Clubhouse Best Practices for Lawyers

Clubhouse is without a doubt the hottest new social media platform for lawyers. Although it was only recently launched in April 2020, in less than a year the platform has amassed a whopping 10 million users. 

Because of Clubhouse’s growing popularity, lawyers are becoming more curious about how they can leverage the app for building communities and enhancing their authority and personal brand.

Whether you just got your Clubhouse invitation — or want to be ready to use the app when you do — we’ve got you covered with tips and best practices.

In this post, you can expect to learn the best practices for lawyers on Clubhouse including creating a compelling profile that will make others want to connect with you, joining and engaging in the right rooms, and moderating rooms like a pro.

For a basic understanding of Clubhouse, check out our recent blog post: What Lawyers Need to Know About Clubhouse, The Invite-only Social Media App.

What is Clubhouse and how is it different from other social media platforms?

Like other popular social networking sites like LinkedIn, Clubhouse offers the ability to connect and engage with professionals within your industry or niche. What sets the app apart from LinkedIn and other social media platforms is that instead of a constant churn of produced and refined content, Clubhouse focuses on high-value discussions between individuals. The app is audio only.

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 a game-changer for your practice.

7 Best Practices for Business Development on Clubhouse

Follow these tips to build relationships and rewarding referral opportunities.

1. Optimize your profile to position yourself as an authority in your niche.

When you first join the app, you’ll be asked to fill out your profile. Clubhouse is a networking and real-time conversation app so make sure your profile defines the value you bring to the conversation.

The first three lines of text in your profile remain visible throughout the Clubhouse app, so don’t write them in haste. 

What’s your field of expertise? Include a concise statement that conveys who you are and why you are worth connecting with. Include achievements and accolades in the visible description to get people’s attention and make them want to connect with you. 

Linking to your other social media such as LinkedIn and Twitter is also recommended. Given that Clubhouse doesn’t have a direct message feature, displaying other social media gives other users a means to talk directly with you. 

2. Join specific groups and follow topics you’re interested in learning or speaking about on Clubhouse so that you will be notified of new rooms or clubs.

You can get pretty specific (or stay fairly broad) in the topics you choose to follow on Clubhouse. Underneath the recommended people for you to follow, you’ll see a selection of topics labeled “Find Conversations About…” Sifting through topics much like sifting through recommended hashtags. Also, look for groups to join that catch your eye.

3. Follow clients, thought leaders or lawyers in your industry who are on Clubhouse.

Clubhouse gives you the ability to follow other users on the platform. As you go from room to room, consider following speakers and other users with similar interests. This is an excellent way to develop connections. 

Once you connect on Clubhouse, send that person a personalized message on Twitter or Instagram letting them know you enjoyed the room they hosted. Try to continue the conversation off of Clubhouse. 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 – opening you up to their audience.

4. Look for speaking opportunities in other user’s rooms, but only join the stage when you can add value to the conversation.

Once you’re in a room, you can click “raise hand,” “request speaking,” or just go right ahead and unmute yourself. As a good rule of thumb, only join the stage when you can add value to the conversation. If the discussion is about something that you have some expertise in, this is an excellent opportunity to share some insights. However, if you can’t contribute anything substantial to the conversation, it may be best to just spectate.

Additionally it’s important to mind your manners as well. Keep yourself on mute until it’s your turn to speak. Interrupting a conversation is a quick way to get booted from a room. Once you are done speaking, it’s standard etiquette to move back to the audience once you are complete.

5. To build a good network on Clubhouse, it’s important to host rooms on topics you are knowledgeable about. 

Hosting rooms gives you opportunities to establish yourself as an authority in your niche. By starting a room and facilitating an active discussion you can position yourself as a thought leader.

Best practice is to gather a few people to co-host with you, and chat about topics that are meaningful to your ideal clients. Don’t host a room solely as a sales pitch. Do host a room to establish credibility. 

In terms of choosing topics, create rooms about any topics that you are knowledgeable about that other users might be interested in. When you name your rooms, be sure to choose a title that’s descriptive, yet intriguing. Keep in mind that the title is intended to catch the attention of passers-by so they can determine if your room is worth looking into.

Be sure to avoid too much self-promotion. Every attendee will visit your profile when you are the host. Let your profile sell you instead of pitching your services.

6. For better attendance, schedule rooms in advance and promote them outside of the Clubhouse app.

Often, simply starting a new room isn’t enough to attract many participants. In order to cultivate a thriving Clubhouse room, you need to treat the room like an event such as an in-person conference or webinar. Schedule it ahead of time and then promote the “event” on social media, notify your email list, and advertise it on your firm’s website. 

In promoting your room, it’s good to give a brief overview of who the speakers are that you have agreed to talk, and what topics will be covered.

7. A good moderator makes sure the room conversation runs smoothly.

Once you have created your first room, it’s important to moderate your room for an organized, civil and constructive discussion. A good moderator makes sure the conversation runs smoothly.

Here are some tips to help you control the dialog, manage speakers, and keep the discussion on track:

• Establish guidelines

Explain exactly what you want participants to speak about when they are given the open mic. The typical instruction is to use 20 or 30 seconds to introduce yourself and your business, then ask a question or share words of wisdom for someone who has provided a question.

• Encourage conversation

Be welcoming and recognize new arrivals. Upgrade audience members to speakers when they raise their hand and welcome them to the stage. However, limit to 6-12 speakers at once to encourage fairness and quality conversation. Additionally, you can invite certain participants to speak and weigh in on the matter being discussed.

• Disable hand raising with high-level speakers on stage

As a moderator in a Clubhouse in the room, you will be notified if a person you are following enters the room. The person could be a high-profile person, giving you a unique opportunity to stop everything and invite that person to take the stage.

When a high-profile person joins the scene, you’ll want to turn off the “raised hands” feature, as a stampede of people can start raising their hands all of a sudden to speak to that person. Every time someone raises their hand, you hear a notification sound, so a lot of those notifications may disturb your pace.

• Reset the room every so often for new participants

It’s good practice to “reset the room” every 30 minutes or so. In other words, you should regularly restate the purpose and guidelines of the room. This way that new participants can get a feel for the “vibe” of your particular room. 

Takeaway

Like any social media channel, engaging in Clubhouse is an excellent way for lawyers to build connections with clients and other professionals in their niche. By joining and hosting rooms that are relevant to your area of expertise, you can have constructive conversations with like-minded professionals and develop lasting business relationships as a result.

Interested in learning more? Join us for a live webinar on Thursday, May 6th at 1 PM EST to learn the best practices and exclusive strategies that will enable you to master using the app and be able to leverage it for your practice. Register today: How Lawyers Can Use Clubhouse, the New Social Media App, to Build Their Brand & Grow Their Practice.