Should You Join Clubhouse? Your Answer Here

I was granted access to the new social media platform, Clubhouse, over the weekend. Have you been allowed to join yet? 

I say it that way because the Clubhouse App is a social media platform still in BETA mode, rolling out to new users in a way we haven’t seen done before. Instead of opening its doors to anyone in the world with WiFi access all at once, Clubhouse has been opening its doors slowly, to select groups of people over time. And recently, its first thousands of members were allowed to invite just one guest to the platform. And that one guest was allowed to invite one guest, and so on. 

As of today (Monday, January 4, 2021), the platform has a few million members (as reported by Myron Golden @myrongolden in a Clubhouse Room on Sunday, January 3, 2021).

It also has a bunch of things to still figure out. It’s in BETA mode and is not perfect (is any social media platform actually perfect?). I’m not going to get into all the flaws I see with the platform in this post. I’ll let others on the internet duke that stuff out.

My job here is to bring together the concept of Clubhouse with the concept of Marketing Personality Types to help you make a decision on whether you’ll check it out or not.

I’m NOT here to condone everything Clubhouse currently does and stands for. Spoiler: I don’t.

And I’m NOT here to try to convince you to use Clubhouse. Spoiler: I would never.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This post was originally written and published on Monday, January 4, 2021. 

LATEST UPDATE: Tuesday, January 5, 2021.

So, what is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse is an audio-only social media platform. When I say audio-only, I mean it. 

There is ZERO video, no still graphics or photos, and absolutely no text-based messaging on the app as of today. 

You can listen to people talk*** to one another and you can talk to others. That’s it.

***That is, if you can hear. The fact that the platform is not accessible to the entire deaf community and other communities of disabled people is a huge current flaw, if you ask me.

Should you join Clubhouse?

I know you’re wondering this, so let’s dive into it. 

First of all, I am NOT one to jump on the latest social media bandwagon. I typically run the opposite direction when the masses start flocking. 

TikTok – still don’t have an account. 
Reels on Instagram – purely a consumer, not a creator. 
And to this day I’ve only ever used Snapchat to send snaps of my dog doing funny things to my husband and a few family members. 
I left Twitter years ago. 
I log into LinkedIn maybe once a year. 

I’m firmly in the camp of, BE ON PLATFORMS THAT FEEL GOOD AND FORGET THE REST. 

Until this weekend, Instagram was my main platform squeeze. And even with IG, there’s an on-again-off-again relationship happening. 

And then Clubhouse (quite literally) sneaks onto the scene. And my ears (quite literally) perk up. 

There are blogs and Instagram captions for text. 

YouTube channels, TikToks, FB Lives, IGTVs, and Reels for video. 

Clubhouse is the first social media platform to champion AUDIO. As an ENFJ who adores good conversation and learning through listening – as my insatiable thirst for new podcasts can attest – Clubhouse became an easy YES. 

Why? Because it immediately resonated with what feels good to me – conversation and audio. And BONUS, it doesn’t champion all the things I purposely avoid, like investing 45 minutes of my day to create a 15-second, fake-feeling, spliced up video that I’m not sure anyone will even understand once it’s shared. (Lookin’ at you, Reels.)

But just because I immediately resonated with Clubhouse, doesn’t mean you will too. And just because people are flocking (albeit a little slower this time) to Clubhouse, doesn’t mean you now need to join it too and “figure it out” and add it to your content calendar and invest a ton of energy into it. 

Just like every other marketing “opportunity” out there, consider how good it feels to you before joining. 

The truth of the matter still stands. 

When you feel good, your audience feels good.

Will Clubhouse feel good to you?

THIS is the question you can focus on answering in order to make the next best move for YOU, when it comes to Clubhouse. 

Knowing what you know about the platform, whether you’ve joined already or not, how does audio, in general, resonate with you? 

Do you consume audio regularly? Or do you prefer reading and/or watching more?

Do you care to invest your time into conversation right now? Or does that feel heavy to you? 

Another important feature to note about Clubhouse is that all of the audio is LIVE. At this point in time (1/4/2021), there is no recording feature and therefore, no clear-cut way to repurpose the content on the Clubhouse app. That’s not to say that feature won’t be developed in the future. And that’s also not to say there aren’t ways around this “lack” of content-repurposing ability. 

But with that in mind, how does that sit with you? Some people love this LIVE content vibe, while others don’t. 

At this point, you probably have a gut feeling about Clubhouse, either way. Yes, it could be for you. Or nope, this isn’t your kind of thing. 

My best advice – trust that feeling. When you feel good, your audience feels good.

What Marketing Personality Types® are most likely to enjoy Clubhouse?

If you’re still unsure about joining Clubhouse or staying away, consider how its features align (or misalign) with your Marketing Personality Type®. 

Here are my predictions for which personality types will enjoy Clubhouse the most AS CONTENT CREATORS, and, on the flip side, which types won’t. 

To be clear – I can see most personality types enjoying Clubhouse as Consumers. But there’s a big difference between being a Consumer and being a Content Creator (or Moderator) on Clubhouse, or any other social media platform for that matter. 

Around here, we’re looking at platforms from the Content Creator lens because we’re most interested in serving others through feel-good marketing.

Marketing Personality Types® Most Likely to Love Clubhouse

ENTPs – Always interested in the latest and greatest, ENTPs live to be early adopters, so now’s the time they’ll be most excited about Clubhouse. Once the shininess wears off, some ENTPs will abandon the app, while others will stay for its “open forum” feel, which allows them to voice their opinions and play devil’s advocate within discussions. 

ENFJs – What can I say? We love to listen, talk, and coach. Clubhouse gives us a place to do that in real-time with friends, clients, and strangers alike. (New readers – I say “we” and “us” because I’m an ENFJ!)

ENFPs and ESFJs – There’s a great opportunity to host conversations and let everyone feel welcome on Clubhouse, which ENFPs and ESFJs are especially down for. 

ESTPs – Always here for a party and a networking opportunity, ESTPs can utilize Clubhouse to network and create sales conversations in real-time. No, it won’t feel exactly like the in-person mixers they had to give up in early 2020, but it’s close.

Marketing Personality Types® Most Likely to Be On the Fence About Clubhouse

ENTJs and ESTJs – Similar to ENFJs, ENTJs and ESTJs often like to create audio content. They might be on the fence about Clubhouse, though, because as of right now, there’s no way to repurpose their live conversations. Plus, there’s a certain level of control an ENTJ and ESTJ will have to relinquish as they step into a large room of Clubhouse conversation – something not all ENTJs and ESTJs will feel comfortable with. 

ESFPs – Always here for a party, ESFPs will most likely be down to join Clubhouse right away. However, an ESFP’s energy is often best offered and received via video. So on an audio-only app, they might feel a little stifled. 

INFJs, ISFJs, and INTJs – Here for good conversation, these three Types could find a feel-good space in smaller Clubhouse Rooms with just one or two other Moderators. Go beyond that and the app could feel too overwhelming to these deep thinkers and feelers.

Marketing Personality Types® Most Likely to Not Enjoy Clubhouse

INTPs – Live conversation doesn’t usually feel great to an INTP because they most enjoy getting to sit with their thoughts before expressing them. The off-the-cuff nature of Clubhouse just doesn’t feel quite right. 

INFPs – Similar to INTPs, INFPs enjoy sitting with their feelings before expressing them. When thrown into a big, live conversation, an INFP can feel thrown off-balance and unable to express themselves in a feel-good way. 

ISTJs – Usually seeking tried-and-true methods, Clubhouse seems a bit too foreign and new for an ISTJ to feel good about right now. This could change down the road when it’s a bit more “known.” But even then, I expect ISTJs to tread lightly and seek out smaller Rooms with very few Moderators. 

ISTPs and ISFPs – Often appreciating “their own little worlds,” ISTPs and ISFPs may find Clubhouse to simply be too noisy right now and therefore, not worth putting their creative energy into.

The Future of Clubhouse

We’re very much still in the early days of Clubhouse. There are so many questions about the platform and its future that we’ll have to wait and watch unfold. 

Like…

How will Clubhouse make its platform accessible to ALL people, especially deaf and disabled communities?

What’s the catch? It’s 100% free right now. You don’t have to pay to use it and there are no ads on the platform. So, will you eventually need to pay to use it? Will there be ads?

How does Clubhouse intend to keep people on Clubhouse (and not go to Instagram to DM each other like they’re doing right now)? Does it matter?

Are all Rooms going to be huge (like they seem to be right now) or could small Rooms be fun and beneficial too?

How do we, as content creators, repurpose this content? Will we at all?

I, myself, hope to first be a keen Consumer on the app so I can learn all the ways in which it’s being utilized. I then intend to bring that intel back to you and lend insight into how each personality type can best use the platform. And finally, as long as things are still feeling good for me, I’d like to leverage it as a Content Creator. 

We shall see.

How to Join Clubhouse

As I said in the beginning, Clubhouse is still an invite-only social media platform. Someone has to invite you to the app in order for you to become a member. 

Whether you have a friend to invite you in or not, one thing you CAN do right now is reserve your username. Download the app (on an Apple iPhone only) and reserve your username today, even if you have no idea how or even IF you’ll use it in the future. Usernames are not a dime a dozen. You might as well grab yours while you can.

Follow and Engage With Me on Clubhouse

If you ARE on Clubhouse now, find me @britkolo. I am SO down to discuss marketing, personality types, and doing business online.

---

PS. At the time of this post being published, I (Brit) am technically on maternity leave. I haven’t had my baby yet, but he or she will be here any day now. If you reach out in regards to this post and I don’t get right back to you, this is why. Feel free to email support@marketingpersonalities.com to reach a super-helpful someone on my team.