Remember when all you had to do was throw some ad dollars at Google and social media in September and watch the ticket sales roll in? Yeah…welcome to 2025. That haunted ship has sailed, and if your attraction isn’t adapting to AI-driven marketing, it’s not just falling behind, it may be turning invisible.
Haunted House Marketing is Entering a New Era
AI isn’t the future. AI is here, and it’s rewriting the rules of how customers discover haunted attractions, decide where to go, and ultimately, how they spend their money. From Google’s new AI Overviews to platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity, traditional search results are being replaced by machine-curated answers powered by live content, relevance, and authority.
So if you’re still relying on a dusty old website from 2021 or a once-a-year blast of advertising, bad news: AI doesn’t care. In fact, it might not even see you.
What AI Means for Haunted Attractions
At FearWorm, we specialize in marketing haunted houses and seasonal attractions, and we’ve been tracking the AI evolution closely. Here’s what haunted attraction owners need to understand:
1. SEO is Changing Fast
The days of stuffing your website with keywords and calling it a strategy are over. Google’s AI Search is pulling content directly into search results and favoring brands that:
- Post fresh, authoritative content
- Earn consistent, external reviews and mentions
- Maintain active social channels with engagement
- Structure their sites for machine readability.
In other words, static websites and sparse updates won’t cut it anymore. AI wants to recommend what’s relevant and trustworthy right now, and that means haunted attractions need to think like publishers, not just operators.
When it comes to people using ChatGPT for search, Google doesn’t even matter so much anymore. In fact, we’re wondering if it might not be in Chat’s best interest to NOT be so tied to Google. It is more about your web proliferation strategy – showing up everywhere. On your site, reviews, social, other websites, listings and press.
2. PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Isn’t Dead, But It’s Evolving
Traditional PPC isn’t going away any time soon, but it’s getting tougher. Costs are rising, and ad platforms (like Meta and Google) are pushing advertisers toward automation and AI-driven placements. While that sounds easy, it actually means you need:
- Smarter creative that converts in 2 seconds or less
- Integrated tracking (yes, even on TikTok and YouTube Shorts)
- Retargeting systems based on behavioral data and page performance
AI is forcing the lazy ad strategies to fail. The good news? FearWorm is already deploying AI-enhanced media buying that adapts in real-time to audience behavior – because just boosting a post and hoping for the best is no longer a good option.
Pain Points for Haunted House Owners (and How AI May Solve Them)
We work with haunts of all sizes, and we know the pain points:
- “We don’t have time to make content all year.”
- “Our ticket sales rely on a two-month window.”
- “We don’t know how to keep up with social media, reviews, or SEO.”
- “We don’t have enough content.”
These are real issues. But here’s the thing: AI can actually help, if you lean in to it the right way.
Here’s how FearWorm is using AI to support haunts:
- Content Planning: AI helps us generate long-term content calendars based on trending keywords, seasonal traffic patterns, and user intent data.
- SEO Optimization: We deploy tools that analyze what AI engines are actually surfacing, then tailor our clients’ blogs, videos, and posts accordingly.
- Smart Ads: We use machine learning to test, adjust, and optimize campaigns live – so your dollars go further and your clicks convert faster.
- AI-Powered Insights: We’re analyzing what real audiences are searching and engaging with, not just relying on outdated keyword lists.
Why This Matters in 2025 (And Beyond)
Haunt marketing used to be about volume. More flyers. More posts. More radio spots. More money thrown at the wall.
Today? It’s about precision, and AI is the scalpel. Customers are now:
- Finding haunts through AI-curated search results
- Watching videos that influence their decisions instantly
- Trusting social proof and reviews over brand names
- Clicking on the first answer, not the fifth organic link
If your attraction isn’t showing up first, it may not exist!
The FearWorm Difference: AI-Driven, Industry-Specific, Battle-Tested
We’re not just watching this AI shift from the sidelines. We’re engineering strategies that help our haunted house clients:
- Show up in AI-assisted searches
- Rank higher with optimized, content-rich websites
- Capture attention on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts
- Convert traffic with frictionless ticketing paths.
And most importantly? We’re doing it all year round.
What Haunted House Owners Should Do Right Now
- Audit your website. Is it up-to-date, mobile-friendly, and full of fresh content?
- Start planning fall content now. Blogs, videos, sneak peeks – AI needs something to feed on.
- Focus on visibility beyond ads. Organic content + paid = long-term growth
- Work with an agency that understands this space. Not just marketing. Not just AI. But haunt-specific strategy.
Final Thoughts
This isn’t hype, it’s is happening. Haunts that embrace AI, evolve their digital strategy, and build year-round engagement are going to crush Fall 2025. The rest? They’ll be ghosted.
If you’re ready to stop playing catch-up and start leading the digital scare game, FearWorm is your partner in the shadows of success.
Let’s chat. Before your audience disappears. Contact us today.