Clubhouse is the new podcast

There are approximately 2 million users on Clubhouse all around the world. What is Clubhouse, you ask? Created by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Paul Davison and a former Google engineer, Rohan Seth Clubhouse made its grand debuts last March, as the Covid-19 pandemic started and people were being ordered to stay at home.

Part talkback radio, part conference call, part Houseparty, Clubhouse is an invite-only social networking app based on audio-chat with no ads, at least not at this point. Thanks to this brand new app, users can listen to conversations, interviews, and discussions between inspiring people on various topics.

Word-of-mouth campaign: the power of Clubhouse

Clubhouse is, more or less, like a live podcast. Launched less than a year ago, it has already caught the attention of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. But they are not the only ones; they also include TV star host Oprah Winfrey, actor Ashton Kutcher, and Canadian rapper Drake.

To date, the most significant successes recorded on Clubhouse are :

• The appearance of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who busted Clubhouse’s limit of 5,000 people per room,
• A live reading of the Lion King Musical – while Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was on air… It is the circle of life, and it moves us all!

Indeed, the nature of Clubhouse lends itself perfectly to building brand awareness, and that is what Elon Musk perfectly understood. Through word-of-mouth campaigns, brands are beginning to sponsor rooms. Yes, the buzzy new app is a powerful marketing tool/opportunity you do not want to miss.

Here are three reasons why you should consider Clubhouse :

• It humanizes your business to others. Indeed, thanks to the voice-note aspect, it is easier to build empathy,
• It aims to bring you inspiration from leading experts,  
• Nothing is saved on the app; your audience is better being live with you not to miss the conversation you are giving, thus increasing brand loyalty.

How does it work?

Clubhouse is currently only available on iOS. While any iPhone owner can download it and create an account with their phone number, they have to wait until they receive a text message invitation to join the social network. Then, each member can invite two other people. There is also a waiting list to join the social network, the ultimate sign of its exclusivity. After having received an invite to join a room on their iPhones, users can enter the app.

How to get a Clubhouse invitation?

• Individual invitation: without doubt, the simplest and most practical way to log into the app,
• Other social media platforms: it is possible to request an invitation on another social media platform like Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #Clubhouse,
• Friends of Clubhouse: create an account and wait for user friends to confirm it.

Once users are logged in, they can choose different virtual “rooms” to enter. They can pop in and out of rooms whenever and wherever they want. Users’ algorithms correspond with their address book and who they choose to follow, so depending on their work, interests, and friends, they will see (or not) chat rooms hosting talks on music, film, literature, culture, tech, beauty…

By the way, Clubhouse community rules are quite clear: here, no fake names, only real identities – consider it as your LinkedIn, for example.