What is Clubhouse?
Clubhouse is an invite-only, audio-only social media application that allows users to create, host and join chat rooms. The application has been compared to a virtual conference, with thousands of rooms and presentations that listeners can duck their head into to listen or raise their hand to participate in the discussion.
At a Glance
- The app was founded in April of 2020
- There are currently over 13 million users, although downloads have been declining (9.6 million downloads in February, 2.7 million in March and 900,000 in April)
- Users must be invited by a current user to gain entrance
- All content is live, never recorded
- Brands may record their own content as long as they indicate that the discussion will be recorded in the title. The recording can be done via iPhones’ sound recorder.
- There’s currently no advertising on the platform
- In April, Clubhouse partnered with payments company Stripe to let users send money to creators on Clubhouse. The company said that the tool is, “the first of many features that allow creators to get paid directly.”
- Previously only available on iPhone, the Android app is currently rolling out to 2 billion users
What Marketers Need to Know About Clubhouse
- There are three types of users on the platform:
- Speakers – a user who enters a room and raises their hand to speak
- Listeners – a user who enters a room only to listen to the discussion
- Moderators – a user who creates the room and is responsible for the discussion
- To use the platform brands should follow these Clubhouse best practices:
- Find and follow industry-related users, chat rooms and clubs to listen to discussions
- Grow their fan base by hand raising to speak in a chat room
- Host scheduled or impromptu discussions to further build a following and establish a brand presence
- Why brands should consider Clubhouse:
- Fans get a notification when you are on stage. This makes it easier to connect with your followers.
- Build connections with potential clients and like-minded brands through conversations
- Noteworthy brands on the platform include Hulu, Chipotle, e.l.f. Cosmetics and more.
- Clubhouse allows users to request feedback from other users. This is something to consider when testing out new ideas or products.
Considerations for Clubhouse
Clubhouse presents a unique opportunity for brands to connect with customers in a more engaging way. While this is appealing, the effort needed to launch on the platform is considerable. Since content is live and never recorded, there’s no way to repurpose previous video/webinar content. Brands see the most success when they invest time in growing their fan base and reputation through regular use of the platform. For brands interested in sharing audio content on platforms they are already familiar with, Facebook is in the process of testing its version of Clubhouse, Live Audio Rooms, and Twitter audio platform, Spaces, recently expanded to Android users.
If you’re interested in learning more about marketing on Clubhouse or audio social contact us here.
