PPF, How to get people to be painted?

I'm working the Haunted House & it's been a very fun job, but very slow. The place is super busy. They started to 1st night w/ 400 people just that night. By Saturday they had over 1300 people go through the house. My problem, only 14 people wanted to be painted(and most were butterflies...grrrr!).
I really want to do this job & the Haunted House people love my work(it's as good as what their actors have... so maybe next yr I'll get to paint the actors... hope! Hope!).

Does anyone have any tricks they use to get their line going? Especially when it's an older crowd?

This is just a suggestion. Maybe do some DIY t-shirts with simple lettering that your kids or somone who is willing to attend the event with you can wear. They can read "Ask Me about my Face" or "Ask Me How You can get this Look" then do some really elaborate design on them and let them walk around the event location periodically.

Paint a few for free to get things started? I've found that if I have NO customers, no one wants to come over, but if I have a few in line, people automatically feel comfortable coming to join in. Not to mention that there's no better advertising than to have some real-life faces walking around dazzling the patrons.

I'm assuming you have a menu with pictures of what you are offering? Visuals are super important for PPF.

Maybe if you can offer to have a place holder in line. My experience with the haunted places you have to wait so long in line and people are so anxious to go through that maybe they feel they will loose their place in line and or wont have time to get their face painted and wait in line too.

You could paint a simple, feminine design on yourself. Something to show the teens and ladies that it's okay for them to get painted, too. Would it suit the venue better to do walk-around face painting? That way you could paint people who are waiting in line and they wouldn't have to worry about losing their place.

Linda are you painting your own face?
I would in this case - something scary - but that's just me.
I agre with the freebie - but I only think you need one - usualy once someone is getting painted people stop to watch.
Are you at the entry or the exit?
People may be more inclined to get painted when they come out if they are lining up for something.
Also maybe consider painting your arms - I find this gets alot of attention and people who don't want their face painted get a zombie arm or tiger arm - or rainbow whatever.
I feel for you - I'm not a natural spruiker and I don't like singing my own praises - Good luck babe! Hope it picks up for you.

I'm at the entrance, so I think I'll shift to the exit. I'm painting myself 1/2 zombie & 1/2 girly. I almost always go to gigs painted(unless it's just too hot & melty). The line holder might help. I do have a display board with various scary options & a few pretty options. I'm not going to totally give up on the job. It's not far from where I live & has future potential as it grows... so, hopefully if I invest a bit this year.... maybe it'll be better next year. I'm also hoping for an in with painting the actors... especially after 1 had to go to the emergency room to have the prosthetic mask removed.....
This is a pretty scary haunted house, so it's not a lot of kids. Mostly teens & adults.

If its a lot of teens you may want to think about playing the twilight angle or the trueblood angle with fang marks. I know that SF has team jacob and team whatever stencils that other dudes name is i forget. ( i did read the books just cant remember) I can't remember if they are the power stencils or the glitter tattoo stencils. I do know they have some vampire glitter stencils.

Teen girls in particular love the glitter tats.