Social Media Is a Hell of a Drug.

I have a love/hate relationship with social media. That’s been covered quite extensively. It isn’t an exclusive conflict. I am definitely not alone. If I was sane and not a glutton for punishment, I’d have chosen a more traditional career path:” a doctor, an accountant, or a lumberjack, and I’d likely never touch a social media app other than maybe LinkedIn. I would be proud of my screen time metrics instead of willfully ignorant to avoid the shame. But as an architectural photographer, I qualify as a “creative professional” and therefore am required to be a bit of a narcissist. People only hire those they know, which means I have to be noticed, and the only way to be noticed is to constantly remind others that I exist. I am new to Los Angeles, and the competition is brutal, so I might have to die in front of my own reflection for my own little star to shine.

Most of my friends are fellow creatives, and I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve exhausted ourselves lamenting over algorithms, “wannabe influencers,” shallow, click-driven content. I’ll reserve the specifics of such loathing and discontent for another time. But let’s just say that we always arrive at the same conclusion: We need to be active on social media platforms but are often frustrated by the poor return of value given in exchange for the volume of work required to be effective. It’s not fun. It’s a chore. 

We’ve always craved a more neutral platform that isn’t entirely ruined by the inevitable “pay to play” barrier that comes with monetization through advertisements. A place where merit, and value rule, and there’s zero tolerance for manipulative malarky. Promising platforms have risen with brief moments in the sun but collapse into obscurity just fast. Vero, anyone? It seems impossible to beat the giants at their own game. Hell, even Google had to give up! 

I think the problem they run into is that they often try to be like “like X minus the BS.” Instead of something completely revolutionary and original. 

What Is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse gets it. They’ve completely done the unthinkable and created a platform that omits the most exhausting and time-consuming part of effective social media: creating content. Words can’t describe how liberating this is.

If you’ve been living under a rock in 2021, Clubhouse is an audio-based app that allows people everywhere to connect, tell stories, give lectures, make new connections, or just shoot the shit on a variety of topics and subjects. Everything from photography to organic farming has a place. If you build it they will come. I would describe the experience as having 24/hr access to fresh podcasts or ted talks while having the option to either be a passive listener or active contributor. The really cool part is that you never know who's going to pop into a chat. Big-name celebrities, thought leaders, industry giants, and influencers are dispersed throughout the platform and it gives you a kind of raw, organic, level playing field to interact with them or gain valuable knowledge, insights, and strategies that they’re willing to share. 

It is exclusive. And that’s important, although it has been getting a bit more accessible as of late.

A nagging, thorny issue with social apps is that they’re always someone else’s platforms. You don’t own the space you’re posting on and therefore you’re at the mercy of whatever changes developers feel like throwing at the wall. Content strategies that work today can fail tomorrow without warning and you’re forced to completely overhaul your efforts. You have no say in what trends because the apps prioritize content that keeps people on their platforms as long as possible to maximize their ad revenue. An example of this is currently Instagram Reels, which are shameless Tik-Tok ripoffs. At the moment, they’re the highest performing pieces of content you can create on Instagram, even when they’re complete trash. It’s unfortunate for me because my strength is in creating beautiful, polished images. I spend a considerable amount of time scouting, shooting, and editing my images, but Instagram does not value that. No matter how good your photography is, it’ll never get the kind of engagement that the buffoonery of reels do as long as Instagram is prioritizing its visibility to audiences. So if you want to get more engagement on Instagram right now, make reels, even if you don’t really want to. And I really really don’t. 

I have a personal anecdote, and it involves the proliferation of “Gear Reviews” and “Camera Talk” in the digital creative space on Youtube.v Content creators will tell you that videos covering cameras and lenses attract significantly more viewers than videos focused on the “why” and the “how” of photography. I can personally attest to this as a video I made discussing my decision to buy and FX6 broke my own personal record for views and engagement on the platform. Another video that I spent considerably more time and energy creating teaching people how to create environmental portraits using motivated lighting could not buy a view. It’s probably the most disappointing piece of content I have ever made and a personal, painful failure because of the amount of care and effort Invested into it. Its failure temporarily discouraged me from creating anything else. “Why bother?” I thought. Nobody will appreciate it anyway.

Clubhouse alleviates this by omitting the need to create content altogether, which allows you to redistribute all that wasted time and energy into engaging about topics your heart desires directly with others who share the same passions. You’re free from the pressure of creating average and shallow work to satisfy an algorithm. You can focus on the things that matter to you and build an organic audience of real people with similar priorities.

Clubhouse Can Boost Your Brand

The opportunities exist for an explosion of growth for your personal brand because there is a living, breathing human behind every username. Every follow you get has a soul with interests, goals, love, and fear. This is excellent news because your profile allows you to link to your Instagram and Twitter handles which makes Clubhouse a natural funnel to lure followers to your other platforms. If these people are following you on Clubhouse, it’s because they genuinely are interested in what you have to say, which makes every follower from Clubhouse worth more than a thousand random ones on other platforms. These people are significantly more likely to leave genuine engagement on your content, share it, or buy your products and/services. You’re relevant to each other. And all you have to do is show up and talk about stuff you already love, listen to others doing the same, and ask genuine questions. 

I would have to spend an exhausting amount of time creating engaging content for Instagram, and then spend a considerable amount of money promoting it so that it gets seen by a sizable, relevant audience that goes beyond my current, pathetic follower count. 

I haven’t been the most active person on Clubhouse, but when I am, I notice an influx of new followers that end up following me on Instagram as well. Since joining the app, I’ve gained about a hundred new followers, which is nothing in the grand scheme of things, but it normally takes me months of constantly creating and posting to make that kind of a dent on my count. And it’s reassuring to know that probably want to hear more from me and aren’t going to add me to a random group chat with porn links.

This doesn’t mean that you have permission to neglect your IG profile or Youtube channel. It’s quite the opposite actually because you still want activity in the places that your content lives on. You should be more motivated to create excellent work because with Clubhouse as a lead magnet, you significantly increase your chances of getting seen by someone who matters: a creative director at an agency, someone looking for a course on a topic you’re an expert on, someone you might be willing to hire to do something you’ve been meaning to outsource, or just someone who really values your point of view and is likely to re-share it at no cost to you.

In my case, the Ideal scenario is that I am discovered by new architects looking for architectural photography services, productions looking for a cinematographer, or anyone who is serious about creating digital marketing assets for that brand or business. So far, the app has generated two promising leads. One occurred while I was in a room full of interior designers engaging with one who just happened to be looking for a photographer. The other opportunity presented itself from a lovely marketing professional at an architecture firm on the east coast who introduced me to some architects out west who might be interested in my services. I am crossing my fingers for one or both of these leads to bloom into some paid work, but even if they don’t, they’ve encouraged me to be more active on the platform. A month on Clubhouse has already proven to be a more effective marketing tool for my architectural photography business than five years on Instagram have.

I am a zealot when it comes to the “work smarter not harder” perspective on life and the odds suggest that if your goal is to grow an audience and increase brand awareness, Clubhouse is a much better return on investment. Time is the most valuable thing most of us will ever have, and I absolutely hate to waste it on dead ends.