Entry NO. 001 Instagram just got private…And I have feelings
A Sunday Letter from Aomih on building communities that actually last with you.
FROM THE DESK
Somewhere between Thursday night and my third swipe through Instagram Stories, my face made the face you make when you are wondering what the heck something is that makes no sense...
A new reel from The Weeknd — locked. Not archived, not exclusive, not for subscribers — locked. Like a velvet rope I hadn’t been invited behind. And suddenly, I realized something: we’re not in the feed era anymore. We’re not even in the close friends era. We’re somewhere new entirely — and it’s quiet in here.
Instagram’s latest feature lets you post private reels. Think: members-only content without the platform leaving the building. What started with Billie Eilish putting all her followers into close friends… and the launch of broadcast channers–social media has now turned into brands building inner sanctums. Private accounts. VIP content drops. Carefully manicured close-friend lists. And I’ll be honest — I’m not sure how I feel about it.
Because here’s the thing: I love intimacy. I love strategy. I love giving your people something that feels like *it’s just for them*. But there’s something about this shift that feels... different. A little disorienting. Not bad, but blurred and a little meh.
And I think we need to talk about it.
What I’m seeing — what we’re seeing inside the studio — is a move toward multi-tiered audience architecture. The brands that are thriving right now? They’re not just talking to "everyone." They’re building for layers: the wide-net audience, the real target, and the inner circle. They know who’s here to watch, who’s here to learn, and who’s here to stay. They’re building content and communities for each of them — not just hoping one reel will go viral and solve it all. We are simultaneously fighting the algorithms and overconsumption and now brands need 3+ instagrams to reach their target audiences (follow out new IG here ;)) …so maybe this privatization may help..but I am not sold.
My hot take? I think this hyper-privacy push is going to have a peak moment, and then we’re going to see the pendulum swing — hard. People are getting pickier. We’re seeing more nuance in what people share *and* what they expect in return. Forced transparency will come back. The “we see you” brands will rise again. Because at the end of the day, people don’t want just access. They want to feel seen.
So yes — create the inner circle. Build the secret drops. Design for your superfans. But don’t forget: the best way to make someone feel like they belong isn’t just through a locked post. It’s through an experience. An in-person moment. A table they were invited to. A conversation they didn’t expect to have. And coffee while chatting about how their week went with a few strangers will always beat social media… ALWAYS.
You want your people to stay close? Go be with them. Online *and* offline. Speak on the panel. Host the dinner. Send the DM. Show up — like an actual human being.
We can build exclusivity *and* show our face. That’s the future I want to see.
— SaSha.
STUDIO CULTURE
Across Timezones, We Try
We just onboarded two new team members. Our director of messaging moved back to Europe. And I’ll be honest: I’m still figuring out how to make remote connection feel like *actual* connection.
We use Slack. We share what we’re listening to. I try to say too much instead of too little. It helps. But it’s a reminder that the intimacy we talk about with brand audiences? It starts with our team. If we can’t build real culture here, we’ll never be able to offer it out there.
CURRENTLY READING
A Mixed Bag, As Always
• "My Life in France" by Julia Child — A slow start, but by chapter 3 I wanted to make a beurre blanc and book a flight. It’s about food, but it’s really about how to love what you do.
• "The Nap Ministry's Rest Deck" by Tricia Hersey — Not a book, technically, but I pull one card every morning before logging on. Grounding, needed, quietly radical.
• I also read an article earlier last week that I can’t find for the life of me. Ill add it net week if I come across it. — It is basically a cultural analysis for people who live online. A piece on content fatigue had me nodding at the screen like a feral raccoon.
THE CHECK-IN
Privacy’s Power Grab
We’re watching digital space splinter in real time. What used to be one feed is now a landscape of micro-rooms and walled gardens. Feeds. Broadcasts. Locked content. Invite-only launches. Influencers vlogging their brand trips that you’ll never be invited on… But what’s becoming clear is this: intimacy without structure is an absolute mess. We saw this last week with a rehydration brand.
Communities need scaffolding. Roles. Expectations. A container. Otherwise, you’re just throwing content into a void and hoping for belonging. We’ve seen this before. Anyone remember The Wing? Community can’t run on aesthetic and exclusivity alone. If there’s no internal cohesion, no relationship-building infrastructure, the mountain gets slippery — fast.
A GUEST NOTE
It’s Me. Hi.
With all of that being said, hi, I’m SaSha. I have a lot of opinions. I started this studio and I’ve been meaning to start this blog for... longer than I’d like to admit. But here we are.
Dear Studio is the version of me that you’d get over lunch. Slightly unfiltered. Mostly curious. Often fired up. And always trying to make creative work feel more human. I’m excited to be here. And I’m glad you are too. It may not always be me though. I work with some badass creatives who like to share things as well. I can promise, that it’ll always be a good read for your sunday afternoon to ease you into the work week though.
ON REPEAT
Late Night Soundtrack
• Beyoncé – Protector — I don’t know if it’s the air, or the videos from tour with little Rumi get me every…single…time. It’s been in rotation for over a month. Still hits.
• Paul Alan Morris – Portland Bill — Studio nights with this one feel like slow cinema.
• Defying Gravity (yes, from *Wicked*) — No regrets. The neighbors may disagree.
Our studio playlist is due for an update. But here it is anyway:
CASE IN POINT
So... What Now?
Here’s what I think brands need to be doing right now:
1. Develop a Two- or Three-Tier Audience Strategy
Design for everyone and design for your people.
A public-facing ecosystem: for discovery, reach, energy.
Show that you have the levels. Some people want to see the options even if they aren’t a part of them.
Share low-tier micro-exclusive offers for free. Showcasing value incentivises people to crave more
Map your audiences: the curious, the committed, and the super fans. Then build intentional access for each — different content, different tone, different touchpoints. Remember, free may not bring profit, but it can build loyalty–that is 10x more profitable when cultivating community.
Make sure you ASK your people. You can roll in-and out as much as you want…if you aren’t aligning with your audience then it is probably not going to work. Strategy, data and a lot of questions.
2. Curate True Closeness, Not Just Closed Access
Close friends doesn’t mean recycled feed content with a green circle.
Share behind-the-scenes decisions.
Let them in on the drafts.
Make it a conversation, not just a broadcast.
3. Translate Digital Intimacy Into Real-Life Encounters
If you want advocates, give them something to advocate about.
Host panels. Micro-dinners. Meetups.
Partner with aligned brands for local events.
Send a “see you soon,” not a “shop now.”
4. Prepare for the Transparency Rebound
This closeness thing? It’s beautiful — but it’s also delicate.
If your private content leaked, would it still hold up?
Are you showing up in front of the camera as a founder? (Even I struggle with this) Building in public is becoming extremely popular. Especially for Female founders in Saas. I’ve been following Nomiki Petrolla, Founder of Theanna for over a year now. She landed in Forbes because she has been intimately sharing her journey with us consistently.
If the curtain lifted, would your brand still feel real?
5. Lead with Humanity
No matter how much of a wow-factor and draw of features your brand has–your audience has to connect with some element of your brand in this day and age.
The best rooms are the ones people want to stay in. Let your digital spaces feel like a dinner party. A welcome mat. A wink.
HOT PLATE
A Few Things for the Feed Shift Era
• Close Friends Curation Tool: We’re testing out Mailchimp https://mailchimp.com/ and [Klaviyo](https://www.klaviyo.com/) for our first newsletter roundup to segment audiences… I’ll tell you which one I pick.
• Story Drafts: Drafting story content ahead of time has helped us keep Close Friends stories fresh. Bonus: it gives you time to be clever.
• IRL Meetups > DMs: If you’re building a private channel, try pairing it with a physical one. Create a mini event around your content drop and invite 5 people to discuss it. Small and sticky.
Well, I hope you liked this! Thank you for listening to me ramble about social media…because I had to tell someone.
See you next Sunday.
Let’s keep this between us.
