Mediaboss Marketing

Everyone is talking about Clubhouse but is this a chat app, marketing tool, or a new way to connect reporters and industry experts around the globe? We asked seven journalists for their experiences and thoughts on Clubhouse and the opportunities it held for media relations.

Clubhouse launched in April 2020 as an invitation-only audio chat iPhone app. Through this platform users create and join audio chat rooms to engage in conversations on a huge range of topics from AI to cannabis to meditation, or just listen. While Clubhouse was active from the start, it became a global phenomenon when celebrities and CEOs such as Tiffany Haddish, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg joined in. Additionally, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn recently announced similar services.

Clubhouse for PR

A year later, Clubhouse has become a learning and educational tool for PR professionals and journalists all over the globe. When I joined a few media-specific rooms, I observed how journalists and publicists openly discuss dos and donts of pitching, cold-calling and messaging via Instagram at the eleventh hour. It is here that PR professionals research, gather insight on upcoming stories and stay on top of the emerging trends. Together with journalists, they explore working with various media outlets and learn how to pitch their story.

PR pros can also expand their knowledge base and identify new opportunities in Clubhouses topic-based rooms, where theyre able to listen to conversations directly or indirectly related to their brand or industry. Within these rooms, PR pros can learn from and engage with reporters, building relationships based on useful information sharing, not a pitch.

For media outlets, the app provides the opportunity for publications to connect with their readers directly and in real time. For example, Insider created its own club of weekly conversations, Insider, in which their journalists cover a variety of topics from influencers to the stock market, and answer audience questions.

To identify exactly how reporters are using Clubhouse, we asked the following seven reporters who are active on Clubhouse for their candid opinions about the app, and offer our media relations takeaways on how PR pros can use the app to increase results:

How Are Journalists Using Clubhouse?

What Are the Pros of using Clubhouse?

What Are the Cons of Using Clubhouse?

Looking ahead: Predictions for Public Relations

Since its launch, Clubhouse has provided new opportunities for media professionals to network all over the globe, find new diverse voices, uncover story ideas, expand the pool of freelancers and meet PR and media professionals without leaving the safety of their homes. After a year of isolation, I think people are looking to connect on a personal level within their field, shared Stefan Blitz.

For PR professionals, the app allows an insiders look in the journalism kitchen to see what journalists are writing about now, what trends are they covering, how they prefer to be pitched to and when. Armed with this information as well as gaining new contacts and re-establishing connections with old ones PR professionals can repurpose knowledge gained on Clubhouse for upcoming campaigns and further advise their teams and clients on how best to utilize the app.

Some companies are already embracing Clubhouse as a marketing tool, using it to complement conferences, thought leadership, webinars and other activities in order to reach participants from anywhere in real time. Clubhouse is probably the best networking platform during COVID. But it's hard to see why people will continue to use it at the same rates as right now once life returns to something that feels more normal, says Elisabeth Buchwald. Personally, I miss going to industry conferences as a reporter. Without a press pass though, it would cost me a lot out-of-pocket to attend. So, I do hope efforts are made to integrate Clubhouse with traditional conferences so more people can partake.

Is Clubhouse the next big social network? It may be. An audio app that allows for real-time networking in a time when audiences are both tired of being on video and craving human engagement, Clubhouse has all the elements for success.

Journalism Communities to Follow on Clubhouse

Thinking about joining Clubhouse as part of your PR initiatives? Our experts suggest following these top media and communications communities:

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A Must Read for PR Pros: 7 Journalists Share Pros and Cons to Using Clubhouse - Business Wire