A man with many talents! English Youtuber and actor Joe Sugg is releasing a memoir called GROW. In the book, he shows others how best to balance the online world with the outdoors. He believes it is important to harmonize technology and the nature around us, which ultimately impacts our mental and physical health.
With currently over 7 million subscribers on YouTube and 26 million followers across all social media channels, Sugg knows what it is like to be the center of attention in the online world. He’s also aware of how social media and the web can affect someone’s well-being, so he decided to write a memoir to educate others on how they can best balance it all.
Sugg is a jack of all trades. He successfully launched his YouTube channel called “ThatcherJoe” in 2011, he was a finalist on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018 and performed as Ogie Anhorn in the West End production of Waitress. The international star has won a BBC Radio 1’s Teen Awards as Best British VLogger in 2015 and a Global Award as Social Media Superstar in 2019.
Keep scrolling to find out more about Sugg — from everything to know about his memoir to his secret to success:
Us Weekly: Tell us about your upcoming memoir and why you decided to write one?
Joe Sugg: The upcoming book GROW is a handy guide to reconnecting with nature and managing the balance between screen time and the world of social media and the real world. I decided to write this book because I myself, after being involved and found success in social media from the beginning, have been on my own personal journey with finding the balance that works best for me and I would like to encourage others to also find their perfect balance.
Us: What’s your secret to your success in growing followers? What is it about your posts that really connects with your fans?
JS: I was very fortunate that I grew a large following back in the early days of social media. I along with my peers were ahead of the curve and discovered as we went many tips and secrets to growing a dedicated engaged audience. I think a big part of it back in the day was the consistency, collaboration and genuine excitement to create content for our audiences. We were also just normal everyday people which I’d like to think helped also.
Us: Was there a pivotal moment in your life that really helped grow your followers/fans?
JS: I moved in with a fellow YouTuber Caspar Lee who is now also a co-founder with myself of a management business (margravine) we set up four years ago to help other digital creators. When I moved in with Caspar we started a fun little roommate prank war which really became a turning point in our growth.
Us: What’s the best advice you can give on becoming an influencer/gaining a following?
JS: Find a topic or an interest that you can easily make content from that also ticks the boxes of what social media algorithms like. Then be consistent and creative as possible.
Us: What are three fun facts about you that no one knows?
JS: The downside of sharing my life on social media for the last 10 years is that most things I would be happy with sharing with my audience have already been shared.
Us: What (if any) celebrity has reached out to you to try to collab and/or said they were a fan? What was that conversation like?
JS: I don’t think I’ve ever really had anyone reach out to collab. I did collab with Dynamo once which was really fun. He came round my flat and we hung out and filmed a fun video together. He’s such a nice bloke too.
Us: Who (celebrity-wise) is your biggest inspiration? Whose account do you follow the most and what do you love about him/her?
JS: I don’t really follow that many celebrities on social media. I mainly follow artists. As someone who loves to draw and make art myself, I’m always inspired by cartoonists and artists that share their work online. I decided from day one that I wanted to illustrate my own book as well as write it. So to do that with GROW was a really fun process.
Us: What’s your goal? What are you hoping to accomplish and/or spread the word about?
JS: My goal is to let my creative side blossom as much as possible. I want to come up with lots of weird and wonderful ideas and pieces of work and share them with the people who are into that kind of thing. I’d also like to remind everyone to put their rubbish in a bin and to just be nice to one another.
Suggs’ book GROW is out on September 15 and available to preorder here.
