Do Facebook Ads Work for Escape Rooms?

Short answer: Yes, Facebook Ads can absolutely work for escape rooms, but most escape rooms fail with ads for one predictable reason that has nothing to do with ad performance. It is almost always a follow-up and booking delay problem, not a traffic problem.

Proof That Facebook Ads Work for Group-Based Local Businesses

At Unlocked Bookings, we have clients spending just $10 a day on Ad Spend that bring in over 30 leads per month.  Now, that may not sound like much, but when you consider that most of those leads are bringing anywhere from 3-8+ friends with them to your Escape room, those numbers can easily stack up to over $50,000 per year, for only $3,600 in Ad Spend!  In order to get results like this and better there is one key distinction to remember that differentiates Escape Rooms from most other businesses

Why Escape Rooms Are Uniquely Different From Almost Every Other Business

If you want your Facebook Ads to succeed, there’s one thing you have to keep in mind.  People rarely go to Escape Rooms alone.  Most rooms are designed to be completed by a team.  

This is great for getting more people in the door, but when it comes to running ads, this means a customer will need to:

• Click the ad
  
  
• Talk to friends
  
  
• Align schedules
  
  
• Then finally book
  

That creates a delayed conversion window, sometimes days or weeks long. Many owners judge ads as “not working” because the booking does not happen immediately, even though the interest was real.

Why Most Escape Room Ads Fail (It Is Not the Ad Platform)

Time and time again, follow-up is the single biggest point of failure when it comes to running ads. 

Here is what usually happens:

• The ad works.
  
  
• Someone fills out a form or claims an offer
  
  
• They don’t book immediately because they need a group.
  
  
• The business sends an email with the offer they claimed.
  
  
• The lead goes cold, while trying to schedule with friends.
  
  
• The owner concludes: “Facebook Ads do not work.” since they didn’t get any customers from their leads.
  

In reality, the ad did its job and the breakdown happened afterwards

If you do not have a built-out, continuous follow-up system in place, your ads are likely to have the same results.

What Types of Offers Actually Work for Escape Rooms

Ads require incentive. Awareness alone does not convert.

The best-performing offers will be specific to your Room’s location, situation, and area demographics, but they typically fall into four categories:

• Group-based incentives
  
  • “Bring 4 friends and your ticket is free”
    
    
  • “15% off groups of five or more”
    
• Community-based offers
  
  • Military or First Responder discounts
    
    
  • Teacher or public servant discounts
    
• Time-based specials
  
  • Discount days
    
    
  • Slow-night promotions
    
    
  • “Matinee” pricing
    
• General value offers
  
  • Flat 10–20% off

What does not work well:

• “We exist” ads
  
  
• No-offer branding campaigns
  
  
• Vague experience-based messaging with no urgency
  

Escape rooms already sell excitement. What ads must add is urgency and justification for action, like a limited promotion.

What Creative Actually Converts (And What Is Overkill)

People often overthink the what to include in their ads, when there are only a few essentials.  Most importantly, people should immediately be able to tell:

• Who you are
  
  
• What you do
  
  
• What your offer is to them
  

These three things can easily be conveyed with still images, simple walk-through videos, or a flyer much like you would find posted on a bulletin board.  All three of these can convert well with the write messaging, but creating a flyer is oftentimes the easiest way to make sure all the essential elements are clearly presented.

High-production cinematic videos can work as well, come with additional challenges such as higher production cost, and higher ad cost.  This can make produced video a more risky approach, especially if you are just getting started with running ads for your Escape Room.

For escape rooms, simple beats fancy. People respond to clarity, not polish.

How Much Budget Is Actually Needed

You do not need massive spend to test viability.  We recommend starting with at least $10/day since a budget below that may not provide enough reach to optimize for your target.  Larger budgets will always have more reach, but this can easily be scaled up after you’ve gained some momentum. 

Results can appear within a few hours, but it’s important to remember that you should always allow for at least 3-5 days before making any major changes to your ads since it sometimes can take time for the right audience to be found. 

Some volatility is normal early on, so be prepared for that and don’t worry if it doesn’t seem consistent for a few weeks.

Who Should NOT Run Facebook Ads Yet

Facebook Ads are not magic. They amplify whatever system already exists.

You should not run ads if:

• You don’t have the manpower for consistent follow-up
  
  
• You aren’t able to provide some type of offer or promotion
  
  
• You are already regularly at full capacity and don’t need more customers
  

Why People Say Facebook Ads Do Not Work for Escape Rooms

Most owners who say this experienced one of the following:

• They ran ads with no incentive
  
  
• They had no follow-up sequence
  
  
• They judged performance by instant bookings only
  
  
• They turned off ads too quickly
  

The good news is, these are all operational problems that can easily be addressed.

Final Verdict: Do Facebook Ads Work for Escape Rooms?

Yes, Facebook Ads can absolutely work for escape rooms.

But they only work when:

• You use a real offer
  
  
• You understand the delayed group booking cycle
  
  
• You implement follow-up
  
  
• You judge performance by revenue, not instant clicks
  

Ready for an ad system that actually works for your escape room? 

We build complete client acquisition systems for escape rooms, not just ad campaigns. This includes incentive-driven Facebook Ads, high-conversion landing pages, automated follow-up, and optimized retargeting.

The goal is to get booked teams inside your rooms, not just interested in them.

Book a call today, or let us know if you have any questions!