As competition heats up, how can Clubhouse keep ahead of the social audio field?
3-min read
Clubhouse, the audio-only social media platform exploded in popularity when it came out in 2020. Almost every other social media tech company out there copied it, adding an audio discussion group feature to their offering. With Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, Slack and Spotify all investing in social audio, it is clear that it is the next big thing — and is here to stay. But who will end up dominating this space?
The rush to emulate Clubhouse reminds me of a wave of copycat activity following the launch of another social feature, not so long ago. When Snapchat came out with a Stories feature — similar to audio chat rooms’ ephemeral nature, i.e. conversations disappear after a while — there were soon Stories on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
But Instagram clearly won the Stories race. Most marketers have a Stories strategy on Instagram to grow engagement and website traffic while Stories on most other platforms usually remain an afterthought. The reason Instagram won was because its many users were able to overcome concerns about their photos not matching up to the platform’s glam imagery association by sharing them in the low-pressure environment of a Stories feature that disappears after 24 hours.
Similarly, while Clubhouse may have the first mover advantage with respect to social audio, it also has disadvantages. Its elitist USP — of invite-only entry and being available only for Apple users — which accounted for its appeal at the outset, is now holding it back. Twitter’s rival to Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, which has been available on both Android and iOS, and already has a base of Twitter users, is doing really well. Clubhouse, meanwhile, has been forced to bring its app to Android in the US after plummeting download numbers. I reckon, Twitter may pose a serious competition threat.
Niche down
If we look at the history of social media platforms, you see they evolve by finding their niche audiences or distinct identities. People often visit those platforms for very specific needs. Facebook is commonly used to connect with family members, LinkedIn for business networking, Twitter for political discussions and TikTok for goofing around.
If Clubhouse wants to succeed as an independent social media platform, already valued at $4 billion despite currently having zero paying customers, it would need to niche down in terms of the type of conversations it wants to be known for. Afterall, content and community is what makes a platform successful.
Clubhouse became popular because top names in business and tech, from Elon Musk to business growth guru Cameron Harold, used it. Mark Zuckerberg interestingly announced on Clubhouse that his team was developing a similar feature for Facebook. Just as LinkedIn’s career niche has become a hugely popular social network, Clubhouse may benefit from niching down to a topic like entrepreneurship, a big umbrella with numerous talking points from passive income to the latest inspirational developments in Silicon Valley.
Moreover, the disruption to livelihoods caused by Covid has generated growing interest in issues around financial freedom, passive income and side hustles, making entrepreneurship a big enough market sector for them. Moreover, as an entrepreneurial platform itself, this is where Clubhouse actually has a clear edge.
Curzon PR is a London-based PR firm working with clients globally. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Business Development Team bd@curzonpr.com
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