By Ioana Good
Published in Law.com’s Mid-Market Report
There’s a newer way to interview these days, and plenty of folks are talking about it! Clubhouse, a social media network, first gained notoriety when Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Oprah dropped into Clubhouse rooms and started having conversations during the height of covid. Lately, we have seen an uptick in clients talking with members of the press via this application, and we have provided training and guidance to ensure successful interviews. In fact, Clubhouse has become so prevalent that we have begun incorporating these types of interviews into PR strategy plans for our clients. This social network is like a podcast where people can listen in live and even be given the opportunity to join in and comment. The platform is designed for use on an iPhone or Android phone and while you can install it on a tablet, the full experience is designed for use on a phone. They do have a website, but it simply directs you to install the iOS or Android app to use the platform. Here’s what you need to know about the app, along with some media training tips to consider.
What is it, and when did it launch?
Launched in March of 2020, Clubhouse coincided with the beginning of the covid pandemic in the US and was originally by invite only. That changed in July 2021 when the platform was opened to anyone who wanted to install the app and join. In the early days, there were few people on the app, but that’s changed now; the app has grown dramatically in popularity and made its way into the media/journalism space and now reports a user base of over 6 million.
“I think of Clubhouse as interactive podcasting,” said Jamie Gold, CKD, CAPS, MCCWC, who writes for Forbes.com and is also a wellness design consultant and author of Wellness by Design: A Room-by-Room Guide to Optimizing Your Home for Health, Fitness, and Happiness (Tiller Press, 2020). “It’s a phenomenal platform for easily sharing information and allowing participants to ask questions of experts. Just as with a podcast or, presumably, a deposition or trial, you wouldn’t go in without preparation and focus. Also, like the law, I’d imagine, you want your experts to feel comfortable and ready. Sending some questions their way in advance is helpful to them and to the flow of your event. You can still have an engaging discussion, but everyone feels more relaxed and ready.”
Is it secure?
Like any popular platform, hackers have tried to use the name to do harm by putting up a fake website and bogus app to attempt to steal login credentials. “It’s unfortunate that we have to be so diligent at all times about security threats. But this is the world we live in. Education and training are critical for the whole employee base,” says David Touchton, President of FSO Services, a company that provides security consulting.
Preparing for a Clubhouse Session
Most are familiar with the on-air or print options, but with many working remotely, we see a definite uptick in source interviews via podcasts, radio, and Clubhouse interviews. These new mediums….. to read the article in full, click here (subscriber-based.)