacker is a masterclass in using X not just for marketing, but as the core engine of audience-building, product validation, and revenue growth.

Table of Contents

1. The Spark: How Black Magic Turned Followers into Revenue

2. Tactic 1: Dynamic Profile Banners & Real-Time Interactivity

3. Tactic 2: Building in Public – Transparency as the Ultimate Growth Hack

4. Tactic 3: Daily Shipping & Feature-Led Marketing

5. Tactic 4: High-Intent Engagement (DMs, Threads, Memes & Visuals)

6. Tactic 5: FOMO, Exclusive Betas & Product Hunt Launches

7. Tony Dinh’s Indie Hacker Revenue Timeline (2021 - 2026)

8. Do These Tactics Still Work in 2026?

9. Your 2026 Action Plan: Apply Tony’s Playbook Step-by-Step

10. Conclusion: Build Once, Grow Forever

The Spark: How Black Magic Turned Followers into Revenue

Black Magic wasn’t just a product, it was Tony’s growth flywheel. Built on the Twitter API, it let users add real-time elements to their profiles: latest followers, progress bars toward milestones, even mini-games like Snake running live on the banner.

He started small. With 1,000 followers, Tony celebrated by adding a progress ring to his own profile picture showing “95% to 1K followers.” People loved it and asked for their own. He turned it into a SaaS. Suddenly, every new feature became a marketing tweet. Black Magic hit $14K MRR before Twitter’s API pricing changes forced a sale for $128K in 2023.

The product directly fueled follower growth while validating demand. Xnapper followed the same pattern: Tony shared his obsession with clean screenshots publicly, built the tool to solve his own pain, and it reached ~$4-6K MRR before selling for $150K in 2024.

This “build tools for your audience” approach is core to his X growth. TypingMind (launched March 2023) made $22K in its first week and scaled to $137K MRR by 2026, proving the model scales massively.

Tactic 1: Dynamic Profile Banners & Real-Time Interactivity

Tony’s breakout moment came on May 26, 2021. He tweeted a demo of a dynamic Twitter header that updated every 60 seconds to show his latest three followers. The tweet exploded (2K+ likes) and delivered 4,000 new followers in under 48 hours.

Why it worked:

• It was visually novel, no one had seen real-time profile customization like this.

• It created instant curiosity and FOMO (“How do I get that on my profile?”).

• It encouraged interaction: people tagged friends, replied, and followed to see it live.

He iterated with progress bars, games, and polls (“Would you run dynamic banners?”). These weren’t gimmicks, they solved a real problem for creators and indie hackers who wanted standout profiles.

Tactic 2: Building in Public – Transparency as the Ultimate Growth Hack

Tony didn’t hide his numbers. He shared revenue updates, failures, and wins in real time.

From his own words (newsletter, Dec 2021): “Every feature I publish became a marketing tweet… I DM’ed ~20 people daily, gained ~100 new followers, and marketed the product at the same time.”

He posted:

• Beta invites (“Drop a 👋 for a code”)

• Screen recordings of new features

• Raw MRR screenshots

This built a loyal tribe. By mid-2022 he had 40K followers; by 2023, the audience was buying before he even asked.

Why it still works: X’s algorithm loves threads that spark conversation. Transparency creates emotional investment, followers feel like co-founders.

Tactic 3: Daily Shipping & Feature-Led Marketing

Tony’s routine during Black Magic’s growth:

• Morning: Build one feature

• Afternoon: Tweet a demo + screen recording

• Evening: DM beta users, collect feedback

He ran an invite-only beta with 920 testers. Each release was exclusive at first, creating buzz. Almost every tweet performed well because it delivered immediate value.

Result? $322 → $2K MRR in 60 days, scaling Black Magic to $14K MRR.

Tactic 4: High-Intent Engagement (DMs, Threads, Memes & Visuals)

Tony wasn’t “always online” in a spammy way, he was strategic:

• DMs: 20 targeted messages/day to new followers or engagers.

• Threads: In-depth “how I built this” stories.

• Memes & Humor: He’s approachable, uses jokes, and keeps tone light (“Be interesting and nice”).

• Visuals: Beautiful screenshots (thanks to Xnapper), custom banners, and DALL·E experiments.

He grew from 200 followers to 14K+ by making engagement feel like a conversation, not broadcasting.

In 2026, with X favoring long-form and media, this exact mix still drives 100+ new followers daily for consistent creators.

Tactic 5: FOMO, Exclusive Betas & Product Hunt Launches

• Limited beta access (first 1,000 users)

• Early-bird pricing

• Product Hunt launches after organic traction (Black Magic’s dynamic banner got 944 upvotes)

This created urgency and social proof. TypingMind’s launch: $1K on day one, $22K in seven days.

Tony Dinh’s Indie Hacker Revenue Timeline (2021–2026)

Learn more here.

Do These Tactics Still Work in 2026?

Yes. Here’s Why:

X has changed (longer videos, Grok integration, creator ads), but the fundamentals haven’t:

• Authenticity beats algorithms: Transparent builders win.

• Visual + interactive content still gets amplified.

• Audience-first products convert better than cold ads.

Tony’s own 2026 posts continue the same pattern: revenue transparency, product love, and community focus.

Your 2026 Action Plan: Apply Tony’s Playbook Step-by-Step

1. Audit your profile – Add a dynamic element.

2. Start building in public – Share one process screenshot or thread weekly.

3. Ship daily (or weekly) – Turn every feature into a tweet.

4. Engage intentionally – DM 10-20 people/day with genuine replies. (Tools like SupaBird can help scale smart engagement without feeling robotic, if you also want to grow your X account you can try SupaBird for analytics, scheduling, and targeted interactions that mirror Tony’s manual hustle.)

5. Launch with FOMO – Use beta lists and early pricing.

6. Track & iterate – Measure follower growth vs. revenue like Tony does.

Conclusion: Build Once, Grow Forever

Tony Dinh didn’t “hack” X, he respected it. He built things people loved, shared his journey honestly, and turned followers into a self-sustaining business ecosystem. From 100 to 180K+ followers wasn’t luck; it was consistent execution of five simple tactics that still work perfectly in 2026.

Whether you’re at 100 followers or 10K, start today. Pick one tactic. Ship it. Tweet it. Engage with the replies.

The indie hacker path Tony paved, transparent, product-led, community-first is more alive than ever. And if you want to accelerate your own X growth the smart way, SupaBird is there to help you execute like a pro without burning out.