QR Code Call to Action: What to Write Next to It

Write "Scan for what they get" next to the code. "Scan me" says nothing, so nobody knows why they should scan. "Scan for today's specials" says what they get, and that is the reason to scan.

The pattern

Most good QR wording fits one line. Our QR code best practices say to always include a call to action, and this is the shape it takes:

Scan + for + what they get (+ why now)

• "Scan for today's specials"
• "Scan to book a viewing"
• "Scan for the full ingredient list"
• "Scan to save my contact"

What follows the verb is the hard part. "Scan for more info" is the same as "Scan me": more info about what?

"Why now" is optional. Use it when there's a real reason: tonight only, this table, before the doors open. Don't invent urgency.

Illustration: two good and two weak calls to action.

The two good ones are "Scan for tonight's specials" and "Scan to book a viewing". Each says what you get, and "tonight" gives a real reason to scan now. The two weak ones are "Scan me" and "Scan for more information". "Scan me" stops at the verb, so it never says what you get. "Scan for more information" follows the pattern on paper, but "more information" still doesn't say what they get.

Examples by place

The wording depends on where the person is standing and what they want at that moment.

Numbers help when they're true. "2 min" tells someone the video won't eat their lunch break. "From $15" answers the first question before they scan.

Where to put the words

• Right next to the code, above or to the left.
• Big enough to read from where they'll scan. If the code is sized for 2 meters, the line has to be readable from 2 meters. Our QR code size guide covers the code itself.
• A short link under it, as a fallback for people who can't scan. A QRZY code's link is go.qrzy.co/ plus 8 random characters, which is hard to type from memory; readable custom codes start on Pro.

An arrow or a frame around the code with the words in it works too. The frame mustn't touch the code, it needs a white margin to scan. A missing margin is one of the causes in why a QR code isn't scanning.

On postcards and letters there's one more rule, the postal barcode area. QR codes on direct mail covers it.

Keep the promise on the other side

The call to action makes a promise. The page it opens has to keep it on the first screen. "Scan for today's specials" that opens the full menu PDF is a broken promise. Our article on QR code landing pages goes through what the page needs.

This is also where a dynamic QR code is useful. The print says "today's specials", so the page has to change every day. With a dynamic QR code, the printed code stays and you change the page it points to, even by time of day: menus that change by time of day shows how restaurants do it.

Test two wordings (with QRZY)

To find out which line works better, print both and count.

1. Create one QR code in QRZY and set where it should go.
2. Under Channels, select Add Channel twice, with slugs such as a and b.
3. Copy each channel link and turn it into its own printed code, for example with our free QR code generator.
4. Print version A of the flyer with code a and version B with code b. Hand them out the same way, in the same places.
5. Check the scans per channel every week and write the counts down. Starter keeps 7 days of analytics and Pro keeps 30, so last week's numbers won't be there for long. How to track QR code scans explains what the counts mean.

Both codes open the same page, so the only difference is the wording. Channels start on Starter ($100 a year, 3 per code). Free has none, and its scans show a 5-second countdown or a QRZY bar.

What the count doesn't tell you: whether the people who scanned then booked, bought or called. QRZY counts scans. What happens after is up to your page and your own tools. And small numbers mislead: 12 scans against 9 is not a winner.

Common questions

Is "Scan me" ever fine? When the context already says what the code does, for example a code printed inside a "Menu" box on the table. Elsewhere, say what they'll get.

Should the call to action include an offer? Only a real one. "Scan for 10% off tonight" works if the page actually gives the 10%. Then the offer is the call to action.

How long should it be? One line, read in a second. If it needs a second line, the first one isn't clear enough.