Keeping up with your favorite celebrity’s every move couldn’t be easier thanks to the popularity of dedicated social media accounts with the sole purpose of sharing updates with supporters across the globe.
The biggest stars on the planet, from Taylor Swift to Beyoncé and Kylie Jenner have a multitude of fan accounts that breathlessly chart their latest updates – while some even parody the stars or their family members with such accuracy that fans playfully interact with them like it is the real deal.
Some experts would argue that fan accounts have become an effective way to gage the importance of a celebrity in modern culture, with almost every star of note having their career tracked on a public platform by loyal followers.
Yet most of these pages are run by mystery users who rarely reveal their true identities despite garnering hundreds of thousands of followers and often helping provide more impactful promotion than the star’s own professional teams.
Here, DailyMail.com spoke with the fans behind the popular accounts @kyliesnapchat, @tswifterastour and @norisblackbook to find out what it is really like to run a top celebrity fan account.
Kylie Snapchat (@kyliesnapchat): 2 million followers on Instagram
The biggest stars on the planet such as Kylie Jenner have a multitude of fan accounts that breathlessly chart their latest updates
Jessica created her account ‘Kyliesnapchat’ with the hope of turning her natural interest in the reality star into something impactful online
Jessica, 28, created ‘Kyliesnapchat’ after she noticed how the fans running ‘KylizzleSnapchats’ would simply repost the content shared by the reality star on the social media platform.
It made the Kylie super fan feel confident about the fact she too could turn her natural interest in the reality star into something impactful online.
‘I chose to post about the Kardashians because I genuinely was a big fan of them and thought this was something I would have fun doing whether it became successful or not,’ she told DailyMail.com.
The simple idea to start her page has blossomed into Jessica running both her dedicated Kylie Snapchat Instagram page as well as the popular Kardashian Social Instagram account, which boasts 337,000 followers.
Jessica said she soon started to look into the financial benefits to be gained, adding: ‘I viewed it as a business opportunity and saw how much income you can make just by posting something you enjoy.’
Naturally, running two accounts about a family who are arguably some of the most prolific social media users in the world is no small task.
‘It can be overwhelming trying to keep up with posting when all the Kardashians have stuff going on and are active on social media,’ Jessica admitted. ‘But for me it’s fun to post and I know now that if I miss anything, it’s not a big deal.’
She continued: ‘It used to take up a lot of time. Sometimes hours depending on how active they were in a day. Now it does not take up much time at all. Maybe 20 minutes per day just getting a few posts up.’
Jessica has consciously made efforts to ensure her dedication to her accounts doesn’t get in the way of having a normal life outside of her side hustle.
The simple idea to start her page has blossomed into Jessica running both her dedicated Kylie Snapchat Instagram page as well as the popular Kardashian Social Instagram account
Jessica admitted: ‘It can be overwhelming trying to keep up with posting when all the Kardashians have stuff going on and are active on social media’
‘As active as I may be on social media, I have a busy life outside of this,’ she explained. ‘I am usually posting or responding to things while I have a free moment at work.’
She admitted choosing to initially keep the account hidden from her family members because it ‘did not feel important enough to immediately tell them’.
But once the account gained a large following, Jessica revealed her project to her loves ones.
With Kylie and her extended family attracting hateful trolls thanks to their fame, Jessica has had to field her fair share of negative comments and reactions over the years.
‘I try to ignore them, but I do respond back at times,’ she admitted, stating that it is partly why she doesn’t share any of her own personal content.
She continued: ‘It does not bother me as much as it would if I were posting myself and my own content, but I keep my personal self off of my page and stick to just the Kardashians.’
Overall, the positives have always outweighed any stressors that come from running the pages – including getting a follow and interaction from Kylie herself.
Jessica gushed: ‘I remember the first time Kylie interacted with a post of mine. She liked a video I posted and it seemed surreal that the person I was a fan of was seeing a post of mine.
Jessica gushed: ‘I remember the first time Kylie interacted with a post of mine. She liked a video I posted and it seemed surreal that the person I was a fan of was seeing a post of mine’
‘I was always, and still am, hyperaware that she has no idea who I am and just sees it as another page on Instagram but as a fan of the Kardashians it is still a cool feeling to be recognized by them.’
She continued: ‘Kylie is incredibly kind and has sent well wishes via Instagram messages as well as recently sending a couple of products, one which was signed by her. I’m so appreciative of that!’
Elsewhere, other family members have also interacted with the Kardashian Social account.
‘I will say the most interaction I get is from Khloe. She is incredible! Constantly liking and commenting on posts and you can really tell it is sincere,’ Jessica revealed. ‘Khloe is always tweeting about how important her fans are to her. She is very active with her fans and it is so nice to see that.’
Reflecting on the best thing that has happened since she launch the account, Jessica stated: ‘One of the coolest was getting invited to the People’s Choice Awards. I got to see Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner in person accepting their award.
‘It was unbelievable to think that I got to experience this all because of my Instagram page that I created.’
The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour): 771,000 followers on Twitter
The popular account, The Eras Tour, was started by CGB in November 2022 when Taylor Swift first announced she would be embarking on the mammoth tour
With the tickets sales leading to a meltdown on Ticketmaster, the account quickly became a way for the millions of fans to come together as they scrambled to figure out another option
Popular account, The Eras Tour, was started by CGB in November 2022 when Taylor Swift first announced she would be embarking on her mammoth tour.
While plenty of fan accounts for the music superstar already existed at the time, CGB – a student from Singapore – decided to create the page in a bid to help fellow fans get their hands on much-coveted tickets.
‘We were all collectively freaking out,’ they explained. ‘I started the account with the intent of helping people get tickets safely and also spread information on the tour like I myself love to learn about.’
With the tickets sales leading to a meltdown on Ticketmaster, the account quickly became a way for the millions of fans who failed to get their hands on tickets to come together as they scrambled to figure out another option.
Eventually, the page became a space for all Swifties to enjoy the shows thanks to the content being shared online in real time.
CGB recalled: ‘I honestly did not expect the account to be as successful as it is but it just motivates me more even in my real life knowing that there’s a place I can always fall back on. Updating the eras tour and interacting with so many other Swifties has brought me an insurmountable amount of joy.’
Naturally, attempting to keep up with the floods of videos, pictures and information regarding Taylor and her tour has been an incredibly difficult challenge.
CGB admitted: ‘I do get a little stressed or overwhelmed knowing that with such a large reach I have to be extremely careful with everything I post out.’
In fact, CGB has spent up to ‘four hours’ per day ensuring that they can trawl through concert posts and updates in order to share the latest news with their fellow Swifties.
They added: ‘I’m not one who shares disrespectful information about Taylor such as leaked images or photos taken secretly because that is just completely disrespectful and I imagine how stressful all that is on a person.’
CGB – who is a student from Singapore – has spent up to ‘four hours’ per day ensuring that they can trawl through concert updates in order to share the latest news with their fellow Swifties
Running the account has proven that organization is a key skill most who run these accounts could boast about on their resume
Like Jessica, CGB is conscious of making sure that the account doesn’t encroach on their real life.
‘I am a someone who values that there is life outside of social media and my phone and make sure that I am constantly active in my outside life as well,’ they said.
‘I don’t really feel much pressure, except during hectic days when a lot is going on, as this account is more fun for me than it is anything else… I also answer basically anyone who approaches me nicely but I admit it takes a while and I’m not the best at answering all of them when it gets a bit overwhelming in volume which is something I’m working on.’
For all the positive that comes from running the account, CGB does find themselves dealing with trolling comments that they are unable to avoid.
They said: ‘I learned that the bigger this account gets, the more trolls there will be. The only real way is to ignore them which is why I don’t really read all my DMs, requests or replies or usually just scroll through the heaps of them.
‘However, I can’t completely scroll past all of them because a lot of other fans and even opportunities are approached to me via DMs and I always take time to help answer any questions regarding tour if I am able to help the person.’
They continued: ‘The more successful Taylor gets as an artist, the more people are going to hate her because these are people who can’t stand to see a woman be successful by her own means.’
While CGB is proud of what they have achieved with the account, their family has no idea about it.
‘The account is actually still a secret from my family,’ they said. ‘They are aware that I’m a major Swiftie but as far as this account goes, they aren’t really aware.
‘My friends on the other hand, I’ve told most of them and they’re supportive about it and whenever I need help with little things, they help me out and I am so grateful.’
They concluded: ‘All in all, this is a part of my life that has brought on so many opportunities for me, so many things I never thought I’d be able to achieve.’
Nori’s Black Book (@norisblackbook): 1.5 million followers on Instagram
Natalie Franklin has grown her following in the years since she started a Tumblr account focused on North West – the first-born daughter of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian
Natalie counts the likes of Kris Jenner and Paris Hilton as followers on Instagram, while Kim and other members of her family have often liked posts on the page
In 2013, Natalie Franklin chose to create a Tumblr account focused on North West, the first-born daughter of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.
The 36-year-old said she started ‘Nori’s Black Book’ when she was living in San Francisco working at GAP Headquarters – a job she ‘absolutely hated.’
‘I needed to do something creative to distract myself, she said. ‘I remembered how much I loved “Suri’s Burn Book”, so I decided to make something similar based on North West’s life.
‘I initially started on Tumblr. The account was really for my own entertainment, but I grew an audience really quickly. I was surprised by how much people enjoyed it.’
And it wasn’t just Kardashian fans that enjoyed the content, but North’s own father himself sharing one of the post’s back in 2018. In the years that followed, Natalie has counted the likes of Kris Jenner and Paris Hilton as followers, while Kim and other members of her family have often liked posts.
Natalie was even able to appear in the final season of Keeping Up With The Kardashian’s on E! where Kim and Khloe Kardashian praised the writer for her content.
Opening up about how she has dealt with the pressure of successfully parodying one of the world’s most famous children, Natalie explained: ‘I feel a lot of pressure. Especially after my “reveal”. It’s hard to stay consistent and keep the quality of my writing at a high level.
‘Constantly being creative and finding comedic ways to talk about things is challenging. Sometimes I can do it quickly and sometimes it takes time. It depends on the topic. I want to keep giving people quality content and I put a lot of pressure on myself to do so.’
Naturally, having to put so much effort into her posts in comparison to the standard fan pages means that the account is a time-consuming job.
Natalie was even able to appear in the final season of Keeping Up With The Kardashian’s on E! where Kim and Khloe Kardashian praised the writer for her content
She reflected: ‘I spend a lot of time running the account. Probably too much time. It’s not just writing. It’s research, selecting pics/videos, combing through social media, watching The Kardashians, watching interviews, and reading articles.
‘It’s a full-time job, and it’s extremely time-consuming, and it’s not as easy as it may appear to some people.’
Natalie continued: ‘Sometimes it feels like North is my life. I’m actually just coming off of a much-deserved two-month break from writing earlier this year because I was burnt out. This is my first real break since starting the account 10 years ago.
Fans of the page can’t get enough of the sassy posts which mock Kim and the family
‘It felt good. I got to the hit refresh button on the North West portion of my brain. I was also able to explore other things I wanted to do creatively. The break made me a better writer.’
As highlighted in her guest appearance on KUWTK, the real North is aware of the account and Natalie is still unsure about when she will decide to call time on her parody as North continues to become more of a star in her own right.
‘I sincerely thought it was over after North got on TikTok, but that wasn’t the case,’ she said. ‘Luckily, the real North West’s personality is aligned with the personality I created for NBB, so North’s TikToks don’t interfere with my content.
‘I don’t know when I’ll stop NBB and maybe I don’t have to stop. Parody accounts of adults exist so you never know. I might be writing NBB until North is 80 at this rate.’
Natalie’s own family has been supportive of her venture since the very early days of the account, but some friends were confused.
‘When I started the account, I would tell my friends, but they didn’t get it,’ she said. ‘They would say, “So you’re pretending to be a baby on social media?”.’
It was at this point that Natalie stopped sharing with others.
‘I didn’t want other people’s opinions to discourage me or make me feel weird, so I stopped talking about the account to people,’ she said. ‘I understood what I was doing and that’s all that mattered.
‘Not until my appearance on Keeping Up With The Kardashians did all my friends and family finally know. It truly was my best-kept secret.
Natalie admits running the account is stressful as she said: ‘I feel a lot of pressure. Especially after my “reveal”. It’s hard to stay consistent and keep the quality of my writing at a high level’
Despite the positive feedback she has received from the famous family who often like her posts, Natalie stressed that she has chosen to keep them at a distance
Looking back at the journey she has been on so far, Natalie explained that she has never had reason to regret running the account.
‘It’s been fun and I like making people laugh,’ she said. ‘It also helped me realize some things about myself: I’m funny, a talented writer, I’m amazing at content creation. North has taught me a lot about myself.’
And much like the young child, Natalie pays no mind to those who might bring negativity her way online.
‘Trolls don’t get a response. Trolls or haters don’t bother me,’ the writer stated. ‘They don’t know me and they can’t do what I do, so why would I listen to them? Those people would probably kill to have even half of the success that I’ve had.’
‘They probably want to meet Kim and Khloe and are mad that they can’t and never will. But when I’m bored, I troll them back as North. That’s fun.’
Natalie is still unsure about when she will decide to call time on her parody as North continues to become more of a star in her own right
PR expert Eric Schiffer believes fan accounts are now ‘vital’ for the growth of a career.
‘Harnessing fan power is a critical component in an artist’s marketing strategy,’ he said. ‘Once considered a niche corner of the internet, fan accounts have grown into their own micro-industry with many influencers turning fandom into a career.
‘Especially as Swifties and the Beyhive redefine the role fans play in an artist’s career, fan accounts will become more and more important and prominent.’
Schiffer explained that while stars such as Zendaya and Selena Gomez are ‘highly unlikely’ to run their own fan accounts, the world might be surprised to know that the teams of some mega stars do have a big part to play in things.
‘It does happen with mega stars, and is secretly shrouded in layers of protection to insulate them’, the PR guru noted. ‘Upcoming stars on the rise of fame with a few million followers are sometimes either running their own fan accounts or deeply influencing them.’
Naturally, the risk of being found out is a great one, with the PR guru noting: ‘It’s brand suicide for certain celebs that can explode their star into tiny bits forever.’