When it comes to social media, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. The Tik Tok and Snapchat craze, the Instagram Reels and IGTV, there’s so much content to watch, so many places to be. It can be overwhelming knowing where to show up and engage as a creative entrepreneur. As an introvert and HSP, I get it. And you’d think I’d be despairing the emergence of yet another new social media, but I’m actually here for this one.

Hear me out.

Clubhouse is a newer social media on the rise, but it’s a huge difference and a game changer for the more introverted entrepreneur.  

What Is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse is a trending, new audio only app that’s basically a live podcast. No video, no pictures, just voice. 

There are no curated photo feeds, no thumbnails, no videos. An audio only platform, there isn’t yet an in-house way to message people; Clubhouse prompts you to connect Twitter and Instagram to your bio so people can connect with you ‘offline’. Instagram, I think, is best.

The only picture is your profile pic -- which should definitely be of you, as the business owner and personal brand that people connect with. Make it easy for people to find and connect with you as you expand your network by having the same picture across all social profiles.

Since it’s audio, it’s passive interaction. You don’t have to watch videos, scroll through pictures, or even like anything.

There’s also nothing to save. Think of them like a series of conferences, all happening at once, and you can enter or leave whenever you want. Or think of them like temporary, real-time stories, but in longform audio format with people like Oprah, Tiffany Haddish, Gary V, Martha Krejci, and thousands of influencers, celebrities, and entrepenueurs of all levels and interests. 

Right now, it’s in beta and only for Apple iPhones or iPads. Once downloaded and you’ve claimed a username, then you need an invitation code sent to you from someone inside the app. But once you get in, it’s a pretty good place to be.

General and Etiquette Tips

There are Halls, which is your main feed. This is populated by who you follow and what Interests you select. You can enter and exit rooms ast will. When you enter, your placed in the audience. The people at the top are On the Stage, and the Mic indicates who’s talking and who’s muted. The green circles indicate who the Moderator of the room is, and they keep things flowing and set the tone of the room.

If you want to get up on on the stage and speak, raise your hand and the Moderator brings you up. When you go up, your mic is automatically unmuted. Mute yourself quickly and wait for your turn to speak.

When it’s your turn, briefly introduce yourself by saying, “Hi, I’m Christianna, second row, third from the left…” Sometimes, it’s hard to tell who’s speaking so this is helpful for the audience members to identify you.  Know what you’re going to say before you go up, be concise and considerate to the other people who want to speak, and when you’re done talking, say, “I’m Christianna and I’m done.” This is a concise cue to the moderators that you’re done talking, and not just thinking about what else to say. 

Whether you speak or not, fill out your bio and link your Instagram. People get curious and click the bios to see who’s in the room too. Everything in your bio is searchable, including emojis. Let people know who you are, what you’re about, where they can find you, how you serve -- go ahead and invite them to DM you. An interesting method I’ve seen is people posting offers for their lead magnet

If someone on stage or in the audience resonates with you, don’t be shy about DM’ing them first and saying something like, “Hey, I’m Christianna in a room with you on CH. I love what you said on stage about -- or I love what you said in your profile about --” and try to end with a question so they have something to respond to.

Right now, it’s still in beta and only available for iPhone right now. Android users will have to wait for a while longer. A work around is if you have an iPad with a phone number, but it’s a little awkward with the size.

But for my introverted Apple users, you can join now and join Introverted Writers Club on Clubhouse. Right now, we run weekly writing sprint rooms, Saturday 8AM CST.  And as always, my online writing community on Facebook is always open. Click here to join that.