Is the new Clubhouse app all talk?

Hello subscribers and newcomers! This is the 3rd edition of my monthly newsletter, The Modern Marketer. If you are new here, click SUBSCRIBE to keep receiving notifications and share with friends whom you think would benefit from these insights. Stay Social, MM

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There are over 100 social media platforms. Most people know the big 6: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin (my personal fav), Pinterest, and YouTube. There are some networks that are often forgotten, like Reddit (side note: Reddit is getting a lot of attention as of late for its impact on Wall Street, check my post on the Gamestop story), Quora, and Medium, and some that are more popular outside of the US like Tumblr, Snapchat, and TikTok. There are few lesser-known apps like Twitch (15 million users) and Triller (65 million users) and let's not forget about those that saw their demises like Vine, Musical.ly, Gab, and Google+. Some even consider messaging apps to be social media like WhatsApp and WeChat.

New social media platforms emerge fairly often, but few stick like the new app du jour, Clubhouse. The app emerged in April with just 3500 users and has quickly grown to over 1.5M in just under ten months, and it's still beta. I joined the Clubhouse beta in December and haven’t looked back (thanks to an invite from @John Porter).

Clubhouse was created by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth and financed by venture capital firm Andreesen Horowitz. The invitation-only social network is centered on talking (remember that?). It reminds me of the party lines from the 80s meets 90s podcast meets a college house party. It seems to be much closer to real-world socializing than Twitter or Facebook. Users can enter rooms to listen or participate or start a “room” and invite friends to join. The only caveat is once the conversation is over, it disappears.

Right now, it's only available on iOS. However, the company just announced plans to offer an Android version in May of 2021.

Clubhouse is the new "it" social app. The latest valuation is at $1 billion.

How do I get a Clubhouse invite?

Initially, the only ones who had invites were notable people in tech, media, and entertainment like Kevin Hart, Grant Cardone, and Elon Musk. Now millions have been given access, but it's still somewhat challenging to capture a coveted invite. Clubhouse is invitation only and requires you to connect your phone contacts to join through someone you know. Once you have been invited, you will receive an invite to pass along to someone you know. Then once you have been using the app for seven days, you will receive three more invites.

So how do you get an invite? Chances are, if you do a little digging, someone you know has the access and maybe even an invite. And if you have or need an invite, comment below!

Here are some basics to get you through your first few days on Clubhouse.

1.   There are three sections to a room. The "Stage" is at the top, where the main host, moderators (those with the green star), and guest speakers are located. The middle section where the followers of the speakers are located, and below is the audience. Unless you are on stage, you do not have the ability to speak. You can be invited to the stage or raise your hand to request to join the stage as a speaker.
2. Your profile matters. Clubhouse is the great equalizer. When you join the app, you have a party popper emoji next to your profile image for seven days, and you start at zero followers whether you are the Oprah or the Oprah of Linkedin (Hey Goldie Chan!).

• The first three lines matter the most.
•  It is searchable.
• You can link your Instagram account (so your IG better be up-to-date)
• Use Yaytext.com to create a unique profile; emojis are welcomed :)

3. Moderators run the show. There are good "mods" and, well, not so good “mods.” Become a great “mod," and you can curate rooms that amass large audiences.

4.    There are various styles of rooms, from open conversation to Q&A to lecture-style, and you can enter a room and leave a room at any time.

5.    It’s new, so like any new platform, there is an opportunity to quickly build a following and relationships. Reach out to mods via DM and build relationships outside of CH.

6.    Business is happening on this platform. I know many who have secured clients and projects from participating in conversations. I jumped in a room with Kevin Harrington (from Shark Tank), and he was asking people to pitch him ideas to invest in.

7. If you think of a subject or topic, there is likely a “room” on it. I’ve seen rooms on cats and entrepreneurship, knitting, yoga, culinary; it's endless. There are even rooms for Clubhouse newbies (so meta). It’s a great way to learn how it works from the start. My favorite rooms are the small intimate rooms where deeper conversations are taking place.

8. It's addictive. Turn off notifications, or you will get sucked in. Notifications are sent based on those you are following. Click the bell next to a name to choose how often you want to be notified when they are using the app, and you can select from "always", "sometimes", or "never ever."

9. Make sure you have a phone charger on-hand, batteries drain fast, and time passes by.

10. If you see mics flashing, that's how we applaud. Welcome to the party!

Join a room, raise your hand and engage in the conversation. The best way to start is to jump right in. Then find me in a room and let me know what you think.

Stay Social, MM

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This edition of Modern Marketer is sponsored by the University of West Alabama Online. Learn more about UWA's MBA, offered fully online in a flexible format. 

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