How to increase museum revenue: 10 strategies (including a paid audio guide)

Costs are rising faster than funding. Dutch museums calculate that their sector-specific inflation reached 37% between 2015 and 2025, while their subsidies grew by 26%. The gap has to be closed somewhere.

If you are wondering how to increase museum revenue, this guide is for you. It is written for directors and managers with little time and a small team, who need to decide where to start. It is not a list of every possible income source. It is an action plan: 10 strategies in order of priority, with concrete steps, the signal that tells you whether each one works, and a 90-day plan template.

Before you start: the three numbers you need

You can't grow what you don't measure. Before picking any strategy, write down these three figures for last year.

• Visitors: paying and non-paying, separately.
• Revenue per visitor: all visit-related income (tickets, services, shop) divided by the number of visitors.
• Net share: for each service, what the museum actually keeps. With a concession or retail partner, you only receive a percentage.

Revenue per visitor is your guiding metric. If it rises, your visit-related strategies are working. We explain how to set it up in Museum KPIs.

How to increase museum revenue: the priorities

The 10 strategies are split into three phases. Quick, low-cost wins first. Then the ones that need some organisation. Finally, the ones that build relationships over time.

• Now (0–3 months): strategies 1 to 4. They work with the visitors you already have.
• Next 6–12 months: strategies 5 to 7. They broaden your offer.
• Beyond 12 months: strategies 8 to 10. They bring income that doesn't depend on each individual visit.

Phase 1: now, with the visitors you already have

Strategy 1: set a revenue-per-visitor target

A vague goal ("earn more") guides nobody. A precise one does.

• Calculate your current revenue per visitor.
• Set a realistic target for the next 12 months.
• Split it by service: how much from tickets, how much from services, how much from the shop.
• Share it with front-of-house and shop staff. They are the ones talking to visitors.

Signal it works: monthly revenue per visitor.

Strategy 2: sell online and offer extras at checkout

Someone booking online has already decided to come. It is the best moment to offer something more.

• Add two or three extras to the booking flow: audio guide, guided tour, catalogue.
• Describe the value in concrete terms: "45 minutes, 20 works, 4 languages".
• The British Museum, for example, lets visitors add the full audio guide when booking a general admission ticket. They receive a unique code that works on one device and can't be transferred.

Signal it works: the share of online orders with at least one extra.

Strategy 3: launch a paid audio guide (or rethink the one you have)

This is often the strategy with the best effort-to-result ratio. With a smartphone audio guide there are no devices to buy, charge and clean. Your cost per visitor drops and your margin grows. Here is how to set it up.

Step 1: decide whether to charge. Price reduces use. A free guide serves your mission, a paid one your budget. Often the answer is a hybrid, such as a free permanent collection and a paid exhibition guide. We cover the pros, cons and real cases in Paid or free audio guide?

Step 2: price it against benchmarks. The British Museum sells its full guide for £6 per language and themed tours for £1.99 to £2.99, with 65 free gallery introductions. Short, cheap tours lower the barrier. Free introductions let people try before they buy.

Step 3: stop sharing. A public QR code gets photographed and passed around. To sell, you need personal access that works for one visitor only.

Step 4: sell it where visitors decide. At the ticket desk, in the online booking flow, at gallery entrances with clear signage. A guide nobody sees doesn't sell.

Step 5: be realistic about take-up. British Museum researchers wrote that a take-up rate of around 3% is standard for permanent-collection audio guides. They also found that the main reason visitors skipped the guide was the feeling they didn't have enough time. Short, clearly timed tours help.

The maths, in one line: net revenue = visitors × take-up rate × (price − cost per access) − fixed costs.

Hypothetical example, only to show the calculation: 60,000 visitors, 3% take-up, a €5 price and €1 cost per access. Revenue before fixed costs is 60,000 × 3% × €4 = €7,200 a year. Always use your own numbers.

Starting from scratch? How to create a museum audio guide walks you through it step by step.

Signal it works: take-up rate and monthly net revenue.

Strategy 4: make your offers visible, and ask for a donation at the till

Many museums sell well but show little. The shop is tucked away, the audio guide only appears on the website, the café isn't signposted.

• Walk the museum as a visitor and note every point where you could spend money.
• Put products linked to your best-loved works in plain sight.
• Mention services at natural pauses: at the end of the route, near the star objects.
• Train staff to suggest, not just to answer.
• Offer a voluntary donation on top of the ticket. In the UK, a charity museum can claim Gift Aid when visitors choose to pay at least 10% more than the standard price, as long as the standard price stays clearly available.

Signal it works: average shop transaction and the number of transactions per 100 visitors.

Phase 2: next 6–12 months, broaden your offer

Strategy 5: rethink your pricing

A single ticket is simple, but it leaves money on the table. Consider options for different audiences.

• Combined tickets with other sites in your city or network.
• Exhibition tickets, separate or bundled with the collection.
• Late openings with a different experience: music, themed tours, drinks.
• Family tickets, to make visits more affordable and bring in groups.

Prices are moving across the sector. The average adult ticket in Dutch museums rose 7% in a year, to €11.30. Public museums often have rules on pricing, so check what you can decide yourself.

Signal it works: ticket revenue per paying visitor.

Strategy 6: paid tours and workshops

Tours and workshops add value and income at the same time.

• Start with a fixed calendar, such as a themed tour every Sunday.
• Create a family workshop at weekends. You will find ideas in Museum visitor engagement.
• Work out the minimum number of participants that covers the guide's cost.
• Collect participants' emails. They are your first membership prospects.

Signal it works: session fill rate.

Strategy 7: hire out your spaces

A hall, a courtyard or a garden can host corporate events, launches and filming.

• List your spaces, with capacity, hours and limits.
• Write house rules: what is and isn't allowed, to protect the collection.
• Prepare a price list and a one-page brochure for enquiries.
• Reach out to event agencies and local companies.

Signal it works: enquiries and confirmed events per quarter.

Phase 3: beyond 12 months, build income that doesn't depend on each visit

Strategy 8: launch a membership or join a museum pass

An annual membership turns a visitor into a supporter. If you lack the capacity to run one, consider a national or regional pass. In the Netherlands, museums receive a fee for every Museumkaart visit, set at 64.4% of their average full admission price in 2025.

• Define three concrete benefits: free entry, previews, shop discounts.
• Offer membership to people who have just enjoyed a visit or a workshop.
• Plan at least one members-only event per quarter, so there is a reason to renew.

Signal it works: renewal rate.

Strategy 9: raise donations for a specific project

People give to a goal, not to a budget. Choose a visible project with a clear cost: restoring a work, a new room, an audio guide in another language.

Use the tax incentives in your country. In the UK, Gift Aid adds 25p for every £1 donated to a charity. In Italy, donors to public museums get a 65% tax credit through the Art Bonus.

• Write a project page: what, why, how much, by when.
• Show it in the museum, on your website and in your emails.
• Thank donors publicly and report the results.

Signal it works: number of donors and average gift.

Strategy 10: find a sponsor for a concrete project

A sponsor doesn't fund "the museum". It funds an exhibition, a restoration, a service. The British Museum's multimedia guide, for example, has been sponsored by Korean Air since 2009.

• Choose projects where the sponsor's name makes sense.
• Start with local businesses, which value a link with the community.
• Prepare a one-page proposal: project, audience reached, visibility offered, cost.
• In public museums, follow the required procedures for sponsorship.

Signal it works: proposals sent and meetings secured.

Your 90-day plan: a template to copy

Don't try to do everything. Here is a template for the first three months.

• Weeks 1–2: gather the three numbers (visitors, revenue per visitor, net share). Set your target.
• Weeks 3–4: walk the museum as a visitor. List missing or hidden spending points.
• Weeks 5–8: add extras to online booking. Prepare or review your audio guide, with a price and personal access.
• Weeks 9–10: launch the audio guide at the desk and online. Fix signage and points of sale.
• Weeks 11–12: measure. Compare revenue per visitor with your starting point and pick the next strategy from phase 2.

One warning. In 2021, 59.1% of museums surveyed by ICOM had not tried any new revenue source. NEMO found smaller museums often lack the capacity to start. The first step is the hardest. Keep it small, but take it.

If you use Museoo

With Museoo every audio guide can be free or paid, and you can switch at any time. To sell it you use a non-transferable QR: one code per visitor that can't be shared. You collect the revenue directly and pay a fixed commission per code sold. The pricing page also includes a revenue simulator.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Starting with the hardest strategy: a membership without a programme, or a sponsor without a project, eats months. Begin with phase 1.
• Looking only at gross income: with partners and concessions, what counts is what the museum keeps.
• Selling an audio guide through a public QR: paid access doesn't hold if the code can be shared.
• Forgetting those who can't pay: plan reductions and free access for schools, families and disabled visitors.
• Not promoting your services: a service nobody sees earns nothing. More on this in The museum engagement gap.
• Not measuring: without revenue per visitor, you won't know which strategy worked.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fastest way to increase museum revenue?

Work with the visitors you already have: extras in online booking, a paid audio guide, more visible services. None of them needs a new audience.

Should museums charge for audio guides?

It depends on your goal. If revenue matters and you have many visitors, especially international ones, yes. If you want everyone to use it, go free or hybrid.

How much should a smartphone audio guide cost?

There is no single answer. As a reference, the British Museum charges £6 for its full guide and £1.99 to £2.99 for themed tours. Lower prices and short tours reduce drop-off.

Can a small museum grow revenue without extra staff?

Yes, starting with phase 1. A digital audio guide and online extras need little day-to-day management once set up.

How often should I review the plan?

Measure monthly and review priorities every quarter. Once a strategy is stable, move on to the next.

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