𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻

The Prison That Became a Tourist Attraction: How to Sell What Nobody Wants

Imagine telling a convict at Alcatraz in 1935 that people would someday pay to get inside. He’d probably ask what you’d been drinking.

Alcatraz was the kind of place hardened criminals feared. Cold cells, armed guards, freezing water between you and freedom. Even Al Capone couldn’t buy his way out. The government shut it down in 1963.

Ten years later tourists arrived to explore the cells, walk the corridors, and hear stories of notorious inmates and escape attempts. One of America’s most dreaded prisons had become a popular attraction.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻? Many features that made Alcatraz miserable for prisoners made it fascinating for visitors. Isolation, cramped cells, forbidding atmosphere, history of violence and escape attempts all became part of the appeal.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹? Take a training course packed with methods unchanged for thirty years. Experienced professionals may call it outdated, but beginners interested in original techniques may see that history as its strongest selling point.

A complicated software program shows the same pattern. Casual users complain about the learning curve, while specialists appreciate the extensive controls.

𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲: Write down the three objections you hear most often about your product. Then identify audiences whose needs or interests might turn those characteristics into buying reasons.

You may find you’ve been trying to eliminate features another group would gladly pay for. The operators at Alcatraz built commercial value from notorious history by creating an experience around what visitors wanted to see.

𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳.

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