Why in the (under)world would you let your victims…err, guests…decide how much to pay for the privilege of being terrified?
It sounds like madness, but listen closely. Our own dark research has shown that mortals will often pay more than the listed price when offered a Pay-What-You-Can (PWYC) tribute. It’s a demented little piece of psychology we think you’ll appreciate.
Pay-What-You-Can pricing is a clever tool that too many haunt owners overlook. This isn’t just for charity fundraisers; it’s for you. Haunts of all shapes and sizes can use this macabre pricing technique to not only summon more revenue but also to forge a blood-bond with their loyal horde of fans.
How, you ask? Let us pull back the curtain.
It might be unwise to offer your general admission tickets as PWYC; you have monsters to feed and crypts to maintain. But there are countless other ways to unleash this chilling strategy. Here are five of our favorite methods for using PWYC to horrifyingly effective ends.
1. Offer Cursed Merchandise for a Variable Tribute
Instead of a fixed price on your unholy relics like t-shirts, posters, or bottled “fear,” let your fans and victims pay what they can. This is a brilliant way to purge the evidence (especially old inventory) and allows your most devoted followers to offer a little extra blood money. You can turn a simple transaction into a memorable, cursed interaction.
With HauntPay, you can even set a minimum offering for your PWYC items. For example, demand at least $5 for a t-shirt or $2 for a poster, and let them offer anything above that. Sure, some souls will pay the bare minimum. But you’ll be shocked by how generous your followers can be when you give them a chance to prove their loyalty!
2. Create a “First Victim” Lottery
Summon a frenzy of excitement by offering a chance to be the “First Victim of the Night” through a PWYC lottery. Any mortal who purchases a regular ticket can enter this lottery by paying an additional, variable amount. This gives every soul a chance to experience the haunt completely alone, regardless of their budget, while you collect extra tributes from those willing to pay more for the unique horror.
You can give your horde an extra incentive by letting them know the PWYC lottery proceeds will go toward building next year’s nightmares or upgrading a specific monster. Making the impact tangible is a proven way to increase these dark donations.
3. Host Pay-What-You-Can “Behind-the-Screams” Workshops
Does your haunt feature terrifyingly talented scare actors or ghoulishly good makeup artists? Consider making any workshops or classes PWYC. This is a fantastic way to encourage participation and make your haunt’s educational content more accessible. You can use this to gauge interest in different topics—like scare-acting seminars or SFX makeup tutorials—and you might just inspire a new generation of haunters.
Again, this is a perfect place to set a minimum price through your HauntPay dashboard. If you want victims to commit at least $10 for a makeup tutorial, for example, you can set that as the floor and allow them to pay any amount above it.
4. Unearth a “Low-Scare Community Night”
For multi-day haunts, you can designate a specific evening as a “Pay-What-You-Can Low-Scare Night” or a “Lights-On Preview.” This strategy helps fill the haunt on what might otherwise be a slower night (like a weekday), builds killer word-of-mouth marketing, and attracts a more diverse crowd—including those too chicken to afford or endure your regular ticket price. It’s a great way to give the community a taste of your terror without giving them a heart attack.
5. Offer PWYC for Digital Terrors and Livestreams
In today’s hybrid hellscape, offering PWYC for a livestream from inside your haunt or for exclusive digital content can be a powerful dark art. This allows you to reach a global audience of gorehounds and gives those who can’t attend in person a chance to support your nightmare. You could offer a “Victim-Cam” stream, behind-the-scenes build footage, or even a PWYC option for a recording of the haunt after the season concludes, creating a whole new revenue stream from beyond the grave.
Final Thoughts
Let’s be honest: Letting go of control can feel like a nightmare. By asking your guests what your haunt is worth, you risk being undervalued. But in reality, haunts and other attractions that use PWYC often summon more revenue than those who stick to flat-rate pricing alone.
By thinking outside the coffin, haunt masters like you can leverage Pay-What-You-Can pricing to not only increase accessibility and build a stronger legion of fans but also to unearth new and exciting opportunities for tribute. Now go, and unleash chaos.
Need some help setting up Pay-What-You-Can pricing for your haunt? We’d love to help! Schedule a call with a haunt ticketing expert today.
