LinkedIn Clubhouse Rival: New Audio Networking Feature

LinkedIn Enters the Social Audio Arena

The competitive landscape for social audio platforms is rapidly expanding, with LinkedIn now confirming its development of a feature mirroring Clubhouse. This new functionality will enable creators within the LinkedIn network to engage with their communities through live audio conversations.

A Professional Focus

Unlike competing platforms from Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn intends to distinguish its offering by centering it around users’ professional identities, rather than solely social profiles. The company already possesses a robust platform supporting creators, providing access to tools such as Stories, LinkedIn Live video broadcasts, and newsletters.

Recently, LinkedIn further solidified its commitment to creators with the introduction of a new “Creator” mode. This allows any user to designate their profile as one that can be followed for updates, including Stories and LinkedIn Live videos.

Competitive Positioning

This creator-centric approach positions LinkedIn favorably in the race to establish a leading Clubhouse alternative, particularly when contrasted with the efforts of Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, and Discord – all of whom are currently developing similar audio-based networking features.

While Twitter Spaces, Twitter’s Clubhouse competitor, is already available in beta, its comprehensive suite of creator tools is still under development. Twitter only recently announced plans for a creator subscription platform, known as “Super Follow,” and entered the newsletter market through acquisition this year.

Responding to User Demand

LinkedIn reports that the development of its audio feature was directly prompted by requests from its members and creative professionals for enhanced communication methods on the platform.

“We’re observing nearly 50% growth in conversations on LinkedIn, as evidenced by increased activity in stories, video shares, and posts,” stated Suzi Owens, a LinkedIn spokesperson. “We are conducting initial tests to create a distinctive audio experience linked to your professional persona. Furthermore, we are exploring ways to integrate audio into other LinkedIn features, such as events and groups, to provide our members with additional avenues for community connection.”

Feature Details

Driven by creator interest, LinkedIn swiftly moved to develop a Clubhouse-like feature. Early interface screenshots, initially discovered by Alessandro Paluzzi, reveal a stage-like layout showcasing speakers, with listeners positioned below.

The interface also includes tools for joining and leaving rooms, reacting to comments, and requesting speaking opportunities. LinkedIn has shared conceptual UX mockups with TechCrunch, providing a more detailed preview of the feature’s potential appearance upon launch.

Safety and Moderation

LinkedIn believes that connecting the audio experience to users’ professional identities will foster a comfortable environment for speaking, commenting, and engaging with content. The company also intends to leverage its existing moderation tools, previously implemented for features like LinkedIn Live, to address concerns regarding inappropriate or harmful discussions, issues that have affected other platforms like Clubhouse.

“Our primary goal is to cultivate a trustworthy community where individuals feel secure and can be productive,” Owens emphasized. “Our members utilize LinkedIn for respectful and constructive dialogues with genuine individuals, and we are dedicated to ensuring they have a safe environment to do so.”

Expanding Existing Features

LinkedIn views audio networking as a natural extension of its existing Groups and Events features, which have experienced continued growth, particularly during the pandemic.

In 2020, approximately 21 million people participated in events on LinkedIn, and overall platform sessions increased by 30% year-over-year. The company’s 740 million global members also established 4.8 billion connections, fostering community and knowledge sharing.

The Rise of Remote Networking

Like many organizations that benefited from the pandemic-driven shift to remote work, LinkedIn believes the pandemic accelerated the trend toward online networking and virtual events. Prior to the pandemic, only 8% of LinkedIn members worked remotely, but this figure rose to over 60% by the end of 2020.

LinkedIn anticipates this shift will persist, with over half of the global workforce expected to continue working from home at least part-time, even after the pandemic subsides. This creates opportunities for the growth of new online networking formats, including audio experiences.

Looking Ahead

While LinkedIn has not yet announced a specific launch date for its audio networking feature, it plans to initiate beta testing in the near future.