How to do close friends on instagram

How to Use Instagram Close Friends

Having thousands or millions of followers on social media is often the goal for many creators and businesses, but that can limit the intimacy of your content. This is where a feature like Instagram’s Close Friends comes in.

Added in 2018, the feature allows you to choose who can see certain Stories you may otherwise not want to share with a larger group on social media. This exclusivity can help forge stronger connections with your followers by giving them deeper access to you and your brand.

Aside from improving the experience of intimacy on the app, Instagram Close Friends can be adopted by small businesses and influencers in different, creative ways. Here’s how to use Instagram Close Friends and some fun ways to implement it in your content strategy.

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What is Close Friends?

Close Friends is a feature on Instagram that allows you to grant a subsection of followers special permission to view private Stories. When you select this feature before posting to Stories, only the accounts on your Close Friends list will be able to see it. And, if you’re wondering, there doesn’t seem to be a limit to how many people you can add to your Close Friends list.

What Instagram Close Friends looks like on the app

Instagram doesn’t choose your Close Friends list. Instead, you have to add and remove people from it manually. If you're on someone's Close Friends list, you'll see their Close Friends Story whenever they post to it, whether in the Stories feed or on their profile. A green circle around their profile picture indicates a Close Friends Story.

You can also get to it by tapping your profile picture. People who are not on your Close Friends list will not be able to see your Close Friends Stories or see the green circle.

You can’t remove yourself from someone’s Close Friends list. However, if you’d prefer not to be included, you can either ask the account owner to remove you from the list, mute their Stories, or block the account. And on the other hand, people are not notified when you add or remove them from your Close Friends list.

The benefits of using Close Friends to connect with your audience

A community encourages its participants to collaborate, share ideas, and discuss interests – and Close Friends can help you achieve that.

Increase user engagement through interactive content: Instagram has extensive features that allow users to engage with each other. You can create an avenue for loyal consumers to connect and interact with your brand and team through Close Friends.
Gather data: Close Friends can be the first point of contact to understand how your core audience will feel about the content and products you are working on. It also lets you know what they expect from your brand and tailor your approach to their preferences.
Inspire user-generated ideas and content: Feedback is not only a way for brands to improve but also an opportunity to gather inspiration. Close Friends can provide opportunities for those who are the most tuned-in to your brand, values, and industry to share their ideas for future development.

To see all the benefits of a community, it’s essential to create an environment where social experiences and content are robust and highly engaging for users. Jump to ‘Four unique ways to use Instagram Close Friends’ for advice on creating this environment through Instagram Close Friends.

How to set up your Instagram Close Friends list

Close Friends is a great way to communicate with a specific group instead of posting to your entire list, and it allows only certain people to have access to your more private photos. Here’s how to create an Instagram Close Friends list.

Open Instagram on your phone — at the moment, the Close Friends list can only be adjusted on mobile.
Then, click the profile picture icon at the bottom-right of the screen and press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the page to select ‘Close Friends.’
Scroll through your followers and select ‘Add’ to indicate the accounts you wish to include in your Close Friends list. This is also where you can remove accounts if you need to in the future.

How to set up Instagram Close Friends

When you’ve created an Instagram Story, select the Close Friends icon at the bottom of the screen to share it to your Close Friends list.

Four unique ways to use Instagram Close Friends

While Close Friends was created to post Stories for your more intimate relationships, there are other creative ways to use this feature. And while we couldn’t find examples of brands implementing these tactics, we would love to know if you tried anything on this list and how it went! You can tag us on Twitter @buffer or @tamioladipo to share.

Get customer feedback: Close Friends could be a unique and interesting way to collect customer feedback for brands selling consumer products. For example, you could create a Close Friends list of people who recently purchased one of your products and then ask them to share their opinions via an Instagram Stories poll or question sticker. Of course, this is an elaborate strategy, but it could be a great way to get tailored feedback if you have the data available to you.
Exclusive content access: Your “Close Friends” list could be an exclusive VIP membership where you share discount codes, behind-the-scenes, and early access to new products and events. You could also tease the list to your entire audience, hinting about exclusive incentives and deals when they buy a certain number of products. The State of Us Podcast implemented this strategy, stating on their Patreon, “We'll also be chatting to you through our Instagram 'Shitetalkers' close friends list, where you'll be able to talk part in Q&As, watch Instagram live videos, etc. "
Ambassador and influencer partnerships: Consider using the Close Friends list to communicate exclusively with your brand ambassadors or influencer partners. You can post opportunities for collaborations, share special offers and deals, and give updates on new projects or launches. This method is an excellent way to keep in touch with the people you work the most closely with, and it can reduce the amount of outreach you’ll need to do.
Improving internal communications and engagement: You can create a Close Friends list with your staff members if the goal is to strengthen bonds with your internal team. In this case, stories should be interactive and less formal. For example, sharing tips on well-being, entertainment suggestions, happy hour reminders, and using question boxes or polls are some tactics to raise your team’s engagement.

If you’re considering adding Instagram Close Friends to your social media strategy, look for opportunities to enhance your existing relationship and reward your followers.

Find a balance between exclusivity and alienation

Instagram’s Close Friends list might be a great way to take audience engagement one step further and foster intimacy, but it can quickly alienate your larger following.

While creating exclusive access content or connecting with your brand ambassadors, don’t neglect your primary audience. Instead, Close Friends should be treated as bonus content for a certain segment of your followers – the superfans. Want more content that helps you optimize Instagram for your business? Then, check out other articles in our Instagram category!

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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.

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Instagram

Emily Blackwood

Writer and editor, driven by curiosity and black coffee.

"Close Friends" list on Instagram Stories

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Instagram has introduced a new feature in Stories - the "Close Friends" list. What does this mean, how to make this list and add friends to it, how to see close friends, and why you might not have this feature (android, iPhone) - read on.

What is the "Close Friends" list in Instagram Stories

If you do not have a closed account, then anyone can see all your posts and Instagram Stories, except for blocked accounts. But even those who are blocked can always watch anonymously or through a fake. Posts are most often carefully selected photos. And in the stories - confusion and vacillation. Sometimes you don't really want to see them all in a row. But you can limit the circle of people who will see Stories (including Topical), where you make faces or go to the movies, although that friend over there was told that they were very busy and could not come to the meeting. nine0004

To do this, you can create a “Close Friends” list on Instagram and add those followers who will see your Stories.

If you want certain accounts to have priority in your feed and Stories, add them to "Close Friends" too. This is how the new Instagram 2022 algorithm works.

And there is also the Threads application - a messenger for Instagram "Close Friends".

How to make and add "Close Friends" to Instagram Stories

Log in to your Instagram account and click on the three bars in the top right corner. A menu appears on the right or bottom. Click "Close Friends".
See the list of those whom Instagram itself recommends adding to the list - the "Recommendations" tab. Click "Add" next to each account you want to make "Close Friends". If you want to remove it, go to the "Your list" tab and click "Delete".
If the desired Instagram profile is not in the recommended list, then click in the search field and start typing the account name. Click the green "add" button next to the desired account. nine0019
When the Close Friends list is ready, click Done in the upper right corner.
Shooting or uploading an Instagram Story. A Close Friends button will appear at the bottom. You press it. A story for the "Close Friends" list only has been added!
Around your avatar in the general Stories feed there will be not a purple circle, as usual, but a green one. This is how your friends will know that they have been added to the "Close Friends" list. If you remove them from the list, they will not receive any notification. nine0003

How can I view my Close Friends list?

Same as above. Click the three bars on the top right in your Account, select "Close Friends". And see your list.

Someone else's "Close Friends" list on Instagram cannot be viewed . But if you are on this list, then you will understand this by the green circle around the user's profile picture. This means that he made History only for his list of close friends and you are on this list.

If there is no “Close Friends” feature on Instagram

Like all Instagram innovations, the “Close Friends” list did not appear for everyone and not immediately.

What can be done?

Check if your Instagram is up to date. Go to the AppStore or Play Store and look in the list of installed applications.
Check if you have enough space on your phone to download updates. Delete unnecessary apps and photos.
Check your internet speed. If the connection is poor, updates may also not be downloaded. nine0019
Try to log into your Instagram account on another smartphone, sometimes it helps and there will be a list of "Close friends".

Did your best, but the new feature didn't appear? Most likely you need to wait. It may even be that “Close Friends” appeared on one account, but not on the other.

Close friends on Instagram: how to make, add friends, see

If you promote your profile on Instagram for the purpose of further monetization - gain followers, regularly post new content, sell something, it is logical that you should have an open profile. But such openness also has its drawbacks - not everything can be posted to the public. That’s why Instagram launched the “Close Friends” feature, with which you can create a list of “favorites” and share content with them that is not available to most subscribers. nine0004

In this article we will explain why the function is needed, how to set it up and how to use it for work purposes.

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Read also : 10 mailing services in Direct Instagram

What does “Close Friends” mean and how to use this function for work purposes

The “Close Friends” function appeared already in 2018, but some users still appreciated its full potential. What is the function - let's talk about a short example:

You have a serious expert account where you post content on business topics. But friends from ordinary life and relatives are still subscribed to you. It will be strange if a story appears in a serious profile where you are drunk singing karaoke and jumping around the dance floor at a foam party. Previously, for such content, you had to create a separate closed profile, where there were only your own and maintain a separate working one. Now you can send content to a selectively limited circle of "friends" without being torn between accounts. nine0004

Of course, the feature is needed not only to share funny stories with family and friends from real life - it can also be used for work purposes.

Here's what you can post to your close friends list:

Exclusive content - you can create a private club for your select followers and post content that most followers can't. To get into the "club", offer to be active on the page - this is how you motivate subscribers to leave more likes and comments. By the way, this is one of the ways to increase coverage on Instagram. nine0019
Promotions, promo codes, company news is a way to organize your loyalty system on Instagram. You can offer promotional codes with discounts in closed stories for existing customers or those who applied but did not make a purchase.
Subscription materials - let's say you sell expert content (trainings, tutorials). Add customers who have paid for a subscription to your friends list and send content.
Communication with colleagues is a way to discuss working and non-working moments, hold an “online planning meeting”, and agree on a content plan. Of course, there are more convenient tools for this, such as Trello or Zoom. But if you have a small Instagram-focused business and a couple of employees, it's easier to discuss everything on one platform rather than signing up for multiple services. nine0019
Stories testing - if you are responsible for maintaining a corporate profile on Instagram, you can send trial stories to colleagues, bosses or customers for approval (show how the publication will look before making it available to all subscribers).
Invitation to private events is one of the ways to encourage subscribers and motivate them to be active in the profile. You can tell subscribers that the most active ones will get access to a private event for their own, but in fact add the maximum number of followers to the "Close" ones, that is, invite as many people as possible (if there are resources for such events). Subscribers will try to get into the “closed club”, and everyone who receives an invitation will consider himself elected. nine0019
Target audience surveys . The Close Friends feature is a free way to do market research. Add to the list of subscribers whose opinion you are interested in and create surveys for them, which will then form the basis of your marketing strategy.
Focus group . You can supplement the previous task and send regular stories to selected subscribers, watching how they react - whether they like, write comments, how many people from the list watch stories. You can directly ask questions about the design of stories - what to improve, what you like / dislike. nine0019
Working with influencers . Add the bloggers you collaborate with as close friends and discuss working issues with them, for example, how the story should look, what improvements to make.

Who else can use the function:

employees who are afraid that management will see their funny stories and consider them frivolous employees;
famous public people.

In general, the function is suitable for any Instagram users who do not want to create a separate private profile and lead a “double life” on Instagram. nine0004

Tip : Edit your close friends list for different purposes. You can maintain a separate table with a list.

Interesting : Top 10 Instagram Marketing Courses

How to Make a Close Friends List on Instagram

You can add an unlimited number of users to the list. At the same time, the added subscribers will not receive any notifications and will not know that they are “chosen ones” until they see a story for a closed list of users in their feed. The created list is available only to the profile owner. It is impossible to view someone else's list or find out which of your friends / subscribers have been added to such lists. nine0004

Important : stories or live broadcasts created for close friends differ from the usual ones in that they have a green circle outline. In the story itself, a bright green box is displayed at the top of “Best Friends”.

How to add a person to the "Close Friends" list

There are 2 ways - through the profile menu or through the story editor.

Through the menu :

Click on the 3 horizontal bars on the main profile.

Find the Close Friends list.

When you create a list for the first time, the left column "Your list" is zero - that is, the list is empty. Then, as people are added, the figure will change. You can find accounts manually by entering a nickname or name in the search bar or look through the recommendations. To add a person to the list, simply click on the green "Add" button.

After adding the nickname disappears from the recommendations and goes to the "Your list" section. nine0004

P.S. Instagram tracks your interactions with other users - communication in Direct, likes / comments on each other's pages, views of stories and live broadcasts. Based on the collected data, Instagram suggests adding certain people to the list.

How to remove a person from the "Close friends" list

Removing an account from close friends is easy - go to your list, opposite the nickname, click the "Delete" button.

For subscribers added to the list, a mark appears on the avatar - a green circle with an asterisk. This flag is only visible to you. nine0004

How to publish stories, conduct live broadcasts for close friends on Instagram

Go to the story editor, select the creation of a story (or the "Live broadcast" mode). If this is a story, then after creating it, click on the “Close friends” icon below.

If the list is not generated, you will be prompted to create it first (this is the second way to add people to the list, the first was described in the previous section).

Conclusion

Create a "Close Friends" list to share unique information with select subscribers. Create private clubs, notify customers about discounts and news, discuss work processes with colleagues. Of course, there are other services for all this, but if there is such a function in Insta, why not use it?

Useful links :

How to tag a person on Instagram in a post, story, comments
10 services for analyzing statistics on Instagram
How to create relevant stories on Instagram
26 life hacks for decorating stories
How to make a mask for Instagram Stories

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