When marketing haunted attractions, I constantly remind haunt owners of one fundamental truth: marketing hasn’t changed. While tactics and technologies evolve rapidly (especially with today’s AI-powered tools), the core principle remains the same—getting your message in front of the right person at the right time.
As someone who juggles multiple roles—running the Haunted Attraction Network, serving as CEO of Gantom, co-hosting the theme park podcast Green Tagged, and providing freelance marketing services to haunts like Hush and Woods of Terror, plus working with Transworld on their media and content—I’ve seen firsthand what works and what doesn’t across the industry.
I recently hosted a masterclass for Haunter’s Toolbox, answering YOUR QUESTIONS on marketing strategies for haunted attractions. Below is a summary of the key tactics. I’m sharing these insights to help you develop a more effective marketing strategy for your haunt.
Haunter’s Toolbox hosts these valuable sessions MONTHLY, covering everything from marketing to operations, staffing, and more. I typically join them once a year, but they feature different industry experts each month. If you want to participate in future sessions and ask your own questions, head over to haunterstoolbox.com to join their community.
Table of Contents
Understanding Your Audience: The Foundation of All Marketing
The most common mistake I see haunt owners make is jumping straight to tactics (“We need TikTok videos!” or “Let’s make a commercial!”) without first understanding who they’re trying to reach.
Creating Audience Personas
Start by developing detailed audience personas for each group that visits your haunt:
- College students looking for a night out
- High school groups seeking thrills
- Haunt enthusiasts who appreciate craft and detail
- Childless millennials with disposable income
- Food and cocktail connoisseurs (if you offer dining/bars)
- Families with children (if you offer family-friendly events)
For each persona, you should understand:
- Demographics: Age, income level, location, etc.
- Psychographics: What they value, how they make decisions, what entertains them
- How they discover haunts: Where they spend their time online and offline
- What they expect from a haunt experience: Scares? Food? Entertainment? Photo ops?
Real-world example: At Hush Haunted Attraction, we’ve created distinct marketing approaches for different personas. For our food bloggers, we focus on our themed cocktails and bar areas rather than the scares. For mommy bloggers, we emphasize our kids’ day events with trick-or-treating opportunities. We don’t waste resources marketing to haunt enthusiasts since they’re already aware of us—instead, we concentrate on reaching new audiences who might not typically consider a haunt experience.
Your marketing plan flows naturally from these personas. You’ll know where to reach them, what message will resonate, and which offers will convert them into customers.
Effective Influencer Marketing for Haunts
Many haunters ask about working with influencers, but few approach it strategically. When considering influencer partnerships:
Look for influencers who:
- Live in your target market area
- Create content specifically about your area
- Have engaged followers who match your target personas
- Produce quality original content that tells a story
Real-world example: At Hush, I prioritize working with local micro-influencers who live in our metro area and consistently create content about local experiences. Their content must have a narrative structure—not just random posts—because I need them to clearly communicate “We’re here at Hush Haunt” to their audience. I don’t necessarily care about their follower count as much as their engagement and whether they’re reaching our specific target market.
Set clear expectations:
- Consider influencers as paid media, not earned media
- Use contracts when paying influencers
- Negotiate for usage rights to their content
- Provide clear deliverables (stories, posts, video)
Pricing varies widely depending on your market. In less competitive areas with fewer influencers, expect to pay $150-400 for micro-influencers with 10,000-30,000 followers. In saturated markets like Los Angeles, you might secure coverage for just the experience itself and parking.
Remember that influencer reach doesn’t necessarily translate to ticket sales. The best influencer collaborations help you create content that you can repurpose in your paid advertising. Getting the right to use their content in your ads can save you thousands in production costs.
Traditional Media Relations Still Matter
Despite changes in the media landscape, traditional media relations tactics remain valuable:
Press Releases
Craft press releases with:
- Clear who, what, when, where, and why information
- A compelling headline that communicates your value proposition
- Links to digital assets (photos, videos, B-roll)
- Information about what’s new this year
Real-world example: For my work with Transworld and Hush, we create a comprehensive media room with downloadable assets that journalists can access even on tight deadlines. This includes whatever we can get, but ideally high-quality B-roll, professionally shot photos, and ready-to-use quotes. When working with Woods of Terror, we created a press release highlighting their new Baba Yaga section, giving media a specific story angle rather than just saying “we have new scenes” – which doesn’t excite anyone.
Media Nights
Host dedicated media nights where you:
- Invite relevant media that your target audience consumes
- Provide food and special experiences
- Create different opportunities for different media types
- Consider separate experiences for traditional media vs. social content creators
Real-world example: At Hush, we send 3-4 media releases each season: a save-the-date announcement, a major opening announcement with a dedicated media night, a “now open” release once we’re operating, and a final weekend reminder highlighting special events. We host a media night, but I also work with media to determine what they need —influencers can shoot TikToks in certain areas, while broadcast media can be sent BROLL or have us come into the studio.
The goal isn’t just coverage—it’s strategic coverage that reaches your target personas.
Social Media Strategy: Beyond Posting
Social media platforms have become increasingly pay-to-play, making organic reach more challenging. Focus on:
- Platform selection: Be where your audience is, not everywhere
- Content strategy: Customize content for each platform based on the audience there
- Paid promotion: Budget to boost your best-performing content
- Testing and measurement: Track what works and double down on success
Remember that hashtags are becoming less relevant as AI increasingly recognizes content without them. Focus on creating engaging content rather than perfect hashtag strategies.
Leveraging AI for Haunt Marketing
AI tools are transforming marketing rapidly. Consider using AI for:
- Creating marketing personas
- Drafting press releases
- Finding local influencers
- Analyzing customer feedback
- Generating content ideas
- Processing video footage for highlights
- Managing social media
While AI won’t replace the human elements of your haunt, it can streamline many marketing tasks to free up your time for what matters most.
Revenue Maximization Strategies
Beyond marketing, consider these proven approaches to increase revenue:
VIP Experiences
Create “velvet rope” experiences like:
- Fast passes to skip lines
- VIP tours with special access
- Dinner experiences before or after the haunt
- Character meet-and-greets
- Combination packages
Real-world example: At Hush, we’ve implemented tiered experiences that dramatically increase our per-guest revenue. Beyond standard fast passes, we offer a complete bar and entertainment package that attracts people willing to spend more for a premium experience. The profit margins on these premium offerings far exceed our standard tickets.
Food and Beverage
Use a “good, better, best” approach:
- Good: Basic food options for everyone
- Better: Themed food items that enhance the experience
- Best: Premium offerings (like specialty cocktails in souvenir vessels)
Real-world example: Each year at Hush, our on-staff sculptor and make lead, Ken Clark, makes signature handcrafted bottle openers, featuring our new seasonal character. These are individually printed and hand-painted during the week, creating unique keepsakes for which guests are willing to pay premium prices. These limited items sell out quickly and become collector’s items among our fans.
Special Events
Expand your audience with events like:
- Children’s days for families
- Behind-the-scenes tours for enthusiasts
- Off-season events to maintain awareness
Real-world example: Hush’s Children’s Day has been a massive success, allowing us to effectively double-sell our inventory for that day. During the day, we run a family-friendly trick-or-treating experience that requires minimal staffing and resources. Then at night, we transition to our regular haunt operations. This approach brings in an entirely new demographic of parents with young children who wouldn’t otherwise visit a haunt.
Measuring Success
Finally, remember to measure your results. Establish:
- Clear goals for each marketing initiative
- Methods to track conversion (discount codes, dedicated landing pages)
- Post-season surveys to gather feedback
- Review processes to analyze what worked and what didn’t
The Content Creation Ecosystem
One strategy that’s worked particularly well for my clients is creating a content ecosystem rather than one-off marketing efforts. This means:
- Creating a core piece of content (like a commercial or trailer)
- Breaking it down into platform-specific formats (horizontal for YouTube, vertical for TikTok)
- Developing complementary content that tells different parts of the story
- Encouraging user-generated content through photo opportunities and hashtags
Your Turn
Marketing a haunted attraction doesn’t require a massive budget, but it does demand a strategic approach. Start with understanding your audience, then develop targeted messages delivered through the right channels at the right time. Remember, marketing fundamentals haven’t changed—just the tactics and technologies we use to execute them.
What marketing strategies have worked for your haunt? What questions do you have about implementing these approaches? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below.
About Haunter’s Toolbox: Haunter’s Toolbox hosts Monthly Online Master Minds and Classes. Join them each month to discuss new ways to make money with your Haunt, new guidelines for your staff and customers, and let them help you get past your current roadblocks. Learn more at https://www.haunterstoolbox.com/
