You wake up one day and suddenly find that some new audio-only social site called Clubhouse is trending and that in merely one year, it has managed more than 8 million downloads!.
Both podcasts and Clubhouse are relatively new. Yet, they have managed to attract a large number of audiences in such a short amount of time.
Hence, many businesses are left scratching their heads about which platform is more suitable for their marketing strategy.
However, as they say, not every platform is suitable for your business. So, you need to carefully decide what will best suit your business needs. After all, lots of energy, time, and money need to be spent on both of these channels.
But before we move on,
Table of Contents
First things first, where is your audience?
Your audience is the first thing you should consider before jumping into marketing. On any platform. You could put a lot of money, time, and energy into something, but if your audience doesn’t hang out there, it will all go to waste.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you should stop experimenting. If you think your audience is active on Clubhouse, take the opportunity.
In this discussion today, we’ll discuss the difference, similarities of both platforms. This will help you shortlist the best one.
So, What is Clubhouse Exactly?
Clubhouse is not a podcasting platform as most people think! The Clubhouse is more like a social media site combined with a video conferencing app such as Zoom.
Clubhouse was launched as an audio-only social media app launched in April 2020.
At the time of writing this, the only way to use the Clubhouse is to get an invitation from someone who already has access.
Clubhouse works on the concept that people can start a conversation and let other users join as listeners or even participate in it. Clubhouse’s popularity skyrocketed when celebrities and top influencers began using it.
Clubhouse differentiates itself from other platforms by making scarce, unique, and live content not available anywhere. This creates a FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) around users.
What is a Podcast?
In simple words, podcasts are discussions, usually pre-recorded, that are meant to motivate and get people talking about various subjects, such as business, marketing, criminality, history, etc.
There are many popular podcasting platforms today like Stitcher, Apple podcast, Audible, etc. Many experts host podcasts on their own brand’s website. This means you have the freedom to choose the platform you want to listen from.
Similarities between Podcasts and Clubhouse
Although people like to compare podcasts with Clubhouse, they are more different than similar.
Similarity #1: Audio-First
Both Podcasts and Clubhouse are audio-first platforms. These are suitable for people who don’t want to read books or watch videos to gain information. Instead, many podcasting listeners listen to podcasts in the background while doing other work.
Similarity #2: Everyone can start their room or podcast
Similar to YouTube, these platforms do not restrict users from creating content. Anyone can start their podcast or Clubhouse room. However, the most challenging part of an audio-only platform is creating helpful content that people want to listen to. It’s more complicated than visual platforms because they will quickly lose attention unless you discuss the most exciting topic your audience likes.
Differences between Podcast and Clubhouse
As we said earlier, both platforms are more different than they are similar.
Let’s see how podcasts are different from Clubhouse.
Difference #1: Live Sessions
The number one difference between Clubhouse and podcasting is Clubhouse only allows real-time or live sessions. Unless you join in at the right time, you risk missing important tidbits of the conversations, and it can become hard to follow.
On the other hand, podcasts are rarely live. They are pre-recorded. This allows room for editing the content. Moreover, they are available on-demand, so users can listen to them anytime and anywhere without missing any information.
Difference #2: Faster and Better Listening Experience
Podcasts allow users to increase or decrease speed as needed. However, with Clubhouse, you cannot increase the speed of audio. Most people today listen at a speed of more than 1x. This can get quite boring for people who have the habit of listening at 2x speed.
Difference #3: Platform Limitations
With podcasts, you can listen to your favorite content on any apps, website, or device. However, with Clubhouse, you are limited to a single app on your iPhone. There’s just no alternative which can be pretty frustrating at times.
Difference #4: Privacy
To access content on Clubhouse, you need to provide a mobile number so it’s not anonymous. On the other hand, you can listen to podcasts from a web browser without providing your phone number. Thus, for users who want privacy, podcasts are a better option.
Difference #5: The personal touch
Clubhouse wins the day. There are no companies on Clubhouse. All the accounts are personal and linked to a single person. At the end of the day, if someone from your company becomes popular, you might get ahead in your marketing game.
Final Verdict: Which is a better option for your marketing strategy.
Our vote goes to Podcasts. Here’s why we think podcasting is better for your marketing strategy than Clubhouse.
Many think that Clubhouse is better than podcasting. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. As you can see, Clubhouse is riding the wave of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). It is like an exotic place where only a few get entry. And people don’t want to miss out on things.
Clubhouse is interesting because it’s a new platform, but only time will tell if it lasts.
Clubhouse has many limitations as compared to podcasting, such as low content life and platform restrictions. Moreover, there is a looming threat of competition from Twitter’s Space, Facebook’s Clubhouse clone, and Mark Cuban’s Fireside, similar to Twitch.
With so many established platforms bringing more to the table, it might be no surprise if suddenly, out of the blue, Clubhouse ends its service.
Podcasting, on the other hand, has many advanced features. It is not limited to audio. There are many video podcasts too. Moreover, the ease of use and the freedom to choose the medium makes it more attractive for most users. You as a business must go where your audience is.
Therefore, in the longer term, podcasting is a better alternative as your audience will be able to access your content even after 20 years. That’s not the case with Clubhouse.
Podcasting has much to offer, and in the coming years, it will grow further. The game has just begun.
Author: Robb Fahrion is a Co-Founder and Partner of Flying V Group. He is passionate about helping businesses grow using the power of the internet. Robb graduated from Chapman University in Orange, CA and currently resides in Costa Mesa, CA. Robb enjoys writing about digital marketing, helping his clients turn their dreams into reality, and he is a HUGE Mike Trout fan.
