What is Clubhouse?
Episode 8, Season 2
What is Clubhouse?
- June 16, 2021
- 00:6:30
Have you joined the most exclusive social app available? Our second Spark Session answers the question that nearly 50,000 people are asking Google every month: What is Clubhouse? Gen Xer, marketing and PR expert and fuoco’s chief firestarter gives us the rundown on the audio app that has everyone talking, and even shares a secret to score your own invite.
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Episode Description
Social audio, specifically Clubhouse, has taken the social media world by storm and doesn’t seem to be losing momentum any time soon. The exclusive, invite-only app has rapidly gained intrigue and grown its user base since its release in 2020, but many people (50K per month, to be exact) are still wondering what the app is and how to use it. In our second Spark Session, host Kriste Goad answers this and much, much more, plus shares a secret hack to scoring your own invite. Find out what the Clubhouse hype is all about in this fireside chat.
In this episode, Kriste discusses:
- What Clubhouse is and how to use it
- Her take on why the app has gained such popularity
- 6 Clubhouse marketing tips
- How to score your own Clubhouse invitation
“It’s not like other social media apps. It’s about connection and conversation, rather than likes and followers.”
Kriste Goad
chief firestarter, fuoco
More From This Episode
Show Notes
Transcript
Recommended Reading
Show Notes
(0:33): Kriste explains what Clubhouse is and how to join the new social audio app.
(2:25): Kriste goes through how to use the Clubhouse app (with a step-by-step on-screen guide).
(4:30): Kriste lays out 6 simple (but effective) Clubhouse marketing tips.
Transcript
[00:00:04.260] – Kriste
Hey, welcome to How It’s Done, a podcast for curious marketers. I’m Kriste Goad, I’ll be your host. I’m really glad you’re here.
[00:00:16.060] – Kriste
Welcome to the How It’s Done Spark Sessions. If you haven’t watched one of these before, Spark Sessions are super short episodes, 10 minutes or less, where I tackle a hot topic or trend.
[00:00:25.570] – Kriste
Today’s hot topic is the Clubhouse app. More specifically, what is Clubhouse and do you use it?
[00:00:31.540] – Kriste
If you’re like me, you’ve probably heard or read the hype, but you haven’t really tuned into it.
[00:00:35.200] – Kriste
Just one more thing, right?
[00:00:36.730] – Kriste
But marketing and PR are sort of my thing. So it’s my job to stay in the know about the latest media channels.
[00:00:42.730] – Kriste
Clubhouse is the new new and very simply, it’s a social audio app. It’s based on live drop-in audio chat experiences that allow users to get together to talk about a particular topic without having to worry about their appearance. Pretty cool, right? This also means there are no posting like on more traditional social apps.
[00:01:03.340] – Kriste
There’s no pictures, no videos, no feed posts, no stories, just live audio. So why is it so popular with no actual posts, including no likes or comments? Why do people actually like it?
[00:01:15.820] – Kriste
I would argue that’s precisely why they like it. It’s not like other social media apps. It’s about connection and conversation rather than likes and followers.
[00:01:23.830] – Kriste
People also tend to gravitate toward exclusive. And when the app was first released about a year ago in a brilliant PR move, it’s been invite-only since the very beginning.
[00:01:33.700] – Kriste
Which begs the next question. If it’s invite only, how do I get invited?
[00:01:37.750] – Kriste
All you really have to do is post on your current social media accounts and ask if any of your followers have Clubhouse app invites to spare. You can also join Clubhouse invite groups on Facebook.
[00:01:48.310] – Kriste
Another easy workaround is to go to Clubhouseguide.com. All you do is click an invite link, enter your phone number, download the app. Dunzo.
[00:01:57.010] – Kriste
And if none of those tickle your fancy, keep an eye out for our next podcast episode, where we’ll also be offering Clubhouse invites from a real life Clubhouse moderator.
[00:02:07.060] – Kriste
OK, so you have an invite. The next question is, how do you actually use Clubhouse?
[00:02:12.460] – Kriste
In full transparency, this is the part I really struggled with, which is why I’m going to walk you through it and show you exactly what I’m doing on the screen.
[00:02:20.680] – Kriste
Step one: log in.
[00:02:22.870] – Kriste
Once you get an invite, you download the app, select, “have an invite” and enter your phone number. The app will send you a text with a code, and once you enter the code, you’re in.
[00:02:33.100] – Kriste
Step two: find people or topics to follow.
[00:02:36.370] – Kriste
When you initially go through your setup process on the app, it will walk you through a few topics and people you can follow. If you later realize you need more people to follow, you can click the search icon in the top left corner. This will allow you to search for people and topics or clubs to follow.
[00:02:53.290] – Kriste
Step three: seeing upcoming rooms.
[00:02:56.740] – Kriste
Rooms are often scheduled so people have a chance to plan to join the room at a certain time. The calendar icon at the top of the screen will take you to a list of upcoming rooms. Once you find a room you’re interested in, just click the bell icon next to the room title so you’ll get a notification when it’s about to open.
[00:03:14.740] – Kriste
Step four: joining a room.
[00:03:17.680] – Kriste
Once you get a notification about a room opening or if you see a room that’s open in the moment, you can click on the room name and join the room in progress by clicking the large green button at the bottom of the screen.
[00:03:30.280] – Kriste
Step five: starting your own room.
[00:03:33.100] – Kriste
This one’s actually pretty easy. Just click the green “start a room” button at the bottom of the screen on the home page. You’ll be asked whether your room is open to everyone, only open to people you follow or closed, meaning invite only. You can then add a topic in the top right corner and click “let’s go.” Or, if you choose a closed room, click “choose people.”
[00:03:56.560] – Kriste
If you’d like to schedule a room or an event, you can navigate back to the upcoming room section and click the calendar icon in the top right corner. This will walk you through adding an invite name, co-host or guest, date, time and description.
[00:04:11.680] – Kriste
OK, now that we’ve covered the very basics of Clubhouse, let’s dive into six Clubhouse marketing tips to get you started.
[00:04:18.850] – Kriste
First tip: optimize your bio, titles and descriptions.
[00:04:22.930] – Kriste
I can’t stress this enough. Everything is search engine, especially social media platforms. So make sure your bio, room names, event titles and descriptions are optimized with search terms your audience is using.
[00:04:35.260] – Kriste
If you’re unsure how to do this, check out our very first session on this very topic.
[00:04:41.080] – Kriste
Tip two: join clubs that relate to your industry or potential clients.
[00:04:45.280] – Kriste
Being active in these clubs will help increase your follower count and visibility to that audience. For example, if you’re in the healthcare industry, you could join the future of health care club. Yes, it’s a thing.
[00:04:58.210] – Kriste
Tip three: create rooms based on topics that are important to your potential clients.
[00:05:02.500] – Kriste
Again, it’s all about getting in front of the right audience and using terms or topics they’re looking for.
[00:05:07.420] – Kriste
Another example, if you’re in healthcare marketing, you could start a room titled “Using Social Media for Health Care Marketing.”
[00:05:15.010] – Kriste
Treat rooms like live podcasts or networking sessions. That’s tip number four.
[00:05:19.360] – Kriste
If you don’t get on stage and talk, your follower count will not grow. So come to each room with something to talk about, something on your mind.
[00:05:27.700] – Kriste
Tip five: collaborate with others in your industry.
[00:05:30.640] – Kriste
Collaborating on a room with prominent members of your industry will help you both reach new audiences and grow your following.
[00:05:36.850] – Kriste
Marketing tip number six: cross-promote your Clubhouse rooms.
[00:05:40.720] – Kriste
Although you can’t share content from Clubhouse, you can post about your upcoming Clubhouse events or rooms on your other social media accounts and channels. This is going to encourage your audience to join you on Clubhouse or ask you how they can join.
[00:05:54.010] – Kriste
Now that we’ve covered what Clubhouse is and how to use it. Keep an eye out for our next episode of How It’s Done, featuring Clubhouse moderator Amy Mirlisena, who takes us much deeper into all things Clubhouse. Plus, she’s pretty funny and super engaging.
Recommended Reading
- ClubhouseGuide.com
- Our last spark session: SEO Secrets for Healthcare
- Contact Kriste: kg@growwithfuoco.com
- fuoco contact:
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