This isn’t always easy. There are barriers to entry both big and small. The first one is that you have to be an iPhone user, because you can literally only access the app on iOS. Although a lot of us meet that metric these days (sorry, Androids), it doesn’t mean just anybody can then get access to the Clubhouse app. There are only two ways to do it and both involve connections with people who are already users.

Personal invitation

The way to get on the Clubhouse app is through a personal invitation from a current user (though there is one tiny loophole, which I’ll unpack in a bit). This might seem simple, but each user is only allowed to send out two invitations when they sign up, so unless you’re really part of that user’s inner circle, you’re most likely out of luck.

The more someone uses the app (moderating rooms, speaking in rooms, etc.) the more invites they get to give out. As a result, it’s the most involved people who get to determine who joins the app. To get a Clubhouse invite, you not only have to know someone on the app already, but most of the time you have to know someone very active and influential there.

The power of social media

It might sound difficult to score that invite if you’re not a big-deal activist or a Hollywood celebrity, but like anything else, there’s a way around this barrier. If you’re really dying to get on Clubhouse and you don’t have any direct personal connections, it might be wise to ask for an invite on other social media such as Twitter and Instagram. You might just have someone in your social network with an invitation to spare. But even if you don’t, posting your plea on a public account with the hashtag #Clubhouse might just grab the attention of an active user who can get you in.

The elusive back-door entry

There is another way to get invited to the Clubhouse that doesn’t actually require an invitation, but it might be even more exclusive than getting invited in the first place. When you visit the Clubhouse website, you’re given the option to reserve a username. If you have a lot of friends on the Clubhouse app, they might receive a notification that you downloaded the app and made a username (this depends on their notification settings and their app activity).

It might take a while to get invited to Clubhouse. Unless you catch a lucky break or are already connected with all the “right”people, you’ll have to wait patiently for others in your network (personal or social media) to get more involved so they can include you too. You might be wondering whether or not it’s worth the trouble.

In short, yes it is. It gives you the opportunity to connect and converse with some of society’s most influential people from artists to venture capitalists. Once you’re in, your world might just up even more, so keep searching for that invite.