Clubhouse: beyond the hype, what's the value for business users?

There’s nothing like FOMO to help a new app or social network get traction, and there’s no better example of this right now than Clubhouse. 

For the uninitiated, Clubhouse is an audio-based social network made up of “rooms” around particular topics - anything from entrepreneurialism to wellness.  

While it has been around for almost a year, interest has ramped up massively in the last month. 

The invite-only app now apparently has two million users, which in the scheme of things is quite small. App tracking service SensorTower estimates that on iPhone in the US - its largest market - it’s the 8th most downloaded app in the social networking category, behind the likes of Telegram and TextNow.

So the question you’re probably asking is, “do I really need to be on Clubhouse?”

Let’s just start by saying, don’t get too hung up about joining the next big thing - we’ve all got enough going on at the moment - so get there in your own time. 

How does Clubhouse work?

Clubhouse is made up of “rooms” where live conversations take place. 

Anyone can start a room - it can even be a private invite-only affair, if you like. 

But you’ll probably want to join some clubs (which run rooms) to begin with. There’s hundreds already, covering everything from Data and AI (3.5k members) to TikTok Marketing secrets (36.4k members). 

Once you start following clubs you’ll get notifications on upcoming events. You can also see these by taking a look at your calendar at the top of the screen.  If you can’t wait for those, you can jump into rooms from your homescreen (known as the "hallway"). 

I have to say, when you enter a room the experience can seem at first like you’ve walked into the wrong conference call. Chances are, the conversation is already taking place and it's tricky working out who's talking.

Invite friends

Once you’re in a room, the app allows you to invite other people who you’re connected with.

There’s a bunch of people talking on a kind of virtual stage, while you hang around in the virtual audience. 

I’ve attended a few events and the success is a largely down to the moderators, and of course the quality of the speakers. Sadly it can be a gift to the microphone hogs. 

There is the potential to get involved, by raising your hand to ask a question. When this happens, the moderator may invite you on to the stage to speak - glory awaits! 

Thankfully, friction is pretty light, so if you don’t like what you hear you can “leave quietly” without anyone noticing. If only real-life networking events were that easy to extricate yourself from!

One thing I do like about Clubhouse is that once the room is closed and the conversation is ended, that’s it - nothing is recorded - so there’s an element of privacy and uniqueness to every event. 

The Twitter-like elements of Clubhouse

Unsurprisingly Clubhouse take a few of its user experience cues from Twitter. So, when you create your profile and add a few pieces of information about yourself, you can follow other users, who may choose to follow you back. 

Rather than DMing them, you can have a private chat instead - essentially just like a WhatsApp call. 

You can also look at who those people are following and what clubs they belong to.

Like Twitter, and most other social networks for that matter, there's an algorithm that decides what content to surface in your feeds, so the people you follow and the clubs you belong to will make a difference. The algorithm will also determine whether you are recommended to others to follow.

Reasons to get involved in Clubhouse

If you like the idea of trying something new and audio is a preferred content format for you, then it’s definitely worth checking Clubhouse out. It's genuinely refreshing in the way it works and isn't obsessed with image (like Instagram and TikTok).

As always with new networks, my advice is to listen to what’s happening before publishing your own content. 

That said, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be thinking about what you might want to do, so here’s a few quick ideas. 

• Training courses and coaching - Get beyond Zoom fatigue and run training courses or workshops via Clubhouse instead.

• Speak at existing events - If you’re an expert in your field, why not find an existing club that exists in the same market as you and approach the founders to get involved.

• Discussion groups - Not everything on Clubhouse needs to be on a massive scale, so why not use the platform to create a niche discussion club - for example, a customer user group or team chat at work.

• Build your own community - This isn’t for the beginner. Like all communities it takes time and passion to build a well-supported community - but the rewards are there if you work at it.

• Networking - Don’t feel that Clubhouse is purely about speaking; it’s great for building your network and connecting off the platform too.

How to get on Clubhouse

A lot has been made of the scarcity of spaces (a typical start-up app trick), but I found it pretty easy. I just went to the website, downloaded the app to reserve my name, then got let in the by lovely chap Steve Trister. If you already know people on the platform, it shouldn't take you long.

My verdict…

My initial impression of Clubhouse was that it was more aimed as a lifestyle social network and it’s clear I’m wrong about that - there’s already tons of business content on there already. 

If you’re targeting a business audience, there’s a high chance enough of your customers aren’t there yet, especially compared to the effort vs reward you get on LinkedIn.

But if you can see that your niche is already there, or you want to get in early doors and prefer the audio format, then go for it - let me know how you get on!