My Experience as a Newbie on Clubhouse

Written By: Amy Littleton

If you haven’t heard of Clubhouse yet, you will. I’ve been exploring the new social media app that’s on everyone’s minds these days. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.

 

Clubhouse is an all-audio networking app. Currently, the app is only available for Apple users and requires an invitation to join (meaning you can’t join without a current user inviting you). If you don’t have an invite, you can reserve your username after downloading the Clubhouse app here.

 

The app feels like a cross between listening to a podcast and listening to a conference call. Conversations in Clubhouse take place in ‘rooms’. The room’s participants are broken into two categories. Panelists (speakers) and Listeners. As a listener, if you want to participate in the conversation or ask the panelist a question – you can request to speak by using the ‘raise your hand’ button. 

 

Conversations in Clubhouse are raw and unedited. They cannot be recorded and are not saved. This makes conversations feel real and heartfelt. 

 

What kind of topics are people talking about on Clubhouse? They vary from business advice to climate change. People share ideas, give advice, have healthy debates, and build camaraderie. 

 

Some rooms I’ve joined have felt like group therapy sessions. One person I heard in an entrepreneurship group asked how to overcome depression. While I cringed, speakers in the group immediately jumped in to give encouragement, and to share their own personal stories of struggle. Most of the speakers I’ve heard in Clubhouse have open minds and open hearts.

 

Like any social platform, if you are going to use the tool to grow your business and reap the full benefits, you should show up consistently and join in the conversation. 

 

My good friend Maria Grimm, CEO of the marketing membership site for small businesses Relly, invited me to participate in a marketing-focused room discussing Super Bowl Ads. So, I quickly prepared my thoughts and jumped on. It was like debating ideas and opinions with a few close and highly experienced friends, only with a bunch of other people listening in. 

 

Overall, Clubhouse is the perfect platform for engaging in authentic, thought-provoking conversation. But just like anything, you get out of it what you put into it. So, get out of your comfort zone and participate. Personal brands are being built every day in Clubhouse. Why not yours? 

 

Follow me on Clubhouse @amylitt