Welcome to the Age of Social-Audio Platforms.
This week has brought explosive growth and opened up several brand-new wide open online spaces to explore. Social-Audio Platforms are here to stay and domination of the space is up for grabs. Today Spotify launched the “Greenroom” app; it’s own version of Clubhouse. Earlier in the week Facebook launched a test of its Clubhouse clone, “Facebook Drop-In Audio” and Twitter has been up and running with it's version of “Spaces.”
Of the choices currently available, only Spotify’s Greenroom is not limiting onboarding users in any way. Anyone with an IOS or Android device is free to download the app and start using it as of today. Another major advantage is Greenroom allows you to record the conversations you host, giving you the ability to re-share content as podcasts or repurpose for other social platforms. Clubhouse still requires an invitation from a current user to get on the app and Twitter requires your account to have at least 600 followers in order to access the audio “Spaces” functionality.
Ready to go Audio-Social?
Prepare for better overall experience by focusing on having a few new tools ready that will make joining the audio environment simple and rewarding.
Create a One Sentence Bio and a 20 Second Intro
What do you want to be known for? When you craft an authentic statement about who you are and what your focus is in a sentence or two, it’s more likely you’ll be memorable. Use consistent language on your profile across all platforms to make it easy for your followers or audience to recognize and find you. Using the same profile pic on platforms will build brand recognition visually. Preparing a short 20 or 30 Second Intro that acquaints people of who you are and your focus or expertise will allow you to breeze into any conversation with ease. Much like being introduced at a social event, joining a conversation on an audio-platform requires you to be vocal and tell people who you are and a little bit about yourself. Make it short. Be authentic. Be yourself. And brand, brand, brand.
Prepare for an Audio-Rich Social Experience
Much like speaking on the phone on a conference call, you’ll want to put yourself in a quiet room or environment where you’ll be away from loud, or disruptive noises. Although not necessary, you may consider investing in a good quality mic to improve the clarity of your communication for all those listening. Using the speakerphone on your phone or computer is also a good option, just keep in mind these mics easily pick up background noises. While attending rooms as a speaker and waiting your turn to speak, be sure to mute your mic. The common etiquette you’ll encounter in a room will be to give the person speaking a quiet space to talk so they can be heard without unnecessary noise or disruptions.
Host a Discussion
As you find your focus and your voice you’ll want to start moving into hosting conversations of your own on areas of your expertise or interest. On Clubhouse you will need to either join a club to open a room to have a discussion or start your own club for the functionality to be available. When you open a discussion, you will be known as the “moderator” and have controls appear on the app UI which will allow you to invite others to speak, mute microphones or have others help you moderate the discussion. The larger the attendance in the room, the more distractions and demands there will be on your attention, so it’s a good idea to invite people to be moderators or panelists with you before you begin. Using text message or a DM like FB Messenger/Instagram will allow you to monitor activity in the room and guide the discussion. Much like a producer of a show, using one of the message services available or even a Zoom call will allow you and the moderator panel to have a “back channel” discussion and help you monitor the flow of the room like a pro.
Making the leap into audio-social media space? Follow/friend me, I’ll be happy to show you around!
Clubhouse: @schrockette
Spotify Greenroom: @maryellen
Sources:
Spotify: Spotify Greenroom: https://www.spotify.com/us/greenroom/
Clubhouse: Clubhouse.app
Clubdeck.app allows you to use Clubhouse from your computer and record.
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