Yesterday, Selena Gomez added me to her Close Friends list on Instagram.
I was thinking that we were besties, and it turns out she did it to promote her husband’s podcast.
Let us clarify, it is not truly her actual Close Friends list, but rather it involves “Secret friends,” a feature that is not available to all Instagram users. Based on what we know, it is also not expected to be widely available—at least for now. This function was created exclusively by and for the singer, so she could promote “Friends Keep Secrets,” the podcast by music producer Benny Blanco. Well played, Mosseri.
In her story, Selena addressed us by saying: “Hi guys, welcome to my secret friends list. If you want more secrets, click here” while pointing to the Instagram profile of the podcast, which already surpasses 880,000 followers.
This is simply a marketing action that no one anticipated. It generates exclusivity. It makes you feel special, as though you are part of a smaller community within an enormous network of millions of users. Most importantly, if you were not one of the chosen ones… the FOMO is enormous.
She did not select each individual one by one to determine who would be included and who would not; instead, she simply added all of her followers. Therefore, if you follow the best magician of Waverly Place, it is highly likely that you were able to view that story as well. I understand… for a moment, seeing that yellow ring felt magical.
Will this type of action be extended to other celebrities or content creators?
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