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Could Twitter Spaces become a formidable competitor to Clubhouse?

Are you familiar with Clubhouse? You might have more than an inkling of what it is, not least because we have ourselves assessed the worth of Clubhouse as a marketing tool. On this audio platform, speakers – such as high-profile figures – host online conversations you can listen to in real time.

Keen not to be outdone, Twitter last year introduced a Clubhouse rival, Twitter Spaces – and, in May, started allowing any Twitter user with 600 or more followers to host a Space, an online audio chat. So, if your brand is already on Twitter, should it start using Spaces – or instead look more closely at Clubhouse?

The balance between accessibility and exclusivity

Twitter has eased itself gently into the world of live audio, having spent months testing Spaces with a limited group before expanding Spaces’ availability. In a blog post in May, Twitter explained: “Before bringing the ability to create a Space to everyone, we’re focused on learning more, making it easier to discover Spaces, and helping people enjoy them with a great audience.”

Therefore, even if your brand currently has little if any presence on Twitter, there’s no need for you to delay preparing to make the best promotional use of Spaces. In contrast, you won’t be able to get onto Clubhouse unless an existing user of it sends you an invite.

Nonetheless, as Clubhouse stands as its own platform and isn’t attached to a long-established social network, conversations on Clubhouse can feel surprisingly neutral. Hence, when you host a Clubhouse chat, you could find people walking in who might never have opted to join a similarly-themed conversation on Twitter Spaces.

Does Twitter Spaces come with more functionality than Clubhouse?

Twitter Staff Product Designer Maya Gold Patterson recently explained to Marketing Brew that “Spaces was initially released to a small group of people from underrepresented communities” because Twitter sought their feedback as a matter of priority – and could add new features in response to this feedback.

For example, during the beta testing phase, Twitter introduced a button that Spaces hosts could hit to mute all speakers simultaneously, helping to make Spaces feel like a safe hive of activity.

However, perhaps the most exciting thing about Twitter Spaces for you, as a marketer, is how easily you could use it to further engage people already following your brand. On the Twitter app for iOS and Android, your brand’s followers will see a purple bubble at the top of their timeline for as long as your Space is live.

Of course, there’s also nothing stopping you advertising the Space well in advance of it going live. You could publicise the scheduled date and time for the Space not only through regular tweeting but also in blog posts our copywriters will be able to write for your website. 

In essence, then, while establishing a place on Clubhouse could be a good long-term goal for your brand, Twitter Spaces presents you with a valuable opportunity to test the waters of live audio social media sooner rather than later.

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