QR Album
QR codes

Invite guests with a QR code

Responsible
Martin Freiwald, Founder
Written
Last checked
Reading time
5 min
Short answer

Put 1 code on each table instead of 1 poster by the door, write one line alongside it mentioning what a guest gets, and have somebody announce that no app is needed.

Then post the same link in the group chat the following morning. The second wave of photos comes from folks who were too busy the evening before.

Placement decides most of it

A code works where guests are already sitting with a phone at hand. That's the table, the bar line and the area folks wait in — not the entryway, which everybody passes once while carrying a coat. A few small signs beat 1 large one, and each carries the same code.

Paper is the least expensive part of the evening. Print more signs than feels needed.

  1. Print 1 per table. A6 cards. The code is identical on every one of them.
  2. Say it once out loud. Anybody who gives a speech can cover it in ten seconds. That reaches guests no sign does.
  3. Send it again the next day. One message to the group, plus the link. It costs nothing and gathers a second round.

The objection nobody says out loud

Folks assume they will need to install something or sign up. They don't say it; they just don't scan. The sentence that removes it's short and must be said instead of only printed: no app, no account, it opens in your browser.

Anybody giving a speech can fit that in ten seconds, and it reaches the guests who will never read a table card.

What the sign should say

Lead with the outcome, not the mechanics. "Your photos from today, all in 1 album" shows a guest why they should bother; "Scan our QR code" shows them what to do with no explanation why. Hold it to 1 line, since a paragraph on a table card gets read by no one.

Adding the web address below in small type costs nothing and rescues anybody whose camera is uncooperative.

Before the day

Post the link in the group chat ahead of time. A guest who opened the page once opens it again without hesitating that night, and it lets the early arrivals add photos from getting ready. Open the upload window in good time that that's possible.

Then test the printed card using a borrowed phone before printing the rest.

During the party

With a screen in the room, show the live wall on it and keep the code in the corner. Watching a photo show up is what prompts the next 1, and the corner code makes the screen a second invitation for anybody who hasn't scanned yet. The wall comes with the Celebrate and Grand plans.

If the location Wi-Fi is weak, say early that cellular data is the more reliable choice. A room of phones uploading at once reaches a guest network s limit swiftly.

The morning after

Send the link once more, mentioning the album is still open. Many guests took photos and never uploaded them, since they were dancing, eating or talking. That single message gathers a second round for the price of 1 line of text.

Confirm how long your album is left open before you make promises: 30 days on the free tier, and 90, 183 or 365 for the paid ones.

Common questions

How many signs should I print?

1 per table, plus 1 per bar and 1 by the entryway. For 10 tables that's around 13.

Does each table need its own code?

No. An album has 1 code and every sign carries it.

What is the single most useful thing I can do?

Have somebody announce that there's no app and no sign-up. That's the objection folks hold silently.

When should I send the link?

Once before the day and once the next morning. The second message gathers an actual second round.

Do I need a screen in the room?

No, but a live wall shows contributions live, which prompts more. It comes with Celebrate and Grand.

Pass it on
Related articles
Contact

The room is not scanning

Forward us a photo of a sign where it appears. Position and wording explain more of these than the printing does.