How Billie Eilish Used Instagram’s 'Close Friends' Feature to Boost Her Album Sales

In April 2024, Billie Eilish added her entire Instagram following — over 110 million people — to her Close Friends list.

This meant her stories appeared with a green ring, signaling exclusivity.

Fans felt special, as if they were getting a behind-the-scenes look at her life.

The results were impressive. Her story views surged, her profile visits spiked, and she gained 10 million new followers.

The strategy also helped her album dominate streaming platforms, with the lead single “Birds of a Feather” becoming Spotify's most-streamed song of the year 2024 and the 3rd most-streamed song right now.

Billie’s strategy worked for 4 main reasons:

1. Creative Use of Features: Instagram’s Close Friends feature isn’t new, but using it on such a large scale was unexpected. It made her fans feel special.

2. Increased Visibility: Stories from Close Friends appear first with a green ring, ensuring more views and higher engagement.

3. Free Album Promotion: Without spending on ads, Billie Eilish leveraged Instagram’s built-in features to drive millions of interactions and boost her album’s reach.

4. Organic Buzz: Fans posted screenshots and asked, “Am I really on her Close Friends list?” especially on Reddit.

This created free publicity, got her mentions in publications, helped her album with PR, and amplified her reach even further.

You don’t need 110 million followers to use this strategy. Here’s how you can adapt it for your own goals:

1. Scrape Your Followers: Use a tool like GiveMeData or a scraping bot to collect your followers’ user IDs. This step is optional but helps avoid Instagram flags.

2. Add Followers to Close Friends: Use a bot like Fanzella (paid version) to bulk-add followers to your Close Friends list. Upload the scraped user IDs, set a delay (e.g., 25 users per minute), and enable the Close Friends feature.

3. Post Exclusive Content: Share behind-the-scenes footage, sneak peeks, or personal updates with your Close Friends.

4. Monitor Results: Track your story views, profile visits, and follower growth. Expect a significant increase in engagement.

The benefits of adding people to your close friends list are:

• Higher Story Views: Adding followers to your Close Friends list can 2x to 10x your story views. For example, 500 views could jump to 1,500 or more.

• Increased Engagement: The exclusivity of Close Friends stories encourages more interaction.

• Revive Inactive Accounts: If you have a large following but low engagement, this strategy can breathe new life into your account.

The reason to use "Close Friends" stories feature is to make up for the throttled reach of Instagram when it shifted its follower-based model to mimic TikTok’s interest-based model. However, it can’t fully abandon its original approach without upsetting established Instagram influencers. So, Instagram is blending the old follower-based system with the new interest-based system.

Old Instagram Algorithm: Follower-Based Model

In the past, Instagram showed your posts to most of your followers first. If about 95% of them engaged with your content, the algorithm would push it to a broader audience, including non-followers, through the Explore page.

New Instagram Algorithm: Follower-Based and Interest-Based Model

Now, Instagram splits your content’s reach—about 50% goes to followers, and 50% goes to non-followers via the Explore feed or Reels. This change increases your potential reach but also means fewer followers may see your posts organically.

Billie Eilish’s Close Friends strategy was a masterstroke in social media marketing for musicians. It reflects a growing trend in digital marketing—direct, intimate engagement with fans.

As social media evolves, creators must continue to innovate to maintain their audience’s attention. Strategies like the Close Friends method show that leveraging platform features in unexpected ways can create powerful marketing results.

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