Clubhouse has been trending on Twitter for the last couple of days, and it seems like the whole Internet is chasing the Clubhouse invitations.
If you have no clue what the sentence you just read means, keep on reading. In this piece, you’ll learn about social media you can use to actually talk to Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg and figure out why you should definitely give it a shot.
Clubhouse: What Is It?
Lately, everybody’s Twitter feed has been flooded by screenshots from the app previously unknown - Clubhouse. As the app developers, Stanford graduates with one of them being a former Google employee, claim, “Clubhouse is a space for casual, drop-in audio conversations.” That said, this app is a pure paradise for those who love to send and listen to voice messages and podcasts.
Currently, the app is available for iPhones only. It can run on iPads but in a smartphone size.
You can’t write posts on Clubhouse - this is the main thing that distinguishes this app from all other social media we use on a daily basis; this is an audio-chat app.
Another thing that is an absolute novelty is that Clubhouse works on an invitation-only basis (currently, at least). It means that you can’t log in to the app without an invitation from another user who already uses it. This can be your friend, someone from your contact list, or just a good samaritan you don’t even know. You can also try your luck on Twitter or Telegram, but beware scammers!
This makes the app look so desirable to use, building the exclusivity cloud around Clubhouse. A proper elite closed club on the Internet!
Please note that if someone offers you to sell you the invitation in exchange for $5-$500 or more, you should ignore such offers since this is more likely a scam.
How Do I Get the Clubhouse Invitation?
Even if your friends who are on Clubhouse have already given their invites to someone else, no worries: ask them to add your phone number to their contact list. Then download the app on your iPhone and create a username. It will be reserved for you until you get the invitation.
As soon as your friend who has added you in contacts sees you've registered at the app, they can let you in.
If they still have direct invitations, they can send them to you.
If you are invited, you’ll see a link texted to your phone number, directing you to a sign-up page in the app.
Clubhouse users can’t just send an invitation to anyone who wants to join, however. Existing users only have two invitations available when they first register at the service.
Once you register and choose a username, your friend will get a notification that someone from their contact list has registered at Clubhouse. The app will then offer them to let you in. And if lucky, you’re in!
If you sent an invitation to a person and they haven't used it yet (Android users, for instance), you can revoke the invitation by changing their phone number and name on your contacts list. We haven't tried this hack yet, but some users say it may help withdraw the invite.
How to Use Clubhouse
So, you’ve got the invitation. Now what?
Audio Communication Only
The idea behind Clubhouse is casual live communication and audio interaction. You can't upload pre-recorded voice lectures or messages - it's prohibited by the service. All talks and communications are real-time, so you have great chances to talk to Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and many other big figures of our time!
Users can tune in to conversations, interviews and discussions among interesting people on various topics.
Recording of events and screen recording are also not allowed, and you can even be punished with a permanent ban.
Rooms, Clubs Events and Feed
The main space you can get insights from and talk to other people is the room.
The conversation room is similar to a conference call (with no video or images, just userpics), but with some people on the call talking, and most listening in. Once the conversation is over, the room is closed.
Any Clubhouse user can start a room and invite their followers to join. In fact, your followers will get a notification if someone from their followings list starts a room. Then, followers of those who joined you, will get the same offer to join the conversation.
The room is loosely divided into a stage with speakers and audience with listeners. When somebody is talking, they 'come up' on the stage, and you can see them on top of the room.
All conversation participants are either speakers or listeners. But everyone is able to raise their hand to ask a question, thus becoming a speaker and get up to the stage.
You can also initiate discussions and events within a popular club in case you're a member of the club, thus attracting a new audience to your profile and other socials.
All Clubhouse rooms are either public, private or available only to the members of a particular Club.
After you start 3 rooms, you're now eligible to create a Club that needs to be approved by the app moderators first. Club is like a group on Facebook but with audio events.
If you want to schedule your event for later, go to the main page and find the calendar icon and click on it. Then find it again un the upper right and tap on it as well. You will see a window that allows you to schedule an event.
To find a room to join, you can scroll your personalised feed or type a keyword in the search bar. You can do the same to find interesting people to follow.
Your feed is curated based on the interests you've chosen when registering. When you join Clubhouse, you select topics of interest, like tech, books, fashion, business, mindfulness, etc.
The more information you give the app about your interests, the more rooms and users the app will recommend you follow or join. Any Room can place up to 8,000 members.
Clubhouse for Business: Ideas
I thought it was impossible to create social media that could feel so fresh in 2021. But Clubhouse opens so many opportunities for business, marketing, influencers and creators!
The only similarity between Clubhouse and other social media apps is that your bio means a lot. Even more than in other socials, probably, since you don't have an opportunity to make a good first impression with your content. There's simply no other content within the app that could somehow represent you.
On Clubhouse, the only asset you have to introduce yourself is your bio, so make sure you create a catching bio expressing your expertise, what you do and what you can help with.
It's like a mini version of your LinkedIn profile.
Clubhouse bio doesn't have a characters limit, so you can make your bio as lengthy as you want.
In the bio, you can also connect your Twitter and Instagram accounts to lead people to the text or visual content pieces you do there and grow your followership.
As for the user picture, try to choose a photo with your whole face seen clearly since all other users can only see small circles of profile pics.
You can't create a brand page or impersonate other people. Fake accounts are easily detected and banned, so use your true identity when registering at Clubhouse.
And though it takes quite a lot of talking time to gain Clubhouse followers, it can help you with other business objectives.
- Personal branding
If there's a better place for personal branding, let me know, but Clubhouse seems to be specifically designed for building your presence online. If you want to promote your company by promoting your expertise first, creating rooms and events is a great start.
You will have an opportunity to actually talk to a large audience proving your expertise. Your followers and users with the same interests will see your event recommended and join.
- Investments attraction
Clubhouse is full of clubs and rooms focused on startups, investments, and even business pitch rooms.
There you can meet not only entrepreneurs and business people like yourself but also investors who are interested in supporting promising projects and startups.
- Cross-promotion of your other social media
Clubhouse allows you to connect Twitter and Instagram to your profile. You can later disconnect them or replace with other profiles if you have more than one.
To promote your Twitter and Instagram on Clubhouse, you should be active in rooms, take part in conversations with your target audience and work on your bio. If you share insights and expertise, people would love to know what you do outside Clubhouse.
- Coaching
Clubhouse is a paradise for the coaching business! If you're a coach or consultant, you should consider Clubhouse rooms and clubs to be your working space.
When you start an event, the app offers your followers and people who have the same interests to join your event. All you need to do is to think through the agenda and write a compelling event title and description. Users who share interests in the topic, we'll definitely join.
Topics focused on marketing, psychology, business, investments, startups and health might acquire thousands of listeners and speakers with celebrities among them.
- Interviews, Q&A panels and discussions clubs
If you've always felt the need to add a bit of interviewing to your content marketing strategy, don't waste a second and leverage the Clubhouse functionality. You can have interviews and Q&A sessions with your current or potential customers, CEO of your business (unless it's you), investors of your startup, employees, Clubhouse speakers, etc.
The opportunities are only limited by your imagination and ideas. Interviews and Q&As can significantly increase your online presence and lead more followers to your other social media.
- Networking
Networking. This is the word Clubhouse is mostly about. The app gives you tremendous networking opportunities. Whether you're active in rooms or clubs, have a great bio or just silently follow other users, it will help you get to know the right people and decision-makers. Endless thematic chat rooms, business breakfasts and lunches, discussion clubs are just some to name.
Tip: join rooms with few members from time to time to draw maximum attention to yourself and take a chance to get up on stage.
If you're not really keen on talking, there are even silent networking rooms where all participants are muted; they just check each others' bios and follow each other based on that. See the power of your bio here?
- Native ads in chat rooms
Super native, even. Clubhouse doesn't have any in-app monetisation capacities, so if you want to make money within Clubhouse, you should act in disguise.
You can find popular speakers or Clubhouse influencers and agree on a strategic partnership with mentioning your brand during the next event. But unfortunately, it will be challenging to estimate the effectiveness of such 'campaigns' since there will be no data: you can't track if the leads or conversions come from Clubhouse. The app doesn't let you put a clickable link to your site, only to Instagram and Twitter.
But it might work quite well as UGC or word-of-mouth marketing.
- Conference calls and private business chats
Clubhouse can act like a video-lack alternative to Zoom or Google Meet. You can create private rooms to chat with your employees or business partners about anything. The only drawback is that you can't legally record the chat and share relevant links and/or files.
The Bottom Line
The golden rule "Provide value, don't sell" works on Clubhouse especially strictly. The app is about making an account of an individual, not a brand's one. Even if you somehow manage to create a brand account on the Clubhouse, remember that people will stay in your room only if it's useful for them. Clubhouse is not about pushy telemarketing.
One thing is known for sure: you don't want to miss this. Test the app to grow your business or promote yourself as an industry expert, the app can help you do the job regardless.
And even if your research tells you Clubhouse doesn't work for you as a marketing tool, it's still a great place to have a good time and meet interesting people!
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