It’s no secret that the 50 Shades of Grey series was a huge financial and viral success. In this post, we’ll dive deep into the 50 list building strategies we can learn from Erika L. James and her 50 Shades of Grey empire.
Whether you’re a fan of the series, or are turned off by it… you can’t deny that this creation has polarized and built an incredibly powerful tribe. Let’s take a look at how you can apply the lessons in your business as list building strategies.
1. Tap Into An Existing Fan Base
If Erika had wanted to write a book that wasn’t going to sell, she could have written about bats who weave baskets in Alaska… There’s no proven fan base for that kind of book. Instead, she started writing for Twilight
2. Ride The Wave Of What’s Hot
The original 50 Shades of Grey book was written as fan fiction of the Twilight saga. This fandom already had a strong following, and E. L. James was one of the early fans of the series. She was able to ride the wave of popularity and hone it for her own stories. When it comes to list building, knowing where the trends are going can help you surf toward what’s going to be hot just in time.
3. Make Something Controversial
The stories that E. L. James published were taken down because of their graphic content, which were against the rules on the fan fiction platform that she was publishing on. This type of controversy is directly correlated to the popularity of her writing, and when you’re thinking of list building you need to consider if what you’re writing or blogging about is “ho hum” or if you have a strong point of view. No one will rally around something that’s too “vanilla”, so think about how you can make your content marketing more kinky.
4. Find Peers To Critique Your Work
If you want to be memorable, whether it’s with your opt-in content or your follow-up email series, you’ll do well to get feedback on your work. E. L. James had her peers review her writing, which made it more popular.
5. Don’t Work In Isolation
Erika had her inner posse of readers and friends who read her material as soon as she wrote it. This applies when you’re creating a list building landing page or writing sales copy, too.
6. Use Feedback To Create More Viral Content
Erika used the feedback she was getting to know if she was on the right track or not, and she wrote more of the scenes that were popular. This feedback loop helped her create a work of fiction that people couldn’t turn away from.
7. Tap Into Your Imagination
When it comes to list building, standing out from the crowd and choosing to “zig” when everyone else is “zagging” can get you further, faster. Erika used her imagination and stuck to her guns while she was creating her controversial stories.
8. Be a Part Of The Community
It helps when you’re a part of the community that you’re creating for. Erika was a fellow fanfiction writer, and she read a lot of other people’s work. She got a feel for what people were craving.
9. Don’t Seek Fame First, Put In The Work
Erika’s stories were her side hobby for a long time before she pursued the publishing route. This gave her the time to sharpen her skills and put in the work required to build her empire. The same applies when it comes to list building strategies: don’t expect overnight results, put in the work.
10. Find Out Where These Readers Are Hanging Out
Erika initially built her following on a popular fan fiction publishing platform. She didn’t try to build her own website out of the gate and publish to the sound of crickets… If you want to build a solid email list, consider how you can get your site and offers in front of your ideal readers.
11. Create Engagement Before You Ask For Anything Else
This is a great list building strategy: ask for people’s input and opinion before you ask them to join your email list. E. L. James had people reviewing her writing every week on the fan fiction platform, before she ever tried to build a list or ask people to buy a book. People want their opinions to be heard, so this type of engagement is powerful.
12. Once You’ve Got Engagement, Use It As Social Proof
E. L. James had over 37,000 reviews on her first version of the 50 Shades of Grey books. She used these reviews as social proof, to approach publishers and convince them of the popularity of her work.
13. Don’t Quit Before You Reach Your Goals
Erika had over 100 chapters of her writing up on a fan fiction website before they were taken down. She didn’t stop writing after her third chapter because she knew that staying in the game was how she’d reach her goals. The same is true for list building: it may take awhile to get to your subscriber goals, but stay in the game.
14. Look At How Other People Are Growing Their Audiences
E. L. James was in the media industry, and she pulled on her knowledge to see what worked and what could be done differently… When it comes to cultivating a strong list building strategy, take a look at what’s working in your industry and outside of your industry for cross-pollination of ideas and inspiration.
15. Let Your Work Evolve
When E. L. James started writing, it was just for fun and it was clearly an Edward and Bella story. Over time, it was rewritten to be original characters that had their own intricacies. If you start out building a business around one topic or niche, and decide to change along the way, don’t assume that people won’t want what you have to say next. Bring them along for the ride.
16. Leave People Wanting More Every Week
50 Shades of Grey was originally published as serialized fiction. This means that Erika published a new installment of the story each and every week. There was built in suspense for what would happen next. Use this same type of storytelling and leave people wanting more in your newsletters… they’ll stay subscribed and look forward to your next emails.
17. Publish Regularly, and Consistently
Erika L. James published a new piece of content every week like clockwork. Be dependable, and your subscribers will know when to expect to hear from you, and they’ll be more likely to read your emails… and take action, too.
18. Let Other People Spread The Word For You
The power of creating something that gets people talking is that word of mouth can spread the word about your work for you. Make your emails and opt-in offers stand on a strong enough foundation (even a controversial one) that people can’t help but talk about it to their friends…
19. Don’t Be Afraid Of The Competition
There’s no shortage of romantic and erotic fiction… but that didn’t stop E. L. James from putting herself out there. The same is true when it comes to building an email list or coming up with your content. There may be others in your field, but there’s still a place for your work out there too!
20. Be Approachable, Especially In The Early Days
The benefit of starting out is that you have a lot more free time. That means you can interact with your early fans and get to know them personally. There are plenty of people who “knew Erika when” she was just starting out… I have no doubt that this early one-on-one interaction was key to her success.
21. Interact and Adjust Course
Thank your subscribers and readers when they give you feedback or edits… even if it’s pointing out a typo. This type of rapid prototyping helped E. L. James write several books in a few short years because she wasn’t doing it alone. With building your email list, each interaction can lead to a potential sale or good word from someone. That’s priceless.
22. Co-Create What The Market Wants
Not sure what your opt-in gift could be? No problem, just listen to what your blog readers are asking for… or what people are often talking about in forums. 50 Shades Of Grey was inspired by many people and was not created in a vacuum.
23. Don’t Be Afraid Of Criticism
As the 50 Shades of Grey empire has grown, there has been a lot of criticism aimed at Erika and her work. That kind of backlash happens more often as your visibility and reach increase, and it’s a sign that you’re on the right path if you want to grow exponentially.
24. Keep Your Goals Front and Center
It’s easy to get sidetracked by life, other commitments, and even procrastination. When you’re clear on what you want to create, you can keep going despite the challenges and obstacles that come your way. Building a loyal email list is a great goal for any online business, but it’s easy for it to fall at the bottom of your todo list. E. L. James prioritized her aspirations to make them a reality.
25. When Something Works, Do More Of It
E. L. James gave other writers feedback, and they reciprocated… giving her more status and authority on the fanfiction writing site. That worked, so she did more of it in those early days. This might be the equivalent of leaving comments on other people’s blogs — and whatever you find to work well when building your list, whether it’s webinars, guest posts, or Facebook ads… do more of it.
26. Republish Your Content Across The Web
After Erika had already established her series on one fan fiction publishing community, she branched out and had her content re-published on other web sites. This got her more exposure for the same story and helped her build her audience. When it comes to list building, there are times when republishing a blog post or email newsletter on another platform or website can be extremely effective at building your list faster.
27. Build Your Social Media Following
In the early days, E. L. James didn’t have much of a web presence outside of her fanfiction account. Eventually, she branched out onto social media and started building her following there, too. This came in handy when her content was removed from the fan fiction site, she still had a way to communicate with her fans. When it comes to list building strategies, I recommend building an email list first and then getting people to follow your social media accounts second.
28. Your Free Content Can Be Your Paid Content and Vise Versa
Erika’s 50 Shades of Grey books had been previously published for free on the web. Did that stop her fans from purchasing the paid books? No! In fact, her earliest fans were happy to support her financially by buying her books even if they had already read the story online for free.
29. Use Your Free Programs to Inspire Your Paid Programs
The benefit of working with a publisher is that you’ll have an editor and a whole team to help you polish a work of writing. In the case of an online business, you can create free offerings as list building strategies, and then polish and create more in-depth or higher-quality versions to offer as a paid program. That’s what we do with our free version of PopupAlly and our more full-featured PopupAlly Pro.
30. Give Your Fans Opportunities To Pay You
In the beginning, E. L. James did everything for free online. This built her loyal following. When she had a paid offering, people jumped at the chance to exchange value in the form of money. If you don’t yet have a way for people to give you money, get cracking on a paid offering.
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See it in action31. Don’t Try To Rush It, Build Trust First
Because of the trust that E. L. James had built by being in the fanfiction writing communities for so long, it was easy for people to cheer her on when she got her book publishing contract.
[Tweet “People want you to succeed when they sense that you’re there to support them”]
Don’t rush trying to make money from an email list, instead, provide great value and then offer ways to work with people.
32. Don’t Wait To Be Approached
E. L. James wasn’t writing in her cave, keeping all her ideas to her self… she hit publish regularly. Similarly, you want to put yourself out there, be daring, and step out into the spotlight.
33. Talk To People Who Have Done It Before
When it came time to work with a publisher, Erika already had a group of writers to ask questions of. She was able to find out more about the publishing process before she went ahead. The same goes for growing your email list: talk to people who have successfully built a great email list to find out what worked for them, and what to watch out for.
34. Don’t Compromise On Your Ideas to Please a Majority
I’m sure Erika had people telling her that her books were too graphic or “too much”… But she stuck to her guns, and she was rewarded by extremely loyal and happy readers. When it comes to building an online community or email list, don’t shy away from being yourself… If you swear, don’t stop swearing because of one or two people.
35. It Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect, If It Comes From The Heart
50 Shades of Grey is not one of the most polished or perfectly crafted novels out there. But it is extremely commercially successful because Erika didn’t sweat the small stuff. She did what she had to do to get it done, wrote from the heart, and let the rest happen as it would. Your list building strategies don’t need to be perfectly executed, your opt-in gift doesn’t need to be super polished, and you don’t need to spend 3 months working on it… Get it done, with heart and it will land.
36. People Love Different Mediums
Some people love reading, some love watching videos, and others prefer audio… The 50 Shades of Grey series is now available in all formats, from a Hollywood movie to audio, print, and digital books. Your opt-in gifts might be better received in different formats, too.
37. Let People Pass Your Work Along
Have easy ways for people to share your newsletters, articles, and free content. I’ve heard many times how friends were sharing and borrowing copies of 50 Shades of Grey. Once someone reads the first book, they’ll be looking for the next ones. The same goes for your free content: if you let people share it, then they’ll want more.
38. Your Work Is Bigger Than Yourself
Once Erika L. James understood that her stories were bigger than herself, she was able to relinquish control over all the details and her work was able to spread even wider. Don’t think that you have to do it all yourself: hire a designer, a developer, or a social media strategist if you want to make your opt-in and list building even more effective than you can on your own.
39. Balance Anonymity With Your Personality
In the early days, no one really knew who E. L. James was, and she still has an air of mysticism to this day. But she also shares herself on her social media profiles, and we see glimpses of her life on Instagram, too. If you’re building a business around yourself and your personality, you’ll have to find what balance feels good to you around sharing and keeping your private life private.
40. Tap Into Your 1000 Fans
The concept of the 1000 true fans is a powerful one, and in E. L. James’ case, the reality of her early fans helping to spread the word about her book once it got published is key to her success. Building your list with those first 1000 fans is a great priority to have, and will help you build momentum over time.
41. Get People Onto Your Own Platform
After her writing was taken off the fanfiction platform, Erika put up her own website and had people visit her there. This showcases the importance of having your own website that you control, both for list building purposes and the longevity of your business.
42. Give People More Of What They Ask For
Once 50 Shades of Grey took off, there were opportunities to create spin-off products. These were not likely ideas that Erika had from the start but were requests from her fans. Think of the 50 Shades of Grey Wine and ties. Let your subscribers tell you what they’d like you to create, and then see how you can make it happen.
43. Thank The People Who Helped You Get There
One thing that authors tend to do really well is thank the people who helped them write their books and get them published. Being grateful for the people who help make your dreams come true ensures that you can keep creating new dreams with them. You don’t have to thank people directly in your newsletters or on your website, but cultivating a strong sense of gratitude will help you go further.
44. Be Willing To Change The Title
If you have an opt-in gift but it’s not converting… you have to be willing to change the title or positioning of it, to make it convert better. E. L. James’ first title for the 50 Shades of Grey series was “Master Of The Universe”, and she wasn’t attached too strongly. In fact, she was willing to change it to help make the series more successful.
45. Only Quit Your Job When It Feels Like The Right Time
Erika kept her full-time job while she built her audience and wrote her novels on the side. This took dedication and helped her have a stable income while she was putting the foundations for massive success in place. If your business isn’t making enough money yet, or your list isn’t big enough to help you replace your full-time income, don’t quit your job yet.
46. Get Support To Move Through Upper Limits Gracefully
I don’t know if E. L. James knew her books would be as popular as they have become, but she likely faced lots of upper limit problems along the way. She most likely worked through these blocks by having mentors, talking to her publishers, and peers. Don’t try to build an email list or a business alone: get support, use the right tools, and do it with a community of like minded list builders.
47. Adapt List Building Strategies For Authors
E. L. James did most of her list building through old school guerrilla marketing tactics… and if you’re an author, you can learn a lot from other successful authors who have built a loyal audience and email list. If you’re not an author, you can still do much of what Erika has done by tapping into existing platforms, communities, and websites… You might just need to adapt these ideas to your market.
48. Taboo Topics Can Go Viral
One of the reasons why 50 Shades of Grey went viral once it reached the mainstream is because of the subject matter. Sex is a taboo topic, and while there are many books in this genre, there hadn’t been a book with a strong built-in audience ready to buy at publication to make it rise up the ranks of the bestseller lists. If you can use controversy to break out of the ho-hum mundane reality of your niche or market, your website and topics can go viral too.
49. Ride The Trends Or Create Your Own
After the Twilight
50. Don’t Underestimate The Power of Storytelling
One final list building strategy is to use the power of storytelling. Don’t underestimate how primal stories are to us as human beings, and use them in your email marketing, and before people sign up for your list or community. Create strong characters, cast your readers as the hero or heroine, and take them on the journey of a lifetime. They’ll thank you for it.
