Clubhouse: An Exclusive New Social Media Platform for First-Movers

I recently had the good luck of getting an exclusive invitation to the new social networking app Clubhouse. As of this writing, Clubhouse is still in its beta stage – which means most of the people on there right now are shakers, movers, and early adopters. If you can get in the door now, you’ve got an incredible chance to connect with truly remarkable industry leaders and establish your profile before the market gets saturated by bigger crowds.

Not sure about this new platform when there are already so many others out there? What if I told you that in the two weeks since I started using Clubhouse, I have…

• Closed 10 clients so far for my immigration law practice,
• Been invited to speak on some of the world’s biggest podcasts and major events, and
• Created referral opportunities like I’ve never experienced before.

Most lawyers I talked to struggle with business development more than any other part of their practice. How do you leverage online resources for the best client reach? How can you convert referrals and opportunities into paying clients? Some platforms are much better at business development than others. Right now, Clubhouse is amazing at it.

What Is Clubhouse?

Unlike other social media websites, Clubhouse focuses on live, real-time connection and conversation. In fact, Clubhouse works primarily through audio, not written content.

Imagine a grand convention center with halls that lead you between rooms of all sizes. You’ve got free choice to hop into any discussion that interests you the most. If you don’t see a topic that you want to talk about, you can create your own conference room to speak on it, where other people can join to listen to your expertise.

Instead of a constant churn of produced and refined content, Clubhouse focuses on high-value discussions between individuals. In addition, Clubhouse is open to membership by invite only. So it’s an exclusive crowd. As a result, it’s become popular among Silicon Valley’s elite.

Right now in the halls of Clubhouse, you can rub shoulders with incredible industry players whether they’re in the legal field or else. You can speak on topics where you have expertise and attract others interested in those topics to you. The personal and professional connections you initiate through Clubhouse could be game-changers for your practice.

Speaking as a lawyer, I see so much potential for attorneys on Clubhouse to create mutually beneficial relationships and rewarding referral opportunities.

6 Best Practices for Business Development on Clubhouse

I’ve developed business connections on many social media apps including TikTok. While some of the same best practices apply across platforms, Clubhouse is unique in its approach.

You can read more about how to get started on Clubhouse in this article.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far in terms of best practices on Clubhouse:

1. Optimize your profile to position yourself as an expert in your field.

The first three lines (or about 125 characters) of text in your profile remains visible throughout the Clubhouse app. So you want those characters to demonstrate your credibility.

What’s your field of expertise? Be concise and get to the point – include achievements and accolades in the visible description to get people’s attention.

You can connect your Twitter and Instagram profiles to your Clubhouse account so that people can click those links and visit them directly. Make sure to have a clear call to action (CTA) on your profile. I tell my visitors to DM me the word “CLUBHOUSE” on Instagram.

Once someone starts a conversation with you, ask them some questions to see if they’re a qualified client. If it turns out you may be a good fit to work together, book them on a sales call.

I’ve gotten at least ten new law clients using Clubhouse in this way.

2. Follow clients or other lawyers in your industry who are using Clubhouse.

On Clubhouse, it’s important to connect with people you’re genuinely interested in. Take the time to find people in your field and follow them. Turn on notifications for the most important profiles so that you won’t miss them when they speak in a room.

Once you connect on Clubhouse, send that person an authentic message on Instagram letting them know you love what they’re doing on the platform. (But only if you actually are!) That person will be more likely to notice you the next time you join a room and they’re speaking.

They’ll be even more likely to pull you up as a speaker, too – exposing you to their audience.

3. Speak in rooms catered to your ideal clients as much as possible.

Using Clubhouse to learn new knowledge is great. But success on Clubhouse is all about being a creator, not a consumer. When speaking in rooms, you want to add value based on your knowledge, experience, and expertise in your field.

Don’t be afraid to open up when you are speaking. Allowing myself to be vulnerable as I share my story has allowed others to connect with me on a much deeper level.

One excellent winning strategy is to stay in your lane and really focus on speaking about the same things again and again. The more you establish yourself as an expert, the more you’ll get pulled into rooms by other speakers when that topic comes up. Make sure of course that the topics you cover are related to the services or products you sell!

For example, I speak about immigration law and social media marketing for lawyers all the time. But if people ask me questions about e-commerce, I don’t answer because I don’t know that much about it. Your reputation and credibility are everything on the app.

The more you speak and share your knowledge, the more you’ll see an influx of followers.

4. Sit in rooms for your ideal clients while you’re doing other work.

You don’t have to put together your own rooms on Clubhouse to succeed. In fact, I’ve personally found that speaking in other people’s rooms is more beneficial than creating my own.

This might change as I use the app longer. But as a busy entrepreneur, I’ve found that hosting my own room can be exhausting as it requires me to be 100% “on” the whole time.

Instead, I like to hang out in rooms created by others who are addressing topics related to my expertise. I do this when I’m busy doing other work, almost like I’m listening to the radio or a podcast. When I hear a topic come up that falls in my “genius zone” (see below), I pipe in to share my value. I get to speak to an engaged audience who’s interested in my work.

When you’re a speaker in a room of hundreds of people, you end up at the top alongside big thought leaders in your industry. Doing this instead of creating your own rooms helps prevent the process from eating up your whole day with extra work.

5. DM people who ask questions in your “genius zone.”

You can DM other people in a room whether you’re the speaker or not.

So if someone asks a question under your expertise, go ahead and reach out to them about it.

To do this, scroll through the list of participants to find the person who’s currently speaking. Their picture will have a gray sound wave around it. Click on their profile picture and click the link to their Instagram username. Once you get to Instagram, send them a DM.

Sending a comment about their latest Instagram post is a great place to start. Be friendly and make sure to mention that you’re from Clubhouse. For example: “I heard your question about XYZ on Clubhouse. I wanted to reach out because I can help.”

Once you get them into a conversation, you can book them on a call.

6. Connect with your industry peers in smaller rooms.

On Clubhouse, I’ve been in rooms and built relationships with billionaires, brilliant entrepreneurs, and popular podcasters whom I’ve listened to for years.

Simply put, decision-makers are using Clubhouse to network.

Clubhouse’s “small rooms” are some of the most powerful tools for building relationships. Small rooms tend to be calmer, with fewer people to shout over. You can really dig into a topic and get to know people in these environments. I’ve met amazing connections through these rooms.

Thanks to some of the relationships I’ve built through Clubhouse, I’ve been invited to speak as a guest on huge industry podcasts and events around the world.

Fewer Optics, Deeper Connections

Clubhouse is simply less about optics than other social media platforms. You connect over real-time and exchange ideas directly with other industry and business leaders. Clubhouse is truly a refreshing breath of air in a world of optics-driven content.

For now, Clubhouse remains free but exclusive. That means you’ll need an invite to get a Clubhouse account. You can read more about how to get started here.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about Clubhouse in the comments below. Had you heard about the platform before reading this post? Do you think you’ll join now?

If you’re thinking about getting on Clubhouse and expanding your professional network, shoot me a DM on Instagram and let’s chat about it!