Six ways to share a digital business card, and when each one works best

Six ways to share a digital business card, and when each one works best — Online Business Cards

By Online Business Cards Editorial Team | Published | Updated | Sharing your card

A digital business card is just a link, which means you can share it almost anywhere. Here is which method suits a face-to-face chat, a video call, an inbox or a crowded event.

A digital business card is, underneath, a web link to your profile. That is its biggest strength: anything that can carry a link can carry your card. The trick is choosing the method that suits the moment, so the other person can save you without effort.

Here are six methods, with the situations where each one works best.

1. Show your QR code in person

Best for: face-to-face conversations, meetings, stands and anywhere you are standing next to the person.

Open your QR code on your phone and let the other person point their camera at it. iPhones have read QR codes from the built-in Camera app since iOS 11, and most recent Android phones do the same through the camera or Google Lens. They tap the link that appears and your profile opens — no app needed on either side. Our guide to what happens on the other person's phone covers older phones, saving your contact and poor signal.

Tips that make it smoother:

  • Turn your screen brightness up; dim screens are the most common reason a scan fails.
  • Keep a shortcut to your QR code on your home screen or lock screen so you are not hunting for it mid-conversation.
  • Say what will happen: "Point your camera at this and tap the link — it will open my details."

2. Send the link by text or WhatsApp

Best for: after a phone call, when you have their number already, or when someone asks you to "send me your details".

Paste your profile link into a message with one line of context: "Lovely to meet you at the breakfast meeting — here are my details." The message itself becomes a reminder of where you met, which a paper card never was.

3. Add it to your email signature

Best for: everyone you email, every day, without you thinking about it.

A text link such as "View my digital business card" under your name turns every email into a way to save your details. It is the method that works hardest for the least effort. We have a step-by-step guide for Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail.

4. Put it in your social bios

Best for: people who find you online first.

Add your profile link to the website field on LinkedIn, or the link in your bio on other networks. It gives people one place with all your contact options, rather than asking them to message you on a platform they may not use.

5. Save it to your phone wallet

Best for: quick access when you are out and about.

Keeping your card in your phone's wallet means your QR code is a double-click away, alongside your boarding passes and loyalty cards. It is the fastest way to show your code at an event.

6. Show it on screen

Best for: presentations, webinars and video calls.

Put your QR code on your final slide, large enough to scan from the back of the room, and leave it up while you take questions. On a video call, paste your link into the chat as well as showing the code — people on a laptop cannot easily scan their own screen. Our QR code sizing guide covers how big is big enough.

Which method for which moment

Situation | Best method | Back-up

Chatting in person | QR code on your phone | Text the link

Busy event or stand | QR code from your phone wallet | QR code on your stand signage

After a phone call | Text or WhatsApp the link | Email

Everyday email | Email signature link | —

Someone found you online | Link in your social bio | —

Presentation or webinar | QR code on the final slide | Link in the chat

Make every method point to the same place

Whichever methods you use, they should all open the same profile. That way, when you update your phone number or add a new service, every QR code, signature and bio is up to date at once. It also means you only have one link to remember.

For what is changing in how people swap details, see our guide to the future of contactless networking.

Read next: QR code business cards and LinkedIn and your digital business card. You can also browse all our guides, or see how an online business card works.

If your social bio is the main place people find you, read our comparison of an online business card vs link in bio before you choose what that link points at.

Frequently asked questions

Does the other person need an app to open my digital business card?

No. Your card opens in their phone's normal web browser, from a link or a QR code. There is nothing to download.

What if their phone camera does not recognise the QR code?

Make your screen brighter and hold the phone steady about a hand's width away. If it still does not work, send them the link by text or WhatsApp instead — that always works.

Can I share my card with someone who is not in the room?

Yes. Send your link by email, text or any messaging app. Because the card is a web link, it works the same wherever the other person is.

Will the link change if I update my details?

No. You change what the profile shows, not the link itself, so every QR code and link you have already shared keeps working and shows your latest details.

What is the quickest way to share a digital business card in person?

Show the QR code on your phone or a printed card. The other person points their camera at it and your card opens, with no typing.