I was checking out the latest content put out by some popular marketing content creators the other day when a headline caught my eye: “Clubhouse vs. Podcasts: Which Should Marketers Use?”. While I understood most of the sentence, I didn’t understand the first word. Clubhouse.
What is Clubhouse?
Being naturally curious, I did the first thing I always do when trying to understand something new—I Googled it.
Here’s what I found out.
Clubhouse is an exclusive, invite-only app that allows you to listen in on other people’s conversations.
It launched a little over a year ago, in March of 2020.
“Our goal was to build a social experience that felt more human—where instead of posting, you could gather with other people and talk. Our north star was to create something where you could close the app at the end of the session feeling better than you did when you opened it, because you had deepened friendships, met new people, and learned.” (Source: Clubhouse Blog)
As far as I can tell, it is like an interactive podcast. You listen, but you can also participate.
How do I get involved with Clubhouse?
Becoming a user is still difficult. The only way you can join is if you know someone who is already a member. They have to invite you.
I imagine that the exclusivity of Clubhouse is what’s added to the excitement. There’s also the membership. Users include Oprah, Ashton Kutcher, Drake, and Chrissy Teigen, according to Glamour Magazine. There are also musicians like 21 Savage and The Game and comedians like Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart on the app.
In other words, some of the top current celebrities have made this even more desirable.
Does that mean there’s no hope for me?
The good news is they want to open things up in 2021, which means adding more users.
If you don’t know someone that can get you an invite to join, Clubhouse will eventually open up a waitlist. It’s supposed to be on the company’s homepage, but it wasn’t there when I followed the link. Maybe you’ll have better luck.
Since this is a relatively new social media app that’s barely in its second year, I imagine that later this year will look a lot different than right now.
What if I want to become a content creator?
Becoming a content creator is even more exclusive than becoming a user of the app. Clubhouse has benefited from some high-end content creators like Elon Musk, investor and entrepreneur Chris Lyons, and media commentator Van Jones.
However, they recently created a competition to find the next round of creators for the app. The “Creator First” Accelerator Program launched earlier this year and has now selected its finalists for what it’s calling the Pilot Season.
“Pilot Season is a throwback idea from the entertainment industry with a modern Clubhouse spin. A process where we go from thousands of submissions to dozens of pilots, or proof of concept episodes, to a handful of ongoing series.” (Source: Clubhouse Blog)
The pilot shows will soon be available on Clubhouse. The most popular ones will get to continue.
Becoming part of the “Creator First” Accelerator Program has perks, including support from the Clubhouse team and a stipend to make the show happen.
Since Clubhouse has created its first Pilot Season, a second one is probably in the works. Anyone is allowed to apply as long as they have an idea to pitch.
Is content creation profitable on Clubhouse?
According to PC Magazine, Clubhouse is working on a way to help content creators make money. It works a lot like Twitch, where people listening to your conversation can donate during the conversation.
Clubhouse teamed with Stripe to make in-app donations happen. While Stripe takes a processing fee, Clubhouse does not take anything at this time, which means 100% of the donation goes to the creator.
What else should I know about Clubhouse?
Up until recently, Clubhouse was only available to iOS users (i.e., iPhones). However, it just launched on Android. (Source: Engadget).
While Clubhouse is now available worldwide, that doesn’t mean that all countries allow their people to engage on the app. In February 2021, the Chinese government blocked them because it allowed people to have uncensored discussions about human rights and politics. (Source: The Guardian).
The other thing you should know is that conversations on Clubhouse are not permanent. Unlike a podcast that you can return to and listen to again at your leisure, once a content creator closes the conversation, it disappears.
Conclusion
Clubhouse is an interesting social media concept that’s could be beneficial for high-profile content creators. At this point, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a valuable tool for the average content creator, but that could change depending on the direction that the app goes.
After all, Clubhouse is a little over a year old. For comparison’s sake, Facebook first launched 17 years ago in 2004, while Instagram launched 11 years ago in 2010. That means Clubhouse is an infant in the social media game and has a lot of room to grow.
It’s definitely something content creators should keep an eye on over the next few years. If you are looking for some more ways to increase your social media traffic, check out this previous post.
Written by Erika Towne