Clubhouse is looking to add more context to in-app discussions with a new Pinned Links feature, which will enable users to attach any URL to the top of the room display.

As you can see in this example, moderators will now be able to add an external URL link within the room presentation. You’ll be able to do this by tapping the ‘…’ menu at the top right of screen, then tapping ‘Pin a Link’. Any moderator will be able to change or remove the link at any time during the chat.

Which will open up more opportunity for engagement - as explained by Clubhouse:

“We suspect that people will use Pinned Links in all sorts of fun ways — like playing games, running polls, and sharing links to YouTube videos. Just as importantly, we’re excited to see Pinned Links help room creators drive people to subscribe to their Substack, download their podcast, read their book, go see them at The Laugh Factory, discover their new single, buy their product, and support their Patreon or GoFundMe page..”

So Clubhouse envisions it as another opportunity for creators to drive direct benefit from their rooms, which could provide more incentive for them to keep broadcasting, and building community in the app.

It’s a fairly straightforward and logical addition. Twitter has already provided similar in Spaces, with pinned tweets, and while direct links is a slightly different take, the use case is essentially the same.

Though it does seem, right now at least, that Twitter has moved to take the lead in audio social engagement, with the platform expanding its dedicated Spaces tab, and launching a new creator funding program for audio broadcasters in the app, as it looks to make Spaces a bigger part of the tweet experience.

Clubhouse also has its own creator funding initiative, but the broader reach of Twitter, overall, may prove more of a lure in many regions, though Clubhouse is seeing good take-up in India, which will be a key market for the platform’s ongoing growth.

Whether Clubhouse remains a viable app, amidst rising competition, remains to be seen, but it is making the right moves, with the addition of handy features like Clips, along with its funding initiatives, and now external link tools for rooms.

A lot of its success now will come down to usability, and the race is essentially on between the two options to facilitate the best matching and UX tools to lead the way.

Pinned links is another key feature on this front.