Over the last few months, there’s a good chance you’ve heard some noise about a new platform called Clubhouse.
We know what some of you are already thinking: I don’t have time for another new platform.
With so many different social media and networking apps popping up regularly, we understand the sentiment, but Clubhouse is different. It’s already taking off, and it’s creating value in a way that most other platforms can’t match.
In this post, we’re going to go over what the Clubhouse app is, why it’s so valuable (and so popular!), how to get started, and how to get the most out of it.
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ToggleWhat Is Clubhouse?
Clubhouse is an audio mobile platform that’s a little like interactive podcasting. It was launched on an invite-only basis in 2020 and has been growing quickly ever since.
People can host “rooms” that are focused on discussing a certain topic, and users can “raise their hands” to participate in the talk as a speaker (at least for a few minutes). Users can also raise their hands to ask questions, creating a back-and-forth that’s exceptionally valuable.
The rooms can vary in size, ranging from small groups to thousands of people. So if you want to host an intimate workshop with a limit of five people, you can; if you want a massive audience, that’s more than possible, too.
Rooms are broken up into three sections:
- The people “on stage” (talking)
- The friends/followers of the people on stage
- Everyone else
These chats aren’t recorded (it goes against the terms of service), which can help create FOMO and get people listening. They’re also community-moderated.
It’s an intuitive platform that’s easy to figure out and use with a minimal learning curve, and with groups covering everything from pitching to comedy to biohacking, there’s something for everyone. Right now, though, “everyone” is limited exclusively to Apple users, as the app hasn’t quite made its way to Android yet.
Why Clubhouse is the Next Big Thing
Clubhouse has been booming since it was released in April of 2020, with about 200 million weekly active users currently. Some users are spending between 11-20 hours per week on the app, engaging frequently.
The strategy of rolling it out to a few big names and influencers and making it invite-only has definitely caught people’s attention, too. This worked well for Pinterest during their initial rollout, too; it generated interest, created FOMO, but also gave the platform time to scale with its user base.
The popularity of Clubhouse goes beyond the exclusivity, however. The potential value here is enormous. People are not only hearing live content directly from people who are potential experts in their fields, but they can pop in and ask questions.
Experts are here and dolling out knowledge, too. There are investors, CEOs, film directors, and people with 20+ years of experience (and some notoriety) who are going live and answering your questions.
A friend recently got one-on-one advice on her freelance pitch from a CEO, who ended up hiring her; you can also find experts like Lindsay Fultz (SVP of Brand Partnerships at Whalar) and venture capitalist Ben Horowitz.
Anyone can create their own rooms, too. You can use this as a chance not only to learn and make connections, but to share your own knowledge and even build your brand while gaining followers. The value in every direction is exceptional.
How to Get Started on Clubhouse
To get started on Clubhouse right now, you need to be an iPhone user and you must be invited.
Invites are precious commodities right now, especially since the people you add are tied to your reputation; your face will show up on someone’s bio page when you recommend them to the platform. Nic Peterson used this strategically, recommending Frank Kern and in turn getting an overflow of traffic and credibility as a result.
If you’re excited to get started on Clubhouse, ask around or post on social if anyone has any invites available.
Reserve Your Username
Right now, the reality is that everyone won’t be able to join Clubhouse right away. Invites are limited, and there is a major element of scarcity involved.
Even if you can’t get an invite right now, we strongly recommend securing your username. This allows you to guarantee that you reserve a name that you’ve got your eye on, especially if you want it to line up with your Instagram or Twitter handle.
To reserve your username, download the app. You’ll see a message encouraging you to reserve your username and a CTA to do so.
Not only will this allow you to reserve your desired username so that no one else snags it in the meantime, but it can also alert some of your contacts to the fact that you’ve downloaded the app and are waiting for an invite. It may speed up the process to get you access.
Setting Up Your Profile
Once you get access to the platform, you’ll be able to create your username and your profile. When choosing your profile picture, a high-quality headshot is best. You can then add a snippet about who you are and what you have to offer.
Your profile section uses a plain text editor, meaning you can’t mark it up, format it, or add hyperlinks.
Try to put the most important information in your profile within the first three lines; after that, it’s cut off in the preview view.
In order to help people find you, listing your experience and some topics that you’re interested in or knowledgeable about is a great choice. We recommend treating these topics like keywords that people might search for, like “graphic designer” or “marketing affiliate.”
You can also connect your Instagram and Twitter accounts to your profile. To do this, scroll down to your towards the bottom. You’ll see the social logos, and you can click on them to connect your accounts.
You can disconnect them at any point, but if you want to expand your reach and grow your audience cross-platform, we recommend keeping them linked.
How to Navigate Clubhouse
Clubhouse is all about starting rooms or finding rooms to join. Finding the right rooms to join can be part of the challenge, but this gets easier as you get more used to the platform.
You can use a private chat feature to talk to friends on the platform using audio. You can use this to, amongst other things, collaborate about new rooms. When we first got started, people were pinging us through the chat function to tell us about other rooms they thought we’d like. There isn’t, however, private text-based messaging as you’re used to with other platforms; if you want to chat via text, you’ll want to take it to another platform.
When you start a room, we used the chat function to get started and then went live and 40 people were watching. You can also start a private room with any of your connections. We use this feature weekly to chat with a few people, though we can also open them up for others to listen in if we choose.
To find rooms, you can check out Clubhouse’s calendar. You can see a list that features upcoming rooms, what they’re about, who is hosting them, and what time they go live. Some rooms are limited, but others are open to anyone who would like to join. You can also follow influencers or individuals you like to keep an eye on what rooms they’re hosting on the platform.
How to Get the Most Out of the Platform
This is one platform that you need to sink your teeth into if you want to get something out of it. You need to invest time and effort. If you do that, though, and combine it with the right strategy, it can pay off in huge ways.
Here’s how we recommend getting the most out of the platform as it is now:
- Connect your Instagram and Twitter accounts. This can drive people to your other social profiles where they can follow you and interact more, even continuing conversations outside of Clubhouse. You can then follow up with an offer through direct marketing on the other apps. We use this strategy to point people towards podcast episodes or courses that we sell, and it’s worked well so far.
- Join smaller rooms. Smaller, exclusive rooms can be hard to find, but this is one of the best ways to get connected with someone influential quickly. Small rooms often have great conversations and you have a better chance of getting up on stage.
- Take notes before diving in. If you want to break into a new niche, do your homework first. Take notes on the rooms and then approach people who were on stage. There may be room for a partnership moving forward.
- Show up. This is the most important tip by far. Even in the beginning, we got followers daily just by showing up because people saw our faces as attendees. Just by showing up an hour every day to add value to a room where you have expertise can do wonders for your following.
- Offer value. It’s as simple as that. If you can speak on stages, create and facilitate great rooms of your own, and give people actionable information that they can use, you’ll start seeing people come your way on- and off-platform.
- Get your username out there. Post on your social profiles (and your brand social profiles, if relevant) that you’re on Clubhouse. Share what you’re talking about, and list any upcoming rooms if you have them.
Speaking of which, be sure to follow us on Clubhouse: @MattWolfe & @JoeFier .
How We’re Using Clubhouse for Our Business
We’re big fans of Clubhouse and are actively using it in attempt to help us build our business.
We’ve already been able to leverage clubhouse to get more opportunities outside of it, growing our membership and our podcasts.
We’re able to do this by keeping our social profiles linked and directing users to contact us there, letting them know that if they send us a message we’d hook them up with a resource or offer. That kind of direct interaction is not only effective, but it can create super-fans, too.
We’re currently planning on using Clubhouse more to support the podcast. We’ve seen a big spike in downloads ever since we’ve been on, especially when someone mentions that they’re a big fan of the show. It can yield an incredible amount of credibility, and other listeners take note of that. Letting people come onto stage with you can create those moments.
Another great option to consider is some of the Shark Tank-styled rooms that are popular now.
In one room, for example, Grant Cardone, Tai Lopez, Kevin Harrington, and other high-level players asked listeners to pitch them a software product. They’d give them feedback on the pitch or product, and sometimes even asked the individuals to message them later. This could be a place to connect with investors or gain valuable feedback from your exact target audience for free.
Our Future Plans
Moving forward, we plan to test holding Clubhouse sessions with the guest of podcast episodes when they go live. We’ll then encourage listeners to go check out the full episode that was just released. And, since people who follow our guests are notified when they join a room, we could get a big bump in traffic and visibility.
We’re reviving the PodHacker brand, with a monthly membership. We’d bring in some of the biggest experts in the digital marketing world to talk about how to monetize and grow podcasts, YouTube channels, and content overall. These will have Q&As and will be masterminds with networking opportunities instead of sales-driven webinars.
We’re also looking to work with companies as creative consultants to help them find the missing pieces, so to speak, to attract more clients and scale their businesses. We have a limited capacity to how many people could assist, but we could potentially find great clients for this through Clubhouse.
Final Thoughts
For businesses and individuals looking to gain knowledge, share knowledge, or some mix of the two, Clubhouse is an outstanding platform. It’s already not only helped us gain followers and podcast listeners, but it’s helped us to convert more users into active paying subscribers.
Since Clubhouse is free to join and there’s so much potential, strike while the iron is hot. We believe it will be around for a long time to come, but start building momentum now and engaging while some of the most influential people in the country are active users.
This could be one of the easiest and fastest ways to scale your business, so reserve your username and dive in when you can.