In one month on Clubhouse, I managed to gain over 2,000 followers doing what I do for a living — talking and moderating rooms. I focused on one demographic and one language. I’ve only used Clubhouse so far with Arabic users and networks. I’ve yet to create English- or German-speaking rooms and connect with those on the new voice app. Your Clubhouse profile is also connected to your Twitter and Instagram accounts. Therefore, Clubhouse can easily be used to funnel followers towards your social media profiles — those that you use to promote your online content. You need to actively speak on Clubhouse for other users to get the chance to know you and interact with you. Moderating rooms is an even better chance for you to gain followers and promote yourself and your online content. How so might you ask? Let’s dig in to find out why talking and moderating is the best strategy to win people over.
Clubhouse Is a New Voice App
Clubhouse is an app for live voice conversations. It started in April 2020, and it allows users to hop in and out from ongoing conversations. Each conversation takes place in a room (according to the app lingo).
Each room is divided into two sections: speakers and listeners.
The speakers are located on top of a room, while listeners are located on the bottom of the room.
Automatically, speakers get more attention than listeners. Each time a speaker is talking, all the users in the room have the chance to open their profile, read their information, and check their other social media profiles.
Therefore, actually speaking on Clubhouse is important to gain followers and funnel your new followers towards your social media platforms.
Speaking on the app gives you the chance to talk, share your ideas, and eventually promote yourself. However, moderating rooms is the ultimate way to gain followers and increase your engagement with people over all of your social media profiles — let me explain.
P.s: The app is currently only available for iOS devices. The creators mentioned lately that they are working on an Android version.
Moderating Rooms Is the Key To Gain Followers
Moderating a room in Clubhouse means that you are responsible for keeping the conversation fluid and ongoing. It is your responsibility to introduce speakers, ask them questions, and take care that everyone has an equal chance in speaking.
Since listeners can hop in and out at any given chance, it is up to the moderators to reset the room. Resetting the room means that the moderator explains the reason behind the room, re-introduces the speakers if necessary, gives a short recap of the previously discussed subjects, and explains the room's rules.
Depending on the number of listeners in a room, the moderators can reset the room once every 20–40 minutes.
Resetting the room gives the moderators the chance to engage with the listeners at any given time. Engaging with the audience gives them the chance to know, trust, and like you as a moderator. And if you are familiar with online content marketing, you would know that getting people to know, trust, and like you is the secret sauce for success online.
Let’s discuss how moderators can engage with the audience and promote themselves to gain followers.
Promote Your Upcoming Events on Clubhouse
Whenever a room ends on Clubhouse, its content is gone forever. The app does not keep the conversations online for others to find later.
Therefore, people need to get into your rooms on Clubhouse to listen to your content and the added value you provide.
Whenever you are resetting the room as a moderator, explain your upcoming events briefly.
Eventually, ask them to follow you to get notified whenever you schedule or start a new clubhouse event. This is the main way for listeners to get notified regarding your upcoming events and future rooms.
Do not over-promote the upcoming events. Otherwise, people will get bored. Keep it short and straight to the point.
Promote Your Social Media Profiles
People are looking for value, and they might find it on your social media. Promote your social media profiles and tell the speakers what will they find over there.
For example, I promote my personal and business Instagram accounts. I explain to the listeners that I promote my writings and upcoming Clubhouse events on my personal Instagram, among other things.
In certain rooms, I feel like promoting my business more. In such rooms, I link my business Instagram account to my Clubhouse profile. People interested in my business will then follow my business account instead.
You can use Clubhouse to engage with listeners on other platforms too. For example, we created a room to discuss favourite books, and we asked listeners and speakers to send us their favourite books via Twitter and Instagram. We explained that we would make a story highlight, which includes all of these books. Almost everyone in the room followed me on Instagram.
Connect With Other Content Creators and Experts
People can drop in or out of a conversation anytime. Frequently, we will get a prominent figure in our rooms as a listener first, but then they will join us to speak.
As a moderator, you are the one moderating the conversation. You will be the one asking questions and discussing with the experts or prominent figures. Now, they know you, and they will engage with you on other social media profiles.
Take a screenshot of the speakers, tag them and post it to your stories on Instagram. They will repost your story, and all of a sudden, you are in their DMs.
DM them on Instagram and ask them to be your guest eventually in future planned rooms. In our case, we got a yes from these prominent figures, almost 100% of the time — and yes, we did host them in rooms. Having them in rooms will immediately boost the number of listeners, and therefore, the numbers of your potential followers.
Remember, your followers will eventually get to know, like, and trust you.
Build Your Control Room
You will need help sometimes in moderating rooms. You will meet different moderators while using the app. Each moderator has their own connections, which they will utilize to come to their rooms and your room.
Building a moderating group is essential to succeed in hosting rooms at Clubhouse. Building a group on Instagram or WhatsApp can help in back-channel communications between the different moderators. Not talking over each other and appearing as a united front in front of others in the room is essential for the listeners and other speakers to come back to your rooms — they loved the past experiences, and they want to enjoy it again.
Final Thoughts
Moderating puts you in the spotlight of the rooms you host, co-host, or moderate. Use the chance to promote your upcoming events and social media profiles. You can constantly remind the listeners to follow you and not to miss your upcoming events.
Post your upcoming rooms on Twitter and Instagram. Your followers on social media will notice that you are already in Clubhouse, and they will seek to follow you.
If you follow the previous steps, I guarantee your success in gaining followers and engagement on Clubhouse and your other social media profiles. I got over 2,000 followers applying the methods listed above. You can use the methods to increase your following.
Article originally published to Medium
Written by Walid AO