Technology has disrupted and altered every single industry in the world, and the opera world is certainly no different. A few decades ago, singers didn’t need to spend time promoting themselves on social media or other electronic forums, but that is simply not the case today.

We’ve seen how a social media feed literally “feeds” us information (whether it’s true or not) and we’ve resorted to its convenience and immediacy. We click over to get the latest news of what’s happening in the classical music world—album releases, tour schedules, concert announcements, behind the scenes action—making it more personalized than any official article. So many artists are on there, even the older generation. If artists aren’t on social media, they’re just left out of something unknown and exciting.

Baritone Lucas Meachem certainly knows the importance of social media and how to properly utilize it when interacting with his audience. The American artist, who has performed all around the world at The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Royal Opera House, Wiener Staatsoper, and Paris Opera, among others.

Meachem says, “social media is more than just getting follows and likes. It’s about influence, making an impact, and finding more opportunities for yourself as an artist. It’s for you to share your passion with the world and ultimately increase your exposure (revenue) to give you more freedom in the end.”

Here is Meachem’s five ways (in his own words) to best use social media to grow your career.

1. Stick to Your Brand

“Your brand is what you’re about. For me, that’s singing opera and being a baritone. Everything you post needs to stay relevant to your brand or else followers will be confused about what they’re following,” stated Meachum. “For instance, if you post a selfie before bed, and only write, “good night!”, what will your followers gain with that photo as they’re expecting to learn about your life as a musician? And how did they get to know you better? If you tie it with your journey as a singer, that makes it more relevant. Instead try, ‘First step to kicking a** at Operalia tomorrow: 8 hours of shut-eye.'”

2. Find a Sub-brand

“This is what you want to be known for alongside opera. Your sub-brands are your genuine interests that enrich you as a person and will help you stick out in the sea of singers. For instance, if you have a love for fashion, sports, other music genres, opera history, etc., sharing that will set you apart and make you easier to recognize. For instance, my sub-brands are my blog, my rescue dog, Teemo, and my singing tips. Whatever it is, it has to be authentic and unique.”

 3. Post and comment on other posts consistently on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

“There is no overnight success in social media. It takes a lot of hard work of posting consistently and being active on the platform. Follow other brand-related profiles and comment on their posts to give your profile a voice. This takes a lot of time, but it’s well worth it. Post regularly, and after sticking to it for about year or two, you will begin to see the payoff.”

4. Entertain & Inform

“Keep in mind two things before each post: 1) Does this better people’s lives in some way? Do they gain anything from it?; 2) Is this entertaining and/or does it spark an emotion (funny, shocking, sad, inspiring)? Most people don’t have a music degree, so share your knowledge and love of music through your journey TO success, not OF success.”

5. Have Fun

“Social media shouldn’t be a chore. If you’re not having fun, your followers aren’t having fun and it shows. Express yourself and share your joy for music to reach maximum impact for yourself and your followers.”