When serial entrepreneur and top mindset and accountability coach Renee Houtstra decided to build a business from scratch, her strategy was clear from the start. Inspired by her “smutty” book group, she teamed up with co-founder Kristy Martin to make romance readers’ dreams come true with The Boyfriend Book Box. A NSFW subscription service, The Boyfriend Book Box, brings literary heroes to life with a package of high-end gifts, including an NSFW surprise.
They launched the business in October 2024, and within six months, the company – which ships worldwide – was turning over six figures, had a 40,000-strong email list and over 10,000 people on the waitlist.
Here, Renee shares her tips for creating a quality product, making social media magic and going viral – all before you’ve even gone to market.
Create anticipation
Renee launched The Boyfriend Book Box as a faceless brand, letting its Instagram account do the talking. Thanks to posts teasing the upcoming launch, memes, seductive imagery and language that spoke to their audience, she accrued more than 10,000 followers before the first box had even been released.
Put social media at the heart of the business
Renee used hashtags, and she also leveraged her following of influencers, authors, readers and collectors, tagging them in relevant posts and photos.
“I set up the business in June 2024, and until October, we focused on visibility to make sure that we got the number of subscribers we needed to be able to launch the business. The biggest thing is that we made people excited for our product,” she said.
TikTok proved to be her secret weapon. “Influencers unboxing The Boyfriend Book Box on TikTok are getting a minimum of 200,000 views, but one unboxing video is at 1.6million views. So not only does our product go viral, but it also makes authors and influencers go viral.”
Give everyone a chance to enjoy your product
Each Boyfriend Book Box is a premium collection of bespoke items, including a special-edition copy of a spicy romance, an item of clothing ‘belonging’ to the novel’s main male character, a custom-blended cologne, a candle infused with his fragrance, a 10 karat gold necklace, plus a sex toy designed to the author’s specifications.
The full experience retails at $497 (£370) but Renee offers multiple price points with different perks for all customers, whatever their budget. The Baby Box, $239 (£178), contains the special edition book and a replica toy to match the male main character. Or as one of the Insta posts reads, “no fluff, just filth.”
There’s also a Patreon with multiple tiers and price points – £5.50, £14 and £22 a month – for a la carte shopping, early access and special “hear it here first” announcements.
“It’s a way for us to be more inclusive, knowing that our price point is high because we are a luxury brand. This is a way to access more markets and be more inclusive for the people who love our products,” Renee said.
Give your customers all killer, no filler
Nothing about this box is mass-produced, and Renee’s goal is that everything inside can be appreciated and enjoyed.
“I didn’t want the items in the box to be dust collectors. I wanted to create a service in which every single thing could be used,” she said.
“The box isn’t branded, and it has a magnetic closure, so you can use it for storage for yourself, or you can use it to gift wrap something else. Even the ribbon can be used again – if you want to get kinky with it, you can.”
Include the element of surprise
When subscribers are sent their Boyfriend Book Box, they don’t know what it will contain. Each novel is an exclusive special edition containing original (and sometimes NSFW) artwork.
Every detail in the box is drawn from the book, from the cologne’s one-of-a-kind fragrance to the necklace, which incorporates themes from the book’s central romance.
The upcoming Advent calendar, which is themed as the 12 Days of Christmas and is open to the public, features a secret book. “Subscribers don’t know what they’re getting. It’s a surprise until Christmas Day, which is the book reveal,” Renee said.
Renee Houtstra is a mindset and accountability coach and the co-founder of The Boyfriend Book Box. Visit boyfriendbookbox.com and @boyfriendbookbox on Instagram and** TikTok**** for more information**
