Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably seen people talking about this new social media app Clubhouse. Maybe you even signed up but felt overwhelmed. Don’t worry, I’m here to help you out!

Clubhouse is a new platform that lets people chat in real time, share stories, collaborate, and bounce ideas off of each other using their voice.

It’s like an interactive podcast where you can not only listen, but join in on the conversations.

It has been an incredible tool for building connections, meeting new people and growing my following both on Clubhouse and Instagram.

So, let’s jump right in and talk about how to use the app and why Clubhouse is great for entrepreneurs.

GETTING STARTED:

0. ONBOARDING – When you get an invite to join clubhouse your invitee has the option to “onboard” you inside a private room. This gives them a chance to walk you through the app and go over how it works. If your invitee is still new themselves or doesn’t offer you the on boarding process there are several “rooms” you can join that are designed to answer beginner Clubhouse questions. 
1. YOUR BIO – The first thing I suggest doing after you join is setting up your bio. This is the main thing that other uses will look at to get an idea of who you are, what you offer and how they can follow you. There are no character limits so feel free to add as much content here as you like. At this time there are no active links (other than linking your IG and Twitter accounts) but I have seen several people sharing links that can be copied and pasted from your bio. You can want to include keywords in your bio that will help you get discovered. For example: If you host a podcast then make sure to include that in your bio so that anyone searching for podcasts will see your bio in their search results. 
2. THE HALLWAY – When you first log into the app you will see a home screen that showcases active rooms. This is called the ‘hallway’ and will be where you find rooms/conversations to join. Your hallway is curated based on the profiles that you follow. So if you follow mostly realtors then your hallway will feature real estate related rooms. 
3. ROOMS – I can’t help by think of the Hamilton song “The Room Where it Happened” each time I enter a room on Clubhouse. Rooms are where the magic happens. Any member can host a room so you will find a plethora of rooms and topics to join in on. Each room has a host and/or moderator the is indicated by a green icon by their name. They have microphone access and will control the flow of the room. When you enter a room you are automatically added to the audience and are in a ‘listen only’ mode. If the moderator(s) are allowing members to join them on the ‘stage’ you can click the hand icon in the bottom right corner of your app. This is the equivalent of raising your hand in class. You will be invited to join the stage and your microphone will go live (make sure you mute yourself as a courtesy until you are asked to join the conversation). You can now join in the conversation, ask questions and share insights. 
4. FOLLOWING – To view someone’s profile you simply click on their image and their profile will appear. You can follow them on Clubhouse as well as on the other platforms they have linked. If you want to be notified when that person hosts a room you can click on the bell icon next to their name and select how often you would like to be notified. By default it is set to ‘sometimes’. 
5. HOSTING – If you would like to host your own room you can do so by clicking the green button at the bottom of your screen. You can choose between public rooms (open to anyone), social rooms (just for people you follow) or private (just for you and anyone you invite). Give your room and title and you are all set. 
6. PINGING – Anytime you are in a room, even if you aren’t hosting, you can ‘ping’ people you follow to join the room by clicking the plus sign (+) in the bottom right corner of the app. This is a great way to let people know that you are hosing a room or that you think the room you are in is relevant to them. 
7. CLUBS – In order to create a ‘club’ inside of Clubhouse you have to apply and follow their criteria (host at least 1 room each week for 3 weeks). Clubhouse clubs are used to create communities within the platform. Rooms started with a club can be private and intimate—reserved only for community members—or public to help introduce the club to Clubhouse members. When you create a club your are committing to hosting at least one room per week, however you may host more. 

UTILIZING CLUBHOUSE FOR BUSINESS

The key to getting the most out of Clubhouse is to join in on the conversations. You can be there to learn and get value, but you also need to get involved, ask questions and provide your own value. 

1. GET ON STAGE – When you join a room that is inviting the audience to come on stage DO IT! Getting on the stage gets eyes on your profile and will lead to more followers. You will also get opportunities to speak which allows people to feel connected to you. It can feel intimidating at first, but there is something comforting about the fact that we are all exploring this new app together. I have also found that every room I have gone into (so far) has been extremely inviting, helping to remove the fear of speaking up. I also found that it helps to join smaller rooms at first where there is less pressure and fewer people listening. 
2. LISTEN AND LEARN – Sometimes you are going to want to join the conversation and other times you are going to want to be a student. There are some extremely knowledgeable people on the app that have tons of value to offer. Feel free to just be a student and soak up the information that you can apply to your business.
3. HOST A ROOM – Hosting rooms and starting conversations is the fastest way to set yourself up as an expert. The first time you host a room with feel intimidating, but the more you do it the more comfortable you will get. Connect with a few other members and offer to co-host a room together. Not only does this alleviate the stress of hosting on your own, but it will help bring more people into your room since each of your followers are being notified that you are hosting a room. 
4. CREATE A CLUB – Once you are comfortable hosting rooms, and have done so a few times you can apply to create a club. Clubs allow you to create consistent weekly content (rooms) for your followers and can be an extension of your brand. Similar to a Facebook group, you can bring on various admin to your club to help you with hosting rooms and providing content for your followers. 

One of the most common comments I have heard about Clubhouse so far is how addicting it is. Because you can leave the app and do other things on your phone while Clubhouse is still playing in the background it allows you to consume content and be active while still continuing on your daily tasks. I am currently listing in on a Clubhouse room as I am typing this article now. 

While I have seen other social media apps come on the scene and quickly fizzle out, I believe that Clubhouse is here is stay. It’s a revolutionary new way for people to connect that is unlike any other platform out there and I feel honored and excited to be part of it from the beginning. 

Welcome to your newest addiction! 

Feel free to follow me – @kendramae and reach out if you would like to collaborate or co-host a room. I have BIG ideas for ways to combine Clubhouse and the Girl Means Business podcast in the future so stayed tuned! 

Happy Clubbing friends!