How to Write the Perfect Room Description

The escape room industry is growing rapidly, and with so many new rooms to choose from, players can (and will) easily leave your website if they are not intrigued by your room descriptions. A great room description can get a potential player hooked, but others scare customers away. Here are a few tips:

Short and Sweet!

This old saying is famous for a reason. People browsing websites have very short attention spans, and simply will not take the time to read long paragraphs or epic storylines. Make sure your room description is concise, and to the point. You want to include enough information to get your general theme across, and pique a player’s interest. However you do not want to give away the entire plot/characters that they will discover in the room itself.

Catchy Opening Lines!

The first line of your room description should immediately grab the reader’s attention. Rather than a boring opener like “This is a pirate-themed room……” consider something catchy like “You are walking the plank, heading towards Davy Jones’ Locker….” A little bit of wit goes a long way.

Add Images!

Lines of plain text are daunting, and potential customers are much more likely to read your room description if it is accompanied by an eye-catching image. It is well known that the majority of people are visual learners, so taking the time to add photographs is well worth the effort.

Avoid Well Known Brands!

It is important to make a room your own. Describing your room as a “Harry Potter Room” or “Indiana Jones Room” can be problematic. First, you may run into copyright/trademark issues, and such a lawsuit could put an escape room out of business. In addition, you may be giving players unrealistic expectations—which will lead to disappointment. For example, there is no way the entire (7 book long!) Harry Potter storyline can be replicated in a 60 minute escape room. It is better to create a unique theme and provide realistic descriptions of your room.

Include Difficulty Levels!

I understand there is no industry-wide standard for rating difficulty. However, there are obvious differences between a beginner game with a few easy anagrams/number codes vs. games with numerous complex/high tech puzzles. Brand new players will likely be frustrated/disappointed if they book the hardest room your company has. Conversely, veteran escape room enthusiasts will be bored if a room is far too easy. It is helpful if you provide general guidelines regarding difficulty in your room description.

Include Number of Players!

Providing a range of team sizes for your room is very important. The physical size of your room may accommodate large teams, but you need enough puzzles to keep all of the players occupied. Similarly, some rooms have too many puzzles for a small team to handle. Think carefully, and make helpful suggestions for room size in your room description.