How to write the line next to your QR code so people scan it
Tell people what they get and what to do: a short verb phrase such as scan to save my contact details, set beside the code in readable type. A code with no explanation is often ignored, because nobody knows whether it is worth the effort.
Takes: 15 minutes
Why a bare code gets skipped
A QR code asks for effort: open the camera, aim, wait, tap. People will only do that if they can guess what is on the other side. A square of black and white with no words around it gives them nothing to weigh, so many will walk past, and an unlabelled code on a business card is also the first thing people suspect of being a scam link.
Writing the line
- 1
Name the benefit, not the code
Scan to save my details tells someone what they get. Scan me tells them nothing. Say what the person receives: your contact details, a price list, a map, a booking chat.
- 2
Start with a verb
Scan to book, scan for the menu, scan to message me. A command with a result is clearer than a description.
- 3
Keep it to seven words or fewer
It sits in a small space and is read in a second. If it needs a second line, the code is trying to do too much.
- 4
Match it to where the code leads
If the line promises contact details and the scan opens a general website, the person feels tricked. The wording and the destination have to agree.
- 5
Say it in your customers' language
If your clients read another language, write the line in it. Note that the VCardForever print file supports Latin characters only, so a line in another script must be added in your own design.
Putting it on the card
- 6
Place it directly beside or under the code
Within a few millimetres, in the same reading path. A line in a distant corner is not associated with the code.
- 7
Make it readable at arm's length
Small pale grey type looks neat on screen and vanishes on paper. Use a dark colour and a size you can read comfortably, not one you can only read leaning in.
- 8
Keep the margin around the code clear
The line must not enter the code's quiet zone, or the scan may fail. Leave the clear space and put the words outside it.
- 9
Print a plain fallback
A phone number or short web address near the code serves people who will not scan. Every card should have one, and it is not an admission of failure.
What the print file does and does not do
The print file from VCardForever puts a line under the large code on the back of the card. At present that line reads Scan to save my contact details and cannot be changed in the dashboard, so if you want different wording, such as a booking line, you need to set the card in your own design tool and use the downloaded code image. Whichever route you choose, we do not choose the wording for you or test which version works better.
Testing two versions fairly
- 10
Change one thing
Give out two batches that differ only in the line. If you change the wording and the layout together, you will not know which mattered.
- 11
Use a separate card for each batch
Make two cards in the dashboard and name them clearly, so scan counts are kept apart. A single card cannot separate them.
- 12
Give each a similar audience and time
Handing one version out at a busy event and the other at a quiet one proves nothing. Mix them in the same setting, and wait until each has been given to a reasonable number of people before you decide.
Common questions
Do I need text next to a QR code at all?
Almost always. The text is what turns a mysterious square into something worth a few seconds. It is only unnecessary where the context makes the purpose obvious.
Is Scan me good enough?
It is better than nothing and worse than saying what the scan gives. Replace it with the specific result.
Should I tell people which app to use?
No. Phones scan with the built-in camera. A line about an app only adds a step and makes the code look harder to use.