How To Use The Instagram Close Friends List

There are times when you want to share your Instagram Stories with only a few people or friends. So, Instagram figured why not create a Close Friends list for exactly this purpose?

Instagram’s Close Friends list lets you choose your IG clique who will be the only ones to see private IG Stories you want to share with them. When you post a story to your list, only the chosen followers will see the content. This allows you to get a bit picky about who sees what on your account.

Having a Close Friends list is like having a super private Instagram account attached to your actual account – and you can use it to spill tea just the way you like. What’s not to like?

Why Use An Instagram Close Friends List?

Instagram Stories are extremely popular with 500 million people using them every day on the social media platform. Users love them as a tool for branding, engagement, and sharing fun snippets of their lives.

Sometimes, though, you might not want to share your Stories with all your followers. A Close Friends List makes it possible for you to:

target specific people with your content
decide who gets to see what content
and curate particular experiences for an exclusive group of followers

This makes it a fantastic way to foster more private relationships, share exclusive content, and utilize Instagram Stories in a more targeted way.

How To Set Up An Instagram Close Friends List

Before we dive into how you can use this feature to your advantage, here’s how to create your first Instagram Close Friends list.

Click on the burger icon (three stacked horizontal lines) on the top right corner of your profile page.
Click on ‘Close Friends’ to access a list of followers’ names.
Select the ‘Add’ button next to the handles or names of the accounts you want to add to your list. Alternatively, you can search for the accounts in the search bar and add them. Don’t fret if you change your mind about the people you chose later on. You can simply remove them from the list and it won’t cause you any drama because Instagram won’t let them know that you’ve removed them from your list.
With all the right people added, click ‘Done’ and you have your first list.

Now that you’ve set up your list, it’s time to share some content with your Close Friends. You can only share Instagram Stories to your list and this is how you do it:

Open your app and click on the (+) sign at the top of your screen. This will lead you to create a new post.
Create an Instagram Story as you would normally, and add stickers, GIFs, filters and all that to match your aesthetic.
To share, you’ll see a white star in a green circle at the bottom of your screen. Tap on it to share the Story you’ve created on your Instagram Close Friends List. And you’re done!

Close Friends posts show up on your feed and your friends’ feed with a green circle, instead of the pink ring that indicates a new public Instagram Story.

The Story you post to your Instagram Close Friends list is pretty much like any other story. It will only stick around for 24 hours. You can also add them to your highlights, but only people on the list will see these Stories on your profile.

4 Best Ways To Use Your Close Friends List For Your Business

Does your business or brand offer premium or VIP memberships, or exclusive status for long-time or constant supporters? If yes, does it not make sense to extend these privileges to social media content too?

With Instagram Close Friends lists, you can share exclusive content to a select group of your followers or customers. Such content can include premium discount codes or coupons, special product access, early product announcements, private launches, collaboration offers, personalized content, and more.

Work With Influencers

Use your list to collaborate with influencers! Influencer marketing has grown substantially in recent years. And today, influencers wield a lot of power over Instagram users’ purchasing decisions and product preferences. Brands collaborate with influencers to boost brand recognition and awareness, promote products, engage new audiences, and increase sales and conversions.

Add all the influencers you’re currently collaborating with to your Instagram Close Friends list. Via the list, you can give them special product offers and discounts, product updates, and detailed information they can use for your brand promotion. Essentially, you can use this as a collaborative space to touch base with your influencer partners.

Celebrate Your Fan Followers

Nothing keeps a brand going and growing on Instagram like a loyal follower. When your followers like, comment, and share your posts, and they share their own content displaying your products, they may deserve a little reward.

You can use your Instagram Close Friends list to give rewards to your top followers. You can also use the list to share thoughtful messages or videos of gratitude.

Build Important Relationships

Connections, networks, relationships. Whatever you want to call them, that’s what social media is all about and you never want to neglect them. An Instagram Close Friends list grants you intimacy and privacy. It makes the people you add to the list feel important.

For your business or brand, you can add important partners or business connections and use that space to maintain that relationship. Share business updates, behind-the-scenes content, and other private content that’s a little more vulnerable than what you share with a general audience.

This can be a wonderful opportunity to create community and personal connections with your partners. Doing so can only bolster your business relationships going forward.

Bye, Friend!

Looking for social media content ideas to drive your content towards a more targeted or specific audience? An Instagram Close Friends list might just be your answer. Start creating exclusive content today!