Cyber Week Sale:

Save 50% on a 3-month Digiday+ membership. Ends Dec 5.

SUBSCRIBE

Kim Kardashian’s Instagram is off limits to brands

Digiday covers the latest from marketing and media at the annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. More from the series →

IAS-Cannes_banner


Selfies, not sponsors. That’s how Kim Kardashian West curates her Instagram feed, saying she’ll never spam any of her 37 million followers with an advertisement.

While other stars might use the photo sharing app to make extra cash, Kardashian West said at Cannes Lions on Wednesday that she’s “really strict” about not doing that because her Instagram is personal.

“I know a lot of my brands get frustrated that I don’t promote as much as they would like,” she said, per the Guardian. “I love just posting when something is really authentic. I can smell a mile away when something is not authentic.”

In fact, she’s unfollowed people who post too many #ads: “I just don’t like when people hold up similar products and post everyday about something different.” SMDH, indeed.

And she’d know how to properly use app since she’s the second most followed person on Instagram after Beyoncé. Her candid collection of selfies, family photos and of her child, North West, have made her what you call a power user — so much so that she consults with the app’s CEO Kevin Systrom.

One of the ideas she bounced of him involved making it possible to edit photo captions. “I’m not saying it’s because of me, but it happened,” she said.

❤️ @kourtneykardash

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on

Header image via Facebook.

More in Media

Digiday+ Research Subscription Index 2025: Subscription strategies from Bloomberg, The New York Times, Vox and others

Digiday’s third annual Subscription Index examines and measures publishers’ subscription strategies to identify common approaches and key tactics among Bloomberg, The New York Times, Vox and others.

From lawsuits to lobbying: How publishers are fighting AI

We may be closing out 2025, but publishers aren’t retreating from the battle of AI search — some are escalating it, and they expect the fight to stretch deep into 2026. 

Media Briefing: Publishers turn to vertical video to compete with creators and grow ad revenue in 2026

Publishers add vertical video feeds to their sites to boost engagement, attract video ad spend and compete with news creators.