Social & marketing
Writing the text next to a QR code
The words beside a QR code matter more than its design. A stated, specific benefit — "Scan for the wine list" — consistently outperforms "Scan me", and a code with no text at all is close to decoration.
What the text has to do
Three jobs, in order:
- Say what happens. Not "scan me" — what. "See the wine list." "Get 20% off." "Book a table."
- Say why now. A benefit that applies at this moment, in this place.
- Set the expectation. If it opens a booking form, say so, and people who do not want to book will not scan and bounce.
Patterns that work
| Weak | Better |
|---|---|
| Scan me | Scan for tonight's specials |
| Learn more | See the size guide |
| Visit our website | Book a table in 30 seconds |
| Download the app | Track your order |
| Follow us | Get 10% off your first order |
| Scan for information | How to fit this — 90-second video |
Specificity does the work. "See the size guide" tells someone standing in a fitting room exactly what they get.
Do not describe the mechanism
"Scan this QR code with your phone camera to visit our website" wastes the only line you have. Everyone knows how to scan. Spend the words on the benefit.
Placement of the text
Directly below the code, never inside the quiet zone. The four-module margin must stay clear — text crowding it is one of the most common causes of a code that will not scan.
Give a fallback
Print a short, typeable URL beside the code. It serves people whose camera struggles, people without a smartphone, and screen-reader users for whom the code does not exist at all. It costs one line.
What actually determines scan rate
Ranked by effect:
- Dwell time. Is the reader standing still? A code in a lift lobby beats one in a corridor by an order of magnitude.
- The stated reason — this page.
- Size for the distance — at least distance ÷ 10.
- What happens next. A slow or irrelevant landing page does not just waste that scan; it makes people less likely to scan the next code they see anywhere.
Design of the code itself is a long way down that list.
FAQ
What should I write next to a QR code?
What the person gets, specifically. "See tonight's specials" beats "Scan me" because it gives a reason that applies right now.
Does "Scan me" work?
Barely. It states the mechanism, which everyone already knows, and gives no reason to act. Any specific benefit outperforms it.
Should I print the URL as well?
Yes. It serves people whose camera struggles, people without a smartphone, and screen-reader users. It costs one line of text.
What matters most for scan rate?
Whether the reader is standing still, then whether there is a stated reason, then whether the code is large enough for the distance. The code's visual design is far less important than any of these.