Is Clubhouse, the audio-only chat app, just a fad or will it withstand its brushes with controversy and issues with content moderation? Its rise is happening quickly, but if you want in you have to score a Clubhouse invite.
Clubhouse, founded by entrepreneurs Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, emerged last March and quickly drew in Silicon Valley types and “thought leaders,” though over the last half of 2020, celebrities, journalists, and internet personalities started flowing in.
So how do you get a Clubhouse app invite? Here are the steps you need to take to get in the door.
Why do you need a Clubhouse invite?
Currently, Clubhouse is still in its beta stage and accessible through invite only. An existing user must invite a new user, and this likely ensures that the user base is made up of more exclusive and well-connected people.
However, the app’s founders recently said that in 2021 their goal is to open up Clubhouse to “the whole world”—including making it accessible to Android users, as the app currently only works with iOS.
How do you get a Clubhouse invite?
To get a Clubhouse invite, you’ve got to know someone who is already on the app—preferably someone who already has your phone number. That person will send you a link to join via text message, and then you can download the app.
Once you join, you’ll be given two invites to give out, though that number might vary depending on how many people you know on the app and your level of influence. Users can increase the number of invites by engaging more on Clubhouse: Starting or hosting a room, follower count, and how often you speak can all factor into more invites.
If you can’t get an invite directly, you can still download the app, reserve a username, and join a waitlist. If you reserve a username, and someone you already know is on the app, they’ll get a notification and can potentially nominate you to join, bypassing the need for an invite.
You can also try posting to Twitter or Reddit, asking if anyone has invites. But be cautious: Because of this invite-only measure, there’s now an unregulated market for buying and selling Clubhouse invites, and there have been reports of fraud and fake invites.
Does an invite give you full access to the app?
Yes. Once you’ve set up your account you can join and participate in rooms or create your own.
However, Clubhouse has recently raised some privacy concerns. You have to allow Clubhouse full access to your contacts if you want to invite someone, and as some people have discovered, even if you deny permission to your contacts, Clubhouse can still apparently reference them. And if someone on the app has your number in their contacts, you will show up on their invite list—even if you’re not on the app yet, or have their number blocked or deleted.