What a digital business card is

A digital business card is your contact details in a form a phone understands. The standard is the vCard (.vcf) file: every iPhone and Android phone opens it and offers to save the person to contacts, with the name, role, phone, email, website and photo in the right fields. No typing, no spelling mistakes in the email address, no card lost in a pocket.

It reaches people in three ways: the file itself (by email, WhatsApp or AirDrop), a QR code that holds the whole contact, and a link to a page with a “save contact” button. The first two you can make here for free; the third needs somewhere to host the page.

How to share it

The QR code works best on paper: on the back of your printed card, on a name badge, on a counter, on a stand at a fair. People point the camera and tap “Add to contacts”. Keep it at least 2 × 2 cm and print it dark on a light background.

The .vcf file is for messages: attach it to an email, send it on WhatsApp after a meeting, or keep it on your phone to share on the spot. Some people also save the QR code as their phone's lock screen so it's always a tap away at events.

Contact file or a page with its own link?

A .vcf file and a QR code are copies: once someone has them, a new phone number or a new job doesn't reach them. They're free and work forever, but they can't be updated and you can't see who used them.

A page with its own link — like yourname on Linktotem — is the living version. The same “Save contact” button always gives out your current details, the page can hold your portfolio, bookings and WhatsApp too, and you see how many people opened it. Many people use both: the QR code on paper points at the page, and the page hands out the contact.

What to put on your card

The essentials: your name as people know you, your role and company, and the one or two ways you actually want to be contacted. A mobile number and an email cover most cases; add your website and LinkedIn if they help people understand what you do.

A photo helps more than people think: weeks after an event, a face is what makes someone remember who you are. Use a clear, recent picture, your face centred — it's shown in a small circle.

Private by design

Your details and photo stay in your browser: nothing is sent to us or stored, and the files are made on your device. Remember that a QR code with your phone number can be read by anyone who sees it — if you'd rather not print your personal number, leave it out and use email or a work number instead.