Fitness Guru Joanna Soh: The Secret To Becoming A YouTube 'Millionaire'

Four and a half years ago, the YouTube sphere was still a fairly new platform.

Joanna Soh took the opportunity to venture into the road less travelled (at that point in time) and started uploading fitness videos.

Those who are ardent disciples of this fitness guru would certainly remember her signature pastel pink wall.

What most do not know is before Joanna Soh became a household name, she was a TV producer and a part-time personal trainer in London.

She enjoyed being in both the industries but juggling two jobs took an immense toll on her.

“And so I thought to myself, what is the trend? What is something that I can create that I can reach out to more people, especially in regards to helping people with their fitness and also their health?”

“I have the skills in video production and I have the knowledge and qualifications in regards to fitness. And that’s something I can start on my own without having to rely on anybody. So then I thought to myself this could be my career.”

“My inspiration was pretty much understanding my passion, knowing my skills and also wanting to be able to help women and other people with regards to fitness on a global scale.” says the 28-year old during an interview with AWANI Review.

Fast forward four and a half years later, Joanna has garnered over 1,000,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, earning her a YouTube Gold Play Button.

But being a “YouTuber” was definitely not a dream come true for Joanna.

“I did not find my dream job. I created my dream job.”

“It’s not a dream come true because when I first started, the term (YouTuber) did not even exist!”

“For me, it’s not luck, it’s really hard work and it’s also about being consistent.”

Asked about her secrets to building a successful YouTube channel, the top “Healthy Fitness” influence in Malaysia responds by letting out a long laugh.

“Secret? There’s no secret. It’s just hardwork!”

What makes Joanna Soh stand out from the other lifestyle YouTubers is that she is a qualified personal trainer under the American Council of Exercise (ACE), Nutrition Coach (VN) and Women’s Fitness Specialist (NASM).

With over eights years of fitness experience under her belt and realising her influence on the women demographic, her channel soon evolved into HER Network.

“With HER network, yes, you will see a lot more real life stories but at the same time, you will also see a lot more personalities as well.”

“When I work and collaborate with other females, we are able to create a lot more and we are able to spread a lot more knowledge. So that is why I started HER network.”

As she plans to move forward, she also sees live streaming of digital content becoming big in 2018, as more people prefer real time engagement.

Podcast of the interview: