Clubhouse, the New Craze: How to Connect in 2021 💌

I got a call from my photographer friend on Thanksgiving Day. She said, “Hey, you on Clubhouse? I got an invite for you if you’re not.” I had heard of it because I  follow folks like MC Hammer and Gary Vee and saw them talking about it. You see, it’s a privilege to be on Clubhouse right now because it’s really just in BETA stage, meaning you just can’t join, you have to be invited from someone who is part of the “Clubhouse” club. Oh, you also need to have an iPhone too – not Android.  You can try to join now without an invite but you’ll be put on the waitlist. Pretty mysterious, huh?

So, what is Clubhouse? It’s an app that allows you to talk to others. They call it “drop in audio.” I call it podcasting without the recording…it is LIVE. If you miss it, you miss it. Talk about have FOMA!  And the “rooms” are where people talk, connect and share about everything. There are “Clubs” created by members where you join up with like-minded people.  Club owner host “rooms” but you can schedule a “room” even if you don’t have an official “Club” and discuss topics too.

In their words: Clubhouse is a place for casual, drop-in audio chats. When you open the app you can see “rooms” full of people talking—all open so you can hop in and out, exploring different conversations. It’s a place to meet with friends and with new people around the world—to tell stories, ask questions, debate, learn, and have impromptu conversations on thousands of different topics.

 

I’m an “early adopter” and love to try new social media tools and apps for my clients.  I like to be their eyes/ears on the ground so to speak. So I got on Clubhouse and next thing I know I’m moderating rooms on PR, Marketing and Branding in the Greatness Club with my friends and PR Besties, Isha Cogborn and Cier Black.  They were new too. Here we go…. and it was fun! We talked and answered questions for an hour with Grant Henderson, the Club owner. We’ve done it three times now. The “Room” had hundreds of people in it and I’ve grown my Clubhouse following to almost 800 folks. I’m PAMPERRYPR on Clubhouse.

Two weekends ago I listened to whole production of The Lion King on Clubhouse. It was amazing. And I met the publicist for that project, ICY. She’s amazing too! And last weekend she invited me to the “stage” in her Club called, “Ain’t that About a Pitch.” So, yeah, PR folks are geeking out here. But, you can also join a Club for entrepreneurs, like I did last week, and the Tech guys in there were giving away money. One lady got $4,000 for her organization that helps at-risk kids. I almost feel out when they said, “What’s your CashApp? We’ll send it now.” I’m was so glad that Kadena Tate “pinged me” to come in that room. I had no idea that this group on Clubhouse gives away money every single week to deserving entrepreneurs trying to make a difference.

Yep, that’s been my Clubhouse experience. I hear some “rooms” talk and have conversations for hours. I’m not doing that. Like everything, balance is the key. I have heard people have won business contracts and scored new clients on Clubhouse. There are even some folks out there teaching “Clubhouse” etiquette and some folks claiming to be “Clubhouse experts.” lol [Don’t fall for the hype.]

You do need a Avatar, so use AvatarMaker and have an interesting bio – and most people connect with you further via Instagram or Twitter.  So get active on those if you want to get business from Clubhouse or put your phone number in your bio.  IG and Twitter are the only LIVE hyperlinks.  If you’re an introvert or new, you can just lurk and be in the “audience.”  A lot of good, golden nuggets are being dropped.

If you are on Clubhouse, join me this Sunday at 6PM (EST) and follow Glambitious on there. That’s where I’ll be hanging out and talking about how to get booked as a speaker. 

If you are ready to learn more “deeply” and get more nuggets about PR, Positioning, Publishing…… join my new community at Ready Set Go Speak! 

We are immensely grateful to have this opportunity to build Clubhouse—and to everyone who has joined our early beta, shared what they love about it, sent us feedback, and pushed us to think harder about important issues. These are the things that will move this platform forward.

If you’re not yet on Clubhouse you can sign up for the waitlist here. We are so excited to welcome you to it and to hear what you think!

Paul and Rohan