Clubhouse creators had been waiting for their first sponsorship meeting. As the inaugural class of the platform's "Creator First" program, they were supposed to get help scoring sponsorships and turning their shows into a profitable endeavor.
Clubhouse's Creator First Program
The creators wrote the list of brands they wished to talk to, and even prepared one-sheets pitching their audio shows.
However, when the time came to pitch, they did not get one-on-one meetings with the brands, according to The Verge.
Instead, the creators pitched their shows to a public room on the platform. There were dozens of them in the room, where anyone could join.
Cyndi Pham, the program creator, and a media consultant said that the whole event was a "real big joke." She said that she feels like the program was something they did to save face because they could not get any sponsors to join in.
The creators each had two minutes to pitch their live audio ideas to the sponsors in the crowd. According to the platform's spokesperson, dozens of companies and brands attended.
However, technical difficulties tripped up several creators, preventing them from talking while the event was ongoing.
The platform told the creators that they would hear more from sponsors after the event. But when it was over, none contacted them, according to First Post.
One creator who asked to remain anonymous because of their partnership with Clubhouse said that they got no email. That means that either nobody was interested in their show, nobody came, or they have not gotten any information.
The creator added that they suspected that nobody came to the said event.
Creators Point Out Lack of Sponsorship
Around six creators from Clubhouse's creator program said that no sponsors contacted them after the event. The platform failed to turn any shows into profitable projects, as the event advertised it would.
None of the creators want to keep on doing their shows on the platforms, and several of them are thinking of transferring their shows to other streaming platforms because they believe they have a better shot at earning money that way.
The program's problems suggest struggles for Clubhouse, which is currently valued at $4 billion. If the platform can't attract brands and sponsors to invest in its premium content, how will it keep the creators on the platform?
The platform has not revealed how much money it is making right now, despite Clubhouse's popular status and celebrities joining it. It has partnerships with major companies like NFL and TED, but the details of the deals are not public.
Clubhouse also just recently launched its Android version after being exclusive to iPhones only.
Clubhouse is not directly monetizing the usually live audio rooms that its users' host, according to Social Media Today.
Creators themselves also have no way to monetize their shows as they do on other social media platforms.
Currently, Clubhouse only offers tipping as a way for a creator to make money off their shows, but that is rare, and it is not sustainable.
There is no automatic insertion of any ads, and sponsors don't understand how Clubhouse works even if they may be interested. A creator said they had to educate their guests about how the app works.
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Written by Sophie Webster
