How to add someone as a close friend on instagram

What is Close Friends on Instagram, and how do you use the feature?

When it comes to Instagram followers, most people subscribe to the idea that more is better. While growing your follower count can result in an increased number of likes and higher rates of engagement, a large number of followers often coincides with less intimate interaction, one of the main downsides being that your friends’ and family members’ accounts can become harder to find.

In 2018, to give users the ability to post with more privacy and engage with smaller groups, Instagram rolled out a Stories curation feature called Close Friends. Fans of the tool use it to easily communicate with their inner circles or give exclusive content to their most active followers. In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about using the Instagram Close Friends feature.

Understanding Close Friends on Instagram

Instagram Close Friends is a feature that allows you to create a subsection of followers who are given special permission to view private Stories. When you post a Story and select this feature, only the accounts you’ve chosen to be on your Close Friends list will be able to see it.

How does Instagram determine your Close Friends?

Instagram doesn’t choose your Close Friends list. You have to manually add and remove people to it within the app’s Close Friends setting.

How do you know if you’re on someone’s Close Friends list on Instagram?

If you’re on someone’s Close Friends list, you will see their Close Friends Story when they post to it, either on the Stories feed or on their profile. A Close Friends Story is indicated by a green circle surrounding their profile picture instead of a pink one.

Can you remove yourself from someone’s Close Friends list on Instagram?

You can’t. You can either ask the person to remove you from their list, mute their Stories, or block the account.

Does Instagram notify someone when you remove them from your Close Friends list?

People are not notified when you add or remove them from your Close Friends list.

How to use the Instagram Close Friends feature

Close Friends on Instagram is a great way to communicate with a specific group of followers instead of posting to your entire list or to hide more private photos you post from the people you don’t know well. Whether you’re sharing a Story with your personal inner circle or VIP fans of your page, using this feature is quite straightforward.

How to create an Instagram Close Friends list

Here’s how to create an Instagram Close Friends list:

Open the Instagram app.
Navigate to your profile by pressing the profile picture icon at the bottom-right of the screen.
Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the page.
Select Close Friends.
From there, scroll through your followers and select Add to indicate the accounts you wish to add to your Close Friends list.

You have to have at least one account on your Close Friends list to be able to post to it.

How to add or remove Close Friends

Here’s how to add or remove people from your Close Friends list:

Open the Instagram app.
Navigate to your profile by pressing the profile picture icon at the bottom-right of the screen.
Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the page.
Select Close Friends.
Press Add or Remove next to the accounts you wish to add or remove.

How to post a Story only for your list

Now that your list is created and curated, here’s how to post a Story to your Close Friends:

Open the Instagram app.
Press the Story Camera button at the top-left of the screen.
Create or upload your Story.
Select the Close Friends option at the bottom of the screen.

A Close Friends Story appears in the Stories feed as a green circle around a user’s profile icon instead of a pink circle. It will also be accessible on your profile by tapping your profile picture. People who aren’t on your Close Friends list won’t be able to view your Close Friends Story and will not see the green circle. Those who can view it will see a “Close Friends” label at the top-right of the screen.

Just like normal Stories, Close Friends Stories are only visible for 24 hours. Both private and public accounts can use this feature.

How can you use Close Friends for your photography account?

While the intended use of the Close Friends feature is to post Stories for your close personal friends, there are other creative ways to use this tool for your photography account. Here are a few of our favorites:

Add all of your current and past clients and use Close Friends Stories to share information about upcoming events or specials.
Include your most active followers and use your Close Friends list to share exclusive tips and how-tos.
Add any followers who have asked questions about your photo editing process and share Stories about how you edit your photos.

How to message your Close Friends list on Instagram

In addition to posting content specifically for one group of followers, you can also message them directly using Threads by Instagram. This standalone app is free to download in the App Store and gives users a way to contact their Close Friends list through status updates and direct messages.

Here’s how to message your Close Friends list by using Threads by Instagram:

Open the Threads by Instagram app.
Log in with your Instagram profile information.
Either continue with the same Close Friends list you have on Instagram or add more people to it by scrolling down.
Press Continue.
Take or upload a photo or video.
Select the account you wish to message.
Press Send.

This will send a direct message to the selected account, which you’ll be able to view and respond to either in the Threads by Instagram app or within the Instagram app in your direct messages inbox.

Easy to use and simple to understand, Instagram’s Close Friends list is an awesome feature for staying in contact and sharing content with a small group of people. We hope this guide has covered everything you need to know about this useful tool.

This was about:

Instagram

Emily Blackwood

Writer and editor, driven by curiosity and black coffee.

How To Use & Create A Close Friends List on Instagram

Instagram Tips & Resources

By Nikki Canning

•

Updated on December 2, 2018

•

6 minute read

VIPs only: the Close Friends feature let's you handpick a group of followers to share private Instagram Stories with.

Published December 2, 2018

Have you ever wanted to share an Instagram Stories post with your IRL friends or just a few of your followers? Well, now you can with Instagram’s Close Friends list!

The Close Friends feature for Instagram Stories will allow you to handpick a group of friends or followers to share private Instagram Stories posts with.

Only the people in your Close Friends list will see your story, and it will be hidden from all your other followers.

This means you can be a lot more selective about who can watch certain Instagram Stories posts from your account!

Let’s take a closer look the Close Friends list feature and what it could mean for you and your business!

Instagram Launches New Close Friends List for Instagram Stories

The new Close Friends feature allows you to create a group of followers that you can privately share Instagram Stories posts with.

According to Instagram, they created the feature because the way we’re using Instagram is changing. With Instagram Stories, you can express yourself and your brand by sharing everyday moments, but as the Instagram community grows, you might want the option of keeping some stories private for you and your closest friends.

The Close Friends list allows you to chose who can see certain stories, and you can add and remove followers from the list at any time (without them ever knowing).

And just like regular Instagram Stories posts, your story will be available to view for only 24 hours for your Close Friends list.

Once you’ve posted an Instagram story to your Close Friends list, your profile image will appear with a green circle around it, both on your Profile page (which only you can see) and in your Close Friends’ feed.

The green circle helps it stand out from the other pink circles that usually highlight an account has live Instagram Stories posts you haven’t seen yet.

Any follower not included in your Instagram Stories Close Friends list won’t see your post at all!

Similarly, if someone has shared a private Instagram story with you, as part of their Close Friends list, the post should stand out from the others in your Instagram Stories feed thanks to the green circle. It will often appear at the very start of your feed too so you won’t miss it.

The new Close Friends feature allows you to share more private moments than ever before, which could make Instagram Stories a lot more conversational between you and your IRL friends and followers!

How to Create a Close Friends List in Instagram Stories

Ready to share an Instagram Stories post with your closest followers? Here’s how to do it:

Tap Close Friends and then tap Add next to the names of people who you want to add to your Close Friends list. You can also tap Search to search for a friend.
Once you’ve finished adding people to your list, tap Done.

Remember: You can update your list and remove followers from the list at any time. Also, people won’t be notified when you add or remove them from your list.

H

ow to Share an Instagram Story With Your Close Friends List

Let’s share your first Instagram story with your Close Friends list!

Start by going to your Home page, and tap the camera icon in the top left corner of your screen.

Just like any Instagram Stories post, you can take a photo, video or upload a photo from your phone’s media library by swiping up on the screen.

Add text, GIFs, Stickers or Polls as you would with any Instagram Stories post, and when you’re ready to share, tap Close Friends in the bottom left corner! Easy!

H

ow Can You Use the Close Friends List on Instagram Stories for Your Business?

The Close Friends feature has only just been released worldwide, so it’s exciting to see how businesses are going to creatively use it!

For example, if you’re a brand that works closely with collaborators or influencers for Instagram campaigns, you may want to create a Close Friends lists for them. With all your collaborators in one list, you can easily share posts that would interest them from your Instagram account, while hiding the post from all other followers.

Similarly, if you’re in a coaching business, like a personal trainer, for example, having your clients all in one Close Friend list on Instagram Stories could make it easier to share exclusive information, tips or advice.

As a client (and part of your Close Friends list!) they’ll see your posts, but your followers that are not on the list, won’t even know it was posted.

Not sure where to start when it comes to using Instagram Stories for your business? Don’t worry!

We have you covered with a free Instagram Stories for Business video course that offers tips, tricks and easy-to-action advice for creating an Instagram Stories strategy for your business!

Message Your Close Friends List with the Instagram Threads App

Instagram’s new standalone messaging app, Threads is another way to quickly get in touch with those closest to you — and it comes with some added perks and features!

According to Instagram’s announcement, the app was designed to help you stay connected with your closest friends and includes several appealing features, like the ability to create “statuses” and let your friends know what you’re up to.

If you like Instagram’s Close Friends feature, you’ll definitely love Threads — especially if your messaging style is photo first, text later!

When you open the app, you’re immediately met with a camera view that “allows you to add shortcuts, so you can share what you’re doing in just two taps.”

And Threads is completely connected to the Close Friends list you created in the Instagram app — you’ll have a dedicated inbox and notifications just for them.

Messages from your Close Friends list will also appear in both Threads and Instagram Direct, so you have full control over how and with whom you want to interact with.

For brands and businesses, it offers a level of exclusivity and real behind-the-scenes moments that Instagram Stories never had before!

Want to be the first to know about Instagram’s latest launches and feature releases? Sign up to Later’s newsletter and join 2M+ other people using Later to grow their business online!

About the Author

Nikki Canning

Nikki is Later’s Editorial Manager. She’s worked in digital media in Dublin, London, and Sydney and loves nothing more than hitting “publish” on a new post. When she’s not writing blogs with the Later team, you’ll find her outdoors with her dog, Arlie, or planning her next adventure — follow along on @nikkitravelled.

Plan, schedule, and automatically publish your social media posts with Later.

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✅ How to tag people on Instagram Stories, comments and photos — LiveDune Blog

Tag people on Instagram can be useful not only to participate in the contest, but also to promote your account.

Content

1. How to tag a person in a photo on Instagram
2. How to tag a person in a comment on Instagram
3. How to tag a person in a story on Instagram

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On their posts, they most often tag either friends who are present in the photo, or brands whose products are also present in the photo. In both cases, your post will appear in the tagged account in the "Tagged" section. If the account that you mark as closed, then your photo will be seen only by those users who are subscribed to the marked account.

Thus, any user who logs into your friend's account, for example, can see your joint photo and go to your account. The reach is also given by the marks of friends and brands, but in the second case it is many times more. Even better, if you not only take a photo with the brand's products, but also write a review or rank the top products that you like. Then it is more likely that the brand will publish your post in their account and tag you.

Content that users create for other users is called UGC. You can read more about how UGC content works, what it is and why brands need it in the article “How UGC content works on social networks”.

To tag an account while publishing a post, click "Tag users", select the area on the photo where you want to mark. For example, if you want to tag a brand of glasses in a photo, click on the glasses. After a new window will open with a search bar, find the desired account and select it.

If you want to tag an account in an already published post, open the desired post, click the three dots in the upper right corner and select "Edit" to edit the post. In the lower left corner, click on the little man. Then you know what to do.

If your post did not appear in the account that was tagged, it means that the account owner has enabled pre-moderation and manually adds tagging. Either he didn't approve of your mark, or he simply forgets to check for new marks. The switch to manual tagging was provoked by spammers who randomly tag accounts on contest and other posts.

How to tag a person on Instagram in the comments

Since it is impossible to tag a friend in a photo in other people's posts on Instagram, it is important to tag him in the comments. Thus, you can draw the attention of a friend to some kind of post, most often humorous. Or fulfill the condition of the contest - tag friends in the comments to the post.

To tag a friend in an Instagram comment, open the desired post and type the account name followed by @, for example, @livedune. You can tag up to 5 accounts per comment. Users you tag will receive tag notifications.

Track mentions of your account to respond to user content in time.

See mentions

How to tag a person in your story on Instagram

The traffic in the Stories section is not inferior to the views of the feed, so many promotion mechanics have spread here as well.
For example, holding contests in which the user must screenshot something, post it in their Stories and tag the account of the contest organizer. Mutual PR with another account or the same UGC. There are two ways to tag in Instagram stories.

Method 1. Upload/take a photo/video to stories, click on "Aa" in the upper right corner. Type the name of the desired account through @ and select the desired account.

If an underline does not appear under the name, then the account name most likely made a mistake, and the mark will not be clickable.

Method 2. Almost the same as the first, only a separate “Mention” sticker is used for marking. You can change the background of the sticker, otherwise there are no differences.

10 accounts can be marked in one story. The tag is clickable and anyone viewing stories can go to the account you tag. The account that you tagged will receive a notification in Direct about the tagging and the opportunity to add this stories to yourself.

Instagram tags can be used to increase the organic reach of your account. For example, by marking accounts of brands whose products are present in the photo.

Or you can create several Instagram accounts for each product/service (if you don't have a website and a small number of products, otherwise you'll be tormented) and tag them in the main account. By the same principle, you can create a quest game, for example, as @gla_build_your_own did. This is a prime example of how you can use seemingly primitive functions on Instagram in a non-standard way.

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How to find friends on Instagram from a phone from a contact: available methods.

More than 500 million people visit Instagram every day, which makes it the most popular and popular social network in the world, but this is not the limit and the user base is constantly growing every day. So, you also decided to create a page: came up with a login, figured out tags and filters, and added the best photo. There is only one question left - how to find friends on Instagram? In fact, finding friends is easier than it seems, you just need to look into the settings, but first things first.

Content

How to find friends on Instagram?
How to search for people by phone number?
How to find friends on Instagram through Facebook?
How to invite a friend to Instagram by SMS or e-mail?
How to search for people through VKontakte?
How to find friends through the search bar?
How to add best friends on instagram?

How to find friends on Instagram?

Previously, each user could invite friends from VK or Twitter to their Instagram page with a touch of a finger, but now you can only synchronize your account with Facebook. Therefore, the most reliable way is to add a person as a friend from contacts on your mobile device. But there are alternative methods, such as email and SMS. You can also use VKontakte and Viber, but only to send a notification to your friends about your registration on Instagram (you won’t be able to find their pages using this method).

How to search for people by phone number?

Today this option is the fastest and most convenient, because it's easy to find all your friends.

Click on the three dots located in the upper right corner and then tap on the gear icon to enter the settings.

Select "Invite Friends" and "Follow Contacts".

The device will ask you to set up synchronization so that you can choose who to follow. Tap the word “Start” and don’t worry, because if necessary, you can turn off the list at any time.

You will see a list of people from the phone book contacts (if they are registered in the system). Look through the suggested options and subscribe to the accounts you like.

Important! If you delete contacts, new entries will still be downloaded, so to disable phone number lookups, cancel the sync. To do this, find the item "Account" - "Sync Contacts" - "Disconnect" in the settings.

How to find friends on Instagram through Facebook?

In our latitudes, it is not as common as abroad, but if you are registered on Facebook and want to invite your best friends to Instagram from there, then use our instructions.

Touch three lines and go to the "Interesting people" section.

At the very top, find the inscription Connect to Facebook. Tap on "Connect" and log in to Facebook.

How to invite a friend to Instagram by SMS or e-mail?

These methods will not help you discover your friends pages, but they are useful if you want to find a person from your contacts and send him an alert that you are now registered on Instagram. However, it will not be possible to find and view someone else's account in this way.

Select the "Invite friends by SMS" option.

A message will appear on the screen saying that you have signed up for Instagram and are inviting a friend to visit (username) and subscribe to your updates. You will only have to find a person from the contacts saved in the smartphone. You can do the same with email.

How to search for people through VKontakte?

Not so long ago, users freely attached a VK page to Instagram, but in 2019In 2018, the developers canceled this function and now you can only invite friends from Vkontakte to visit your account.

Tap on "Share" - "Via VKontakte".

Instagram will offer you to post text on the wall or send it as a private message. In the first case, all friends in VK will see the link without exception, and in the second, only those whom you yourself have marked.

How to find friends through the search bar?

Finding a friend on Instagram is not difficult if you know his nickname.