What is LinkedIn's digital business card?
It is a personalised LinkedIn card that you can keep in your digital wallet and use with people you meet in person. LinkedIn announced it on 15 October 2026 in a newsroom post titled New Ways to Build Meaningful Connections, Grow Your Side Hustle, and Earn on LinkedIn. In LinkedIn's description, you can design and personalise the card to express who you are professionally, add it to your digital wallet, and stay connected with people you meet in person.
Andrew Hutchinson of Social Media Today, writing on 18 October 2026, described an image from LinkedIn's launch showing a card with a headshot, a job role description taken from the member's profile and a QR code, and said users will be able to customise the display with a range of design options. Hutchinson also noted that LinkedIn added profile QR codes in 2018.
The same announcement added two things that matter after an event:
- Profile notes. Premium subscribers can now add private notes to profiles to remember that they met someone, what they discussed and when to reconnect. LinkedIn says this is available globally.
- A Network feed test. A separate feed of posts from your connections and people you follow, being tested in select markets starting with the U.S., India, the U.K. and Australia.
Who can use it, and when?
LinkedIn says the card is rolling out globally over the coming months, so as of 20 October 2026 you may not see it yet. The announcement does not say which countries get it first, which wallet apps it supports, or whether it arrives on iOS and Android at the same time. It also does not say the card needs Premium, while it does say profile notes are for Premium subscribers.
Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine, attended LinkedIn's launch event in Manhattan and wrote in a LinkedIn post on 15 October 2026 that the cards roll out to everyone this month. LinkedIn's own announcement gives a longer window. Plan as if you may not have the card at your next event, and check the LinkedIn app the week before.
The good news is that the part that does the work at an event already exists. Every LinkedIn member has a QR code in the mobile app, and scanning it opens their profile. The next section shows how to use it.
How do you share or scan a LinkedIn QR code at an event?
Open the LinkedIn app, tap the QR code icon in the search bar at the top of the home screen, and choose My code. That is the path on LinkedIn's QR code help page, which says each member has their own unique code. The page is shown as last updated five years ago, so the app's labels may have moved.
Save your code before you go
On My code, choose Save to photos on iPhone, or Save to gallery on Android. A saved image still opens on your phone if the venue's signal is weak. On iPhone, Share my code sends it by message or email.
Scan their code too
Tap the QR code icon, then the Scan tab, and hold your phone over the other person's code. On Android, allow camera access when asked. LinkedIn then opens their profile, where you can connect.
Scan from a photo if you are rushed
If someone shows a code on a slide or a badge, take a photo and use Scan from photos (Add code from gallery on Android) later that day.
A scan gives you the profile. It does not record what you talked about, so write that down within a minute or two, while you still remember it. On Premium, a private profile note does this inside LinkedIn; on a free account, use your phone's notes app.
A same-week conference playbook
Scan on the day, connect the same evening and follow up within 48 hours. The timings are our advice, set so that each message arrives while the person still remembers you. LinkedIn sets none of them.
| When | What to do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Two days before | Update your headline and photo, save your QR code to your phone, and list the 10 people or companies you most want to meet. | 20 minutes |
| At each conversation | Scan their code or let them scan yours. Within two minutes, note the event, the topic and one detail they told you. | 2 minutes |
| Same evening | Send connection requests with a note that names the conversation. Spend scarce notes on your best conversations. | 15 minutes |
| Within 48 hours of each acceptance | Send one message: the detail you remember, anything you promised, and one easy question. | 5 minutes each |
| Day 7 | If they replied, suggest a call. If not, send one message with something new and useful. | 10 minutes |
| Day 14 | Close the loop politely with anyone still quiet, and log every conversation in your CRM. | 10 minutes |
The same-evening step matters most. A request that arrives a week later, with no note, looks like every other request from a stranger. Our guide to following up without being annoying covers how to space the messages after the first one.
Keep a tally for each event: codes scanned, requests sent, requests accepted, replies and calls booked. Two or three events in, you will know which kind of conversation turns into a meeting.
What should a connection note say after you meet someone?
A good note names the event, the topic and one detail only the two of you know, in under 200 characters. LinkedIn's help page on personalising invitations (shown as updated about six months ago) sets that 200-character limit and suggests mentioning how you found the person or what you have in common, such as a shared event, and why you want to connect now.
The same page says free accounts can add a personal note to up to three connection requests a month, while Premium members can add notes to all of them (connection request limits may still apply). On a free account, use your three notes on the best conversations of the event. Send the rest without a note and put the context in your first message after they accept.
These four examples are ours, each under 200 characters. Replace the braces with your own details:
- Example, you asked a question at their talk: Hi {name}, I asked about onboarding churn after your talk at {event} on Tuesday. Your point about the day-3 email stuck with me. Good to stay in touch.
- Example, you spoke at their stand: Hi {name}, we spoke at your stand at {event} about moving reporting off spreadsheets. Connecting so I can send the checklist I mentioned.
- Example, you sat together at a dinner or side event: Hi {name}, good to sit next to you at the {event} dinner. You mentioned hiring your first salesperson. Happy to share what we learned doing the same.
- Example, you were in the same session but never spoke: Hi {name}, we were both in the pricing session at {event} but didn't get to talk. Your question on annual discounts was the best one in the room.
Each one names something that happened, says why you are connecting, and asks for nothing. For other situations, our 30 connection request templates are all under 200 characters too.
What to send within 48 hours of connecting
Send one short message that proves you remember the conversation and gives them an easy reason to reply. Thank them, name the detail, deliver anything you promised, and ask one question they can answer in a line. Leave the pitch until they have told you about a problem worth solving.
Two examples of ours, written for after someone accepts:
- Example, they asked you for something: Thanks for connecting, {name}. Here's the reporting checklist I mentioned at {event}: {link}. The second tab is the part most teams skip. How are you handling month-end reports today?
- Example, you only talked: Good to meet you at {event}, {name}. I kept thinking about what you said on hiring your first salesperson. Did you go with someone from your industry, or someone who had sold before?
If there is no reply after a week, send one more message with something new, such as a useful link or a short answer to a question they raised, then stop. Our 21 LinkedIn follow-up message templates give you more messages to send after someone accepts.
Siela's AI SDR does something similar with the LinkedIn leads it finds: when someone accepts, it reads their profile again and picks up from the note instead of re-introducing you, and it stops when the person books, says yes, says no or asks to stop.
Frequently asked questions
When will I get LinkedIn's digital business card?
LinkedIn announced the card on 15 October 2026 and said it is rolling out globally over the coming months. Its announcement does not list which countries or apps get it first. If you do not see it yet, the QR code in the search bar of the LinkedIn mobile app lets other members scan it in their app and open your profile in the meantime.
Do you need LinkedIn Premium for the digital business card?
LinkedIn's 15 October 2026 announcement does not say the business card requires Premium, while it does say profile notes are for Premium subscribers. Jason Feifer of Entrepreneur, who attended the launch event, wrote that the cards roll out to everyone. Check your own app, because LinkedIn says the rollout runs over the coming months.
How do I find my LinkedIn QR code?
LinkedIn's help page says to open the LinkedIn mobile app, tap the QR code in the search bar at the top of your homepage, and tap the My code tab. From there you can share your code or save it to your photos. Tap the Scan tab instead to scan someone else's code and open their profile.
Can you add private notes to someone's LinkedIn profile?
Yes, if you have Premium. On 15 October 2026 LinkedIn said Premium subscribers can now add private notes to profiles to remember that they met someone, what they discussed and when to reconnect, and that the feature is available globally. On a free account, keep the same details in a notes app or your CRM.
What should a LinkedIn connection note say after a conference?
Name the event, the topic you discussed and one detail the other person told you, and ask for nothing. LinkedIn's help page limits notes to 200 characters and suggests mentioning a shared event and why you want to connect now. Free accounts can add notes to up to three requests a month, so use them on your best conversations.
Sources
- LinkedIn newsroom: New Ways to Build Meaningful Connections, Grow Your Side Hustle, and Earn on LinkedIn (published 15 Oct 2026)
- Social Media Today: LinkedIn adds digital business cards (Andrew Hutchinson) (published 18 Oct 2026)
- Jason Feifer, LinkedIn post: LinkedIn launches some new tools today (published 15 Oct 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Using a LinkedIn QR Code to Connect with Members (checked 20 Oct 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Personalize invitations to connect (checked 20 Oct 2026)