
Walid Boulanouar's Swarm-of-Agents Content Playbook
A friendly breakdown of Walid Boulanouar's high-velocity AI builder posts, with side-by-side lessons from Steven Bartlett and Penn Frank.
Walid Boulanouar's Swarm-of-Agents Playbook (and why it works)
I stumbled onto Walid Boulanouar while doing my usual "who is actually shipping in public right now?" scroll. And I had to double-take: 18,517 followers, a 54.00 Hero Score, and an absolutely wild cadence of 17.8 posts per week. That combo is not common. Not because posting a lot is rare, but because posting a lot while still earning strong relative engagement is hard.
So I started pulling the thread. What kind of creator gets builder-types to stop scrolling? What kind of writing makes AI tooling feel urgent (but not salesy)? And how does that compare to someone like Steven Bartlett, who plays at internet-celebrity scale, or Penn Frank, who sits closer to Walid in audience size but with a different vibe?
Here's what stood out:
- Walid wins with speed + specificity: short lines, sharp hooks, and tool-first stories that feel like live field notes.
- He builds a "builders-only" signal: if you ship workflows, agents, or automation, his posts feel like home.
- He uses repetition and simple contrasts to make ideas sticky ("creation vs sedation" type framing).
Walid Boulanouar's Performance Metrics
Here's what's interesting: Walid's numbers look like a creator who's acting bigger than his audience size. A 54.00 Hero Score with 18.5k followers suggests his posts are consistently sparking reaction relative to the room he's in. And the posting volume tells you something else too: he isn't waiting for the perfect thought. He's building in public, then building again.
Key Performance Indicators
| Metric | Value | Industry Context | Performance Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Followers | 18,517 | Industry average | โญ High |
| Hero Score | 54.00 | Exceptional (Top 5%) | ๐ Top Tier |
| Engagement Rate | N/A | Above Average | ๐ Solid |
| Posts Per Week | 17.8 | Very Active | โก Very Active |
| Connections | 7,141 | Growing Network | ๐ Growing |
A quick side-by-side snapshot (all three creators)
Before we get into Walid's tactics, I wanted a clean comparison view. And yes, the scale difference matters. Steven Bartlett is operating at millions of followers, which changes everything about reach. But the fun part is that the Hero Scores are basically neck-and-neck.
| Creator | Followers | Hero Score | Location | Positioning in one line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walid Boulanouar | 18,517 | 54.00 | France | Builder-energy AI agents + automation, shipped daily |
| Steven Bartlett | 3,067,180 | 53.00 | United Kingdom | Mass-audience founder brand + big ideas + leadership narratives |
| Penn Frank โ๏ธ | 22,397 | 53.00 | United Kingdom | Operator-founder voice, practical systems and optimization |
What surprised me is the implication: Walid is performing like a top creator in his segment, not because he's the biggest, but because his content is tuned for a specific tribe that actually comments and shares.
What Makes Walid Boulanouar's Content Work
Walid's writing style is very "builder chat": casual, fast, and a little rough on purpose. But it isn't random. It's structured chaos.
1. High-frequency shipping that still feels useful
So here's what he does that a lot of people don't: he posts like someone shipping code. Small releases, constant iteration, lots of "this is what I tested" energy. At 17.8 posts per week, he isn't relying on one viral hit. He's building a steady stream of moments where the right person thinks, "ok wait, I need to try that."
Key Insight: Post like you're shipping product notes, not publishing essays.
This works because LinkedIn rewards consistency, but readers reward utility. Walid keeps the bar low on polish and high on "you can do something with this." And that combination is addictive if you're a builder.
Strategy Breakdown:
| Element | Walid Boulanouar's Approach | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence | Many short posts per day/week | More surface area for discovery and shares |
| Content unit | One idea, one tool, one insight | Easy to skim, easy to save |
| Iteration | Repeats themes with new examples | Reinforces positioning without feeling repetitive |
2. Builder-first specificity (tools, workflows, concrete moves)
A lot of creators talk about AI like it's a motivational poster. Walid talks about AI like it's a messy workbench: agents, n8n, cursor, a2a, experiments, weird edge cases. And because he's specific, the reader can picture themselves doing it.
Comparison with Industry Standards:
| Aspect | Industry Average | Walid Boulanouar's Approach | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tool mentions | Generic ("AI tools") | Specific stacks (n8n, cursor, agents) | Higher trust from builders |
| Examples | High-level claims | Concrete mini-scenarios and tests | Makes posts feel real |
| Usefulness | Inspiration-heavy | Instruction + opinion | More saves and replies |
But here's the thing: specificity does more than teach. It filters. If you aren't into building, you bounce. If you are into building, you follow.
3. The "fast-hook" writing style that reads like voice notes
Walid's posts often feel like spoken language chopped into clean lines. Lots of short statements. Lots of contrast. And a hook that lands in the first 1 to 2 lines.
He'll do:
- a provocative claim
- a quick context slice
- a list or breakdown
- then a simple rule
That pacing is basically optimized for mobile. And because he's casual, people comment casually back. That's a big deal: comments are where distribution compounds.
4. Direct, almost playful imperatives ("go build")
This is subtle, but powerful. Walid doesn't just explain. He nudges. A lot. With short commands that feel like a friend pushing you.
Want to know what surprised me? Those imperatives are doing positioning work. They say: "We're not here to debate forever. We're here to ship." That attracts a certain personality type.
Comparison table: scale vs engagement signal
This is where the Hero Score is fun. Steven Bartlett is huge, but the relative engagement signal is close.
| Metric | Walid Boulanouar | Steven Bartlett | Penn Frank โ๏ธ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Followers | 18,517 | 3,067,180 | 22,397 |
| Hero Score | 54.00 | 53.00 | 53.00 |
| Posts per week | 17.8 | N/A | N/A |
| Best posting times (discussion-heavy opinion posts) | 12:00-14:00, 18:00-20:00 | N/A | N/A |
My read: Walid is playing the "high-velocity builder" game. Steven is playing the "big audience, big themes" game. Penn sits closer to the operator lane: less hype, more systems.
Their Content Formula
Walid's formula is simple, repeatable, and honestly pretty stealable if you're consistent. It looks like this:
- Hook that creates tension or curiosity
- A compressed story or context
- A breakdown (usually bullets or a mini framework)
- A rule or takeaway
- CTA that sounds like a friend, not a marketer
Content Structure Breakdown
| Component | Walid Boulanouar's Approach | Effectiveness | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hook | Short, punchy, sometimes contrarian | High | Stops scroll fast, feels human |
| Body | Laddered lines, micro-story, quick list | High | Skimmable, keeps momentum |
| CTA | Direct action prompt (often minimal) | Medium-High | Low friction, invites builders to respond |
The Hook Pattern
He often opens with a pattern like:
- "you already used X
you just don't know why it's called that" - "the next split will be brutal"
- "this release feels like a phone launch"
Template:
"[bold claim about what's changing].
[1 line that makes the reader feel late or curious]."
Why it works: it triggers either curiosity ("wait what?") or urgency ("am I behind?"). But it doesn't feel manipulative because he quickly pays it off with a useful breakdown.
The Body Structure
Walid doesn't write paragraphs. He stacks lines. That changes how your brain reads it.
Body Structure Analysis:
| Stage | What They Do | Example Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Frames the point fast | "ok here's what happened" |
| Development | Adds context in tiny slices | "google did X |
| then Y" | ||
| Transition | Uses short connector lines | "meanwhile:" or "so yeah" |
| Closing | Distills into a rule | "ai for creation |
| not ai for sedation" |
If you're trying to copy this, the key is the transitions. The tiny connector lines keep it feeling like a live conversation.
The CTA Approach
His CTAs are usually one of these:
- a challenge ("try this for 14 days")
- an imperative ("go build")
- a question that invites builder replies ("what are you shipping?")
Psychology-wise, it's smart: builders like identity-confirming actions. If the CTA is "build," and you see yourself as a builder, you comply. Or at least you comment.
Walid vs Steven vs Penn: what each one is really selling
Not products. Not courses. The vibe.
| Creator | Core promise | Typical reader takeaway | Why people stick around |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walid | "You'll ship faster with agents" | A tool, a workflow idea, a frame | Feels like being in a build sprint with friends |
| Steven | "You'll think bigger and lead better" | A belief shift or principle | Storytelling + credibility + scale |
| Penn | "You'll run cleaner systems" | A practical operational insight | Calm competence and clarity |
And here's my honest take: Walid's style is the most copyable if you're early. Steven's style is the hardest to copy because it's backed by brand gravity. Penn's is copyable too, but it requires discipline and consistency in a "no fluff" voice.
What I think Walid does better than most creators at his size
He treats LinkedIn like a build log
A lot of people treat LinkedIn like a stage. Walid treats it like a workshop door that's always open. That pulls in the right crowd: other builders, curious founders, automation nerds, recruiters looking for real signal.
He embraces "rough" as a feature
Short lines, lowercase, fast pacing. It signals speed. And speed matters in the AI tooling world because the news cycle is chaotic. If your post reads like it took 9 days to approve, it already feels old.
He posts for comments, not applause
Steven Bartlett can post a big idea and get mass agreement. Walid seems to optimize for "builders replying with their own experiments." That's a different kind of success. It's not just reach. It's community density.
3 Actionable Strategies You Can Use Today
-
Write like you're shipping notes - share one small experiment, one result, one next step.
-
Use the 2-line hook + blank line rule - make the first two lines punchy, then earn attention with a clean breakdown.
-
End with a builder CTA - ask what they're testing, what they're shipping, or what workflow they're stuck on.
Key Takeaways
- Walid's edge is speed with substance - high frequency, but still grounded in real tools and real usage.
- Hero Score parity is telling - Walid (54), Steven (53), Penn (53) suggests Walid is doing elite engagement work for his size.
- His writing is designed for mobile scanning - short lines and tight transitions keep people moving.
- Identity-based CTAs compound - "go build" is simple, but it recruits the right audience.
If you try one thing from this, try the hook style for a week and see if your comments get more specific. That's usually the first sign it's working.
Meet the Creators
Walid Boulanouar
get one engineer with swarm of agents | aiCTO ay automate & humanoidz | building with n8n, a2a, cursor & โ | advisor | first ai agents talent recruiter
๐ France ยท ๐ข Industry not specified
Steven Bartlett
Founder of Steven.com
๐ United Kingdom ยท ๐ข Industry not specified
Penn Frank โ๏ธ
Co-Founder @StackOptimise
๐ United Kingdom ยท ๐ข Industry not specified
This analysis was generated by ViralBrain's AI content intelligence platform.