In this post I want to go over the pros and cons of Clubhouse. And hopefully by the end of this post, I will answer the question “should I use Clubhouse”?!
If you didn’t know already, Clubhouse is an audio-only chatroom app that lets you speak with other users. It’s currently iOS only and invite-only. The app is getting a lot of buzz and traction as more and more people are invited and using it. If you want a breakdown of the app, you can check out my post here that contains a Clubhouse tutorial.
I’m going to break down Clubhouse for two use cases: business and pleasure and section off what the pros and cons of Clubhouse are!
Should I Use Clubhouse? (Pros and Cons of Clubhouse)
The PROS – For Entertainment
1. Creative uses for the app: An interesting thing about Clubhouse is that people use the app in a variety of ways. Though I mainly use it for entrepreneurial purposes, it’s truly not just for aspiring creators and online business owners. The app is great for people who just want to have fun (and kill time)! I’ve seen so many different rooms, including:
- Talent shows
- Singles chats
- Trivia games
- Rooms discussing trending topics
- ‘Meet new people’ rooms
- And more
Because the app is so versatile and can be used for anything, Clubhouse can appeal to most everyone.
And P.S. – if you’re a singer/rapper/comedian, you could even get noticed by celebrities. I’ve seen talent shows hosted by Tiffany Haddish, Fat Joe, Ne-Yo, and others who are listening and awarding people based on their talents.
2. Meet new people (esp during quarantine): This is one of the only social apps that lets you create a deeper connection with people online. Most social apps lets you post one-to-many, but Clubhouse lets you speak one-on-one with users. It’s a very unique concept and Clubhouse has executed it extremely well. I believe that a lot of people are looking to solve for loneliness especially during the pandemic, and this app is helping to do just that.
3. See big celebrities on the app! It’s really unique and exciting to be able to join rooms in which celebrities, founders and CEOs, and other influential people are speaking live. It’s a bit different from just listening to a podcast interview, for example. You’re literally live and in-person with these celebrities. And who knows, you may even be lucky enough to get on stage and ask your idols a question!
THE PROS – For Entrepreneurs / Creators
Many people who go on Clubhouse have an entrepreneurial purpose. Here are my thoughts on what the pros are.
4. Learn from experts: Clubhouse is kind of like a conference that’s always going. You’ll see breakout rooms and panels happening all the time. While we can’t go to conferences currently because of the pandemic, this is an amazing solution for that problem. There are constant rooms going on that are delivering value around topics you may want to hear about.
While I’m writing this post, you can see there are rooms teaching Amazon FBA, how to make a difference as an entrepreneur, etc! There are so many educational rooms out there:
You could essentially keep the app on and listen in rooms to learn. It’s kind of like listening to podcasts (if you’re in the audience level and not speaking).
5. Great for networking: My favorite use of Clubhouse is its networking capabilities. I’ve been able to make a handful of connections/friendships that I’m quite happy about. By creating and hosting a few panels, I’ve been able to bring together creators who didn’t know each other before, and at the same time connecting others allowed me to become closer with some really awesome people.
PS – feel free to follow me at @sharontseung for entrepreneurship / investing / real estate tips.
As I meet more and more creators, I feel less isolated and more motivated in my entrepreneurial journey. I highly recommend building connections when jumping into the entrepreneurial world. Having people who get you makes the journey a lot easier!
6. Build clients for your business: There are many entrepreneurs who are using Clubhouse to get more business. Check out this post on how to make money on Clubhouse. I feel coaches can actually get a lot of new clients through the app!
Yes, you could make a bunch of free content on YouTube and podcasts. But being able to speak one-on-one with people allows you to develop a personal connection with your audience. You could hold panels, create presentations, and answer questions to establish authority in the space and work with people directly.
By building those relationships, people are more likely to sign up for your services. I personally am not a coach, but I think Clubhouse would be extremely beneficial for coaches or people with high-ticket products. The reason is that if your offering is more on the expensive side, it’s even MORE necessary to build stronger relationships with people and show your expertise so that will make people more ready to invest in you.
THE CONS:
1. Anxiety inducing! I do feel that Clubhouse can be a little more anxiety inducing than most other apps. You can be put on the spot and called out to speak. I am actually trying to host LESS panels and talks because the app gets stressful for me as an introvert. However, there are many people who LOVE talking on Clubhouse and love that energy – so if you’re extroverted, this is for you.
2. Awkward group chats: I find that sometimes when I’m stuck in these group chat rooms, things can honestly get awkward. It can be awkward knowing when you’re supposed to speak or not, and extremely awkward if people are being shy and not speaking up.
3. Can spend your whole day on it: A lot of people spend WAY too much time on Clubhouse (I’m talking 20+ hours per week). Don’t get me wrong, if it has immensely helped your business or if you’re truly learning way more than you would elsewhere, then I think it makes sense. However, I can totally see scenarios in which users may listen in and FEEL they’ve accomplished a lot, when in reality they haven’t actually been working on their actual business.
It’s just something to be aware of, that Clubhouse can be a huge time suck, and you’ll need to balance your time wisely.
4. Lots of clout chasers: I’ve heard about a few cases in which people are just constantly on the app to grow their following – and just because they’ve grown their numbers, people now see them as an authority (which may not even be true).
A lot of these people are just getting bigger because they got in early and constantly pop in as mods in rooms. Because they’ve built this persona of authority, it makes MORE people follow them. Users see their names everywhere and follow because they think they’re big shots.
5. There can be misinformation: Like I mentioned above, there can be misinformation. You have to watch out for these “furus” because they may spreading misinformation and scamming when they have no true experience or knowledge. I’ve heard of multiple cases of scammers, so you need to investigate and make sure whoever you’re listening to is someone who’s truly knowledgeable and experienced.
6. Overwhelming amount of information – don’t know who’s advice to listen to: At the same time, you’ll hear so much information from different people that you may get overwhelmed. I’ve heard of cases like this in which people are getting mixed signals of “don’t do this” and “do this” – and they just don’t know who to listen to.
My advice is to ask other authority figures in your niche that you definitely know and trust. It’s important to make sure you’re listening to the RIGHT people. And I would learn but also IMPLEMENT as well, so you can find out through experience.
Conclusion
This wasn’t intentional but I ended up listening an equal amount of pros and cons (6 pros and 6 cons)! I find that Clubhouse, if used the right way, can be extremely beneficial to you and your business (or can just be a great source of entertainment).
However, if you’re not careful, you could end up listening to the wrong people, getting scammed, spending all your time on it, etc. Make sure to evaluate if Clubhouse fits you, your personality, and if you have one – your business.
Leave a comment below and let me know what you think! And don’t forget to follow me on Clubhouse @sharontseung.
If you’re also interested in more Clubhouse information, check out these posts:
- Clubhouse tutorial for beginners
- How to start a Clubhouse room – 4 successful Clubhouse room ideas
- How to grow a following on Clubhouse
- How to make money on Clubhouse
