What is Clubhouse? Over the last year, you’ve probably gotten tired of only speaking with your partner, kids, and/or your quarantine bubble. Enter Clubhouse, an audio-only app that is all about having conversations with those you know, total strangers, and even celebrities. 

It’s a new social media platform where you enter “rooms” that other people are hosting. If you want to participate in discussion, you can request that the host let you have the floor. Prefer to start your own topics of conversation? Host a room yourself and either open it up to people right away or schedule it ahead of time so that others can plan to join you. Currently you can only get onto the app by being invited by someone you know. This is because the creators want it to grow slowly and more organically. So if you are interested in joining, you should start reconnecting with those on your Facebook page or contact list until you find your golden ticket. 

This app is simple because it has one goal: getting people together to talk. With its audio-only design, the app takes away the social awkwardness of having to look nice for the camera, or keep eye contact with those you are talking to. The conversations are never stored or saved by Clubhouse so you can have some expectation of privacy, however they have come under scrutiny for being aggressive when it comes to your personal contacts list. Whether you allow access or not, users have found that their contacts and people who have them as contacts are seeing that they have joined the app. Another drawback is that it is currently only available on iPhone. 

The Clubhouse layout is simple but founders are rolling out improvements on the regular. The bio section features a text space and the ability to connect both Twitter and/ or Instagram. This connection of platforms allows for a seamless strategy integration between platforms for the purpose of connecting beyond Clubhouse “rooms” and cross promoting content. 

So why might one want to join Clubhouse? 

Being an early adopter of new apps can give one a head start on the latest trends. While everyone else is catching up and learning the app and lingo, you’ll already be in the know and have others coming to you asking for advice on how to navigate the app. Since the app is voice-only, it has been very attractive to podcasters and influencers who have been among the first to start using the app. Furthermore, you can secure a handle that you desire due to limited handles already being secured. 

Does Clubhouse make sense for a business? 

Currently, there is no ad support for Clubhouse, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t be integrated sometime in the future. Basically every social media platform finds some way to infuse ads into the experience so that it’s likely only a matter of time before we start seeing them. Currently this is an influencer space and a social space for regular people that facilitates discussion and general conversation with others from around the world. For that reason it’s great for networking and building relationships as an individual, but not as helpful for doing advertisements or promoting a business like Facebook or Instagram. 

Just because there aren’t ad placements, doesn’t mean businesses should steer clear. If influencers are a current or planned part of your marketing strategy, Clubhouse could be a sensible platform to explore. 

Should you join Clubhouse? That’s really up to you. If you do decide to join, you’ll find our founder on the app from time to time talking about balancing business and being a mom to their two recently adopted little boys. 

References:  https://www.joinclubhouse.com/blog

https://www.vox.com/recode/22278601/clubhouse-invite-privacy-contacts-app