What to Put on a Business Card: Essential Details and Wording Examples by Profession

A business card has to say three things: who you are, what you do and how to reach you. That means a name, a profession or job title, and one or two contact details. Everything else earns its place only if it helps a person remember you and call or write. Below we go line by line, with wording examples for different professions and a list of what is better left off.

The essential details on a business card

Run a simple test: if someone finds the card a month from now, will they know who you are and why to call? Four lines are enough for that:

• Your first and last name, larger than everything else.
• Your profession, job title or service: the reason people come to you.
• The company or studio name, if there is one.
• A phone number and one more way to reach you: email, website or a messaging app.

How to write your name

Write your name the way clients address you. For a nail tech, barber or photographer, a first and last name is enough. Titles and credentials such as Dr., MD or Esq. belong where they are standard: in medicine, law and academia.

Use the full first name: "Anna Fox", not "Fox, A." Initials make the card impersonal, and people feel awkward calling when they do not know what to call you.

Job title or profession

The line under the name answers the question "how can this person help me". Use a word a client understands: "Attorney", "Nail Technician", "English Tutor". Internal titles like "Senior Operations Associate" mean nothing to outsiders.

If you work for yourself and do several things, pick the main one. A list of five professions on one card suggests you are not serious about any of them.

Company name and tagline

Write the company name the way clients know it, without "LLC", "Inc." or "Ltd." unless the legal form matters for the deal. A solo professional does not need a business name: a name and a profession work better than an invented studio.

A tagline is worth it when it specifies the service: "Photo shoots and professional retouching", "Turnkey home renovation". Generic words about quality and a personal approach only take up a line and can go.

Do you need a logo or a photo on a business card

A logo belongs on the card if you have one and people recognize it. It appears once and does not compete with the name: on a personal card the name leads, on a company card the brand does. If you have no logo, do not improvise one. Neat initials in a circle or simply a clean layout look better than a random picture.

A photo makes sense where clients need to recognize your face: realtors, trainers, consultants, speakers. A portrait on a card is the size of a fingernail, so only a close-up on a plain background works. Our maker has a single image field, meant for a logo: you can upload a portrait there, but fine detail will not survive.

A business card in two languages

If you work with clients abroad, do not try to fit two languages on one side. The text doubles and the type shrinks by half. The usual answer is one language per side, with the lines in the same positions.

On the second side, write your name the way it appears in your documents and profiles, and translate the job title by meaning rather than word for word. Give the phone number with the country code and keep the address in the form a driver or a map app will understand. In the maker you simply build two layouts in a row: change the text in the fields and download the second file.

Phone number

Give one number, the one you actually answer. Write it with spaces or hyphens so it is easy to dial: +1 202 555-0123. If you have clients abroad, keep the country code.

Two or three numbers leave people unsure which to call. If you prefer to be reached by text or a messaging app, add a short note next to the number rather than a separate line with another phone.

Email and website

An email address should be readable at first glance. A short address on your own domain looks more professional, but an ordinary mailbox you check every day beats a polished one you never open.

Write the website without "https://" and "www". If you have no website, give the place where your work can really be seen: a portfolio page or a social profile. Do not type a long link on a card; that is what a QR code is for.

Address: when you need it

You need an address if clients come to you: a salon, an office, a workshop, a cafe, a garage. Street, number and city are enough. A landmark such as "entrance at the back" helps more than a ZIP or postal code.

If you travel to clients or work remotely, leave the address off. Sometimes it is worth naming just the city or area, so a client knows right away whether you cover their location.

A QR code instead of long links

A QR code saves space: instead of three lines of links, the card carries one square that opens your website, catalog or booking page. In our maker you just enter the link in the QR code field and it appears on the layout.

Do not add a code for its own sake. It should lead somewhere a person can act: book, see your work, message you. A separate code with your own color and logo can be made in the QR code generator. Always test the finished code with a phone.

Messaging apps and social media on a business card

Mention a messaging app only if you really answer there faster than by phone. One word next to the number is enough. A list of four apps adds nothing: people will write wherever they already have your number open.

A social profile belongs on the card when it is your shop window: a nail tech's work, a cafe menu, reviews. Write the short handle, not the full address. One network is enough. If you have several profiles and need them all, collect them on one page and point a QR code at it.

What order to put contact details in

Put the contact people use most at the top. Usually that is the phone, followed by email, website and address. When the lines come in the familiar order, the eye finds the right one without labels.

In six designs of our maker the contacts run in a column, each line with an icon: a handset, an envelope, a globe, a map pin. The words "tel." and "web" are not needed there. In the Monogram, Frame and Minimal designs the phone, email and website sit on one centered line, so they need to be short.

Business card for a nail tech, barber or cosmetologist

A client of a beauty professional wants to know what you do and how to book. Your name matters more than the salon name, and the services read best in three words.

• Olivia Reed. Nail Technician. Manicure, pedicure, nail art. Phone, booking by text.
• Max Turner. Barber. Haircuts and beard grooming. Phone, barbershop address.
• Marina Bell. Cosmetologist. Skincare, cleansing, treatments. Phone, QR code for booking.

Business card for a photographer or designer

In a creative profession the work speaks for you, so the main thing on the card is the route to your portfolio. Keep the text to a minimum; people will see the rest by following the link.

• Anna Fox. Photographer. Photo shoots and professional retouching. Phone, portfolio website.
• Kira Ness. Graphic Designer. Branding, logos, print. Email, QR code to the portfolio.
• Vera Bloom. Florist. Bouquets and event styling. Phone, social profile.

Business card for a dentist, lawyer or tutor

Where qualifications matter to the client, state the specialty: not just "lawyer" but the area you practice in. Degrees and licenses go on the card when your field expects them and when they are real.

• Emily Carter. Dental Surgeon. Treatment, hygiene, implants. Clinic phone, address.
• David Harper. Attorney. Consulting and deal support. Phone, email.
• Natalie Green. Tutor, English. Exam preparation. Phone, messaging app.

Business card for a company: cafe, auto shop, renovation

When a client is looking for a place rather than a person, the business name and address come first. The employee's name stays so people know whom to ask for, and the tagline lists the services: "Repair and diagnostics", "Coffee, breakfast, desserts".

All these examples are ready to use in the Business card online maker: choose a profession from the list and the fields fill in with a sample, along with a matching design and color. Then replace the text with your own. There are sixteen templates, from photographer to freight.

Business card for a realtor, personal trainer or massage therapist

Where personal trust does the selling, it helps to show your service area or specialty: a client sees at once whether you are the right person.

• Steven Parker. Realtor. Buying, selling, renting. Phone, service area.
• Adam Wolf. Personal Trainer. Training and nutrition. Phone, gym name.
• Julia Stone. Massage Therapist. Relaxation and recovery. Phone, booking by text.

Business card for a freelancer or self-employed professional

Someone who works alone does not need to pose as a company. The company field can stay empty: empty fields do not appear on the layout, and the card only looks cleaner. Instead of a business name, use the slogan line to say exactly what you do and for whom.

Compare "Designer" with "Graphic Designer. Logos and packaging for small businesses". The second card filters out irrelevant calls by itself and brings in people who need exactly that. If your work comes from one city, add it: for a freelancer it replaces the address.

What does not belong on a business card

Every line takes attention away from the others. You can drop these without losing anything:

• The labels "tel.", "email" and "web" before contact details: a number and an address are recognizable on their own.
• Fax, a second and third phone, the full postal code.
• The complete list of services. It lives on your website; three words are enough on a card.
• Prices and promotions: they go out of date before the print run is used up.

How much text fits on a business card

A standard card comfortably takes a name, a profession, a company and four contact lines. In our maker each field is a single line: if it is too long, the text does not wrap but is set smaller so that it stays inside the card. A tiny line is hard to read, so shorten the wording until the type matches the lines next to it.

If you have to set the text smaller than 7 points, there is too much of it. Exact figures for format, margins and pixels are in the article Business card size in inches, mm and pixels.

What to put on the back

The back is optional. A blank back is handy: you can write an appointment time or a quote on it by hand. If you want to use it, put the logo, the tagline or a large QR code there.

Our maker builds the front side. For the back, make a second layout in the same design and color with only the lines you need, and send both files to the printer.

How to proofread before printing

Read the card aloud and try every contact from the layout: call the number, send an email, open the website, point a camera at the QR code. One wrong digit turns the whole print run into scrap paper.

Then show the layout to someone who does not know you and ask what you do. If the answer is slow to come, rewrite the profession line. How to build and print the cards is covered in the article How to make a business card.

Text that is hard to read

Correct details can be ruined by presentation. Four things get in the way most often:

• Light gray text on white, or dark on dark. Contact details should have the strongest contrast on the card.
• Everything in capital letters. A name is still readable; an email address is not.
• A number with no spaces. Ten or eleven digits in a row are hard to dial without a mistake.
• Lines in different styles: one with a period, one abbreviated, one spelled out.

When it is time to reprint your cards

Reprint as soon as even one contact changes. A correction in pen looks worse than having no card at all: people see the card is out of date and start doubting the rest.

To reprint less often, keep off the card anything that changes frequently: a room number, an extension, prices, the name of a promotion. Point the QR code at a page whose content you can update: the code on paper stays the same while the information behind it stays fresh.

What must be on a business card? Your first and last name, a profession or job title and at least one working contact, usually a phone number. Company, website and address are added as needed.

Should I put a title or degree on my business card? Only where it is standard in your field, such as medicine, law or academia. Otherwise a first and last name is enough.

How many phone numbers should a business card have? One, the number you answer. Several numbers make people guess which to call.

Do I need an address on my business card? Yes, if clients come to you: a salon, an office, a cafe, a garage. If you travel to clients or work remotely, you do not; sometimes just the city is given.

What should a nail tech put on a business card? A name, "Nail Technician", three words about the services, a phone number and a way to book: by text or a QR code to the booking page.

Should I put a QR code on my business card? Yes, if it leads somewhere a person can act: book, view your portfolio, message you. Test the code with a phone before printing.

What should go on the back of a business card? Nothing, or else the logo, the tagline or a large QR code. A blank back is useful for handwritten notes.

Should I put prices on a business card? No. Prices change before the print run is used up, and the card would have to be reprinted.