--- title: "How to retarget people who scanned your QR code with ads" description: "Turn the people who scanned the QR code on your packaging, poster, booth or event signage into a Meta, Google, TikTok or LinkedIn audience, and show them ads afterwards. The flow, which pixel for which audience, examples and limits." canonical: "https://linkbreakers.com/help/article/how-to-retarget-people-who-scanned-your-qr-code-with-ads" last-updated: 2026-10-30 --- # How to retarget people who scanned your QR code with ads > Turn the people who scanned the QR code on your packaging, poster, booth or event signage into a Meta, Google, TikTok or LinkedIn audience, and show them ads afterwards. The flow, which pixel for which audience, examples and limits. :::try-ai-prompt {"prompt":"Add my Meta pixel 123456789012345 and my Google tag G-ABC1234 to all my links","description":"Set up retargeting pixels with the Assistant.","target":"assistant"}::: ## Short answer A QR code on a pack, a poster or a booth sign reaches people you cannot reach online afterwards: they scan, look and leave. With [retargeting pixels](/help/article/retargeting-pixels-meta-google-tiktok-linkedin-and-google-tag-manager), every person who scans one of your Linkbreakers QR codes is added to your audience on Meta, Google, TikTok or LinkedIn. You can then show them ads days later, including the people who never filled in a form. Set the pixels once in **Integrations > Retargeting pixels**, and they apply to every link and QR code of the workspace. Pixels add a short delay to every visit, usually well under a second and never longer than 1.2 seconds. They are available on every plan, Free included. ## Why this use case matters Print and physical placements are good at getting a scan and bad at following up. Most people who scan do not buy, sign up or leave their email on the spot. Without a pixel, that interest is gone once they close the page. A pixel keeps a door open. The scan becomes a member of an ad audience, and the next ad they see on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok or LinkedIn can be about the product they scanned. ## The flow 1. A person scans your QR code 2. Linkbreakers loads a brief page in their browser that fires your pixels and sends a page view 3. The page redirects them to your destination, as before 4. The ad platform adds them to the audience built on that pixel 5. You run a campaign aimed at that audience Bots, link previews, AI agents and recognized automated browsers skip step 2 and get the instant redirect, so they never end up in your audience. ## Which pixel for which audience | You want to reach them on | Set | Then build in the ad platform | |---|---|---| | Facebook and Instagram | Meta Pixel ID | A website custom audience from the pixel | | YouTube, Search and Display | Google tag `AW-...` | A remarketing audience in Google Ads | | Google Analytics reports | Google tag `G-...` | Page views in GA4 | | TikTok | TikTok pixel ID | An audience from the pixel's site visitors | | LinkedIn | LinkedIn partner ID | A website audience from the Insight Tag | | Pinterest, Snap, Reddit, X, Microsoft Ads | Google Tag Manager container ID | The platform's audience, from the tag you add to your container | Pick the platforms where you already advertise. Each pixel you add is one more script on the brief page, so there is no reason to set pixels for platforms you will not run ads on. ## Examples ### Packaging A snack brand prints a QR code on every pack that leads to recipes. Everyone who scans joins a Meta audience. When a new flavor launches, the brand shows the launch ad to that audience first, people who already bought and scanned a pack. See [how to use QR codes on product packaging](/help/article/how-to-use-qr-codes-on-product-packaging) for the packaging side. ### Posters and out-of-home A gym puts QR codes on posters around the neighborhood that lead to a free trial page. Many people scan on the street and do not book. The gym runs a TikTok and Instagram campaign aimed at the people who scanned, with the trial offer again. ### Trade show booths An exhibitor's booth sign has a QR code to the product demo. Only some visitors leave their details in the form. With the LinkedIn Insight Tag set, everyone who scanned, form or not, can see the exhibitor's LinkedIn ads in the weeks after the show. See [how trade show exhibitors use QR codes to capture and qualify leads](/help/article/how-trade-show-exhibitors-use-qr-codes-to-capture-and-qualify-leads) for the lead capture part. ### Events A festival puts QR codes on wristbands and stage screens that lead to the lineup. Next year, it shows early-bird ticket ads on Meta and Google to the people who scanned this year. ## Set it up 1. Find the ID of each pixel you need in the ad platform. The [feature article](/help/article/retargeting-pixels-meta-google-tiktok-linkedin-and-google-tag-manager#where-to-find-each-id) shows where for each one 2. In Linkbreakers, open **Integrations > Retargeting pixels**, paste the IDs and save 3. Open one of your links in a normal browser with the platform's pixel helper extension to check that the pixel fires 4. In the ad platform, create the audience from the pixel 5. Wait for the audience to fill. Meta mentions about 24 to 72 hours, and every platform needs a minimum audience size before it serves ads 6. Launch the campaign aimed at that audience You can also do steps 2 and 3 from an AI agent. With the [MCP server](/help/article/mcp-server-setup) connected, ask: > Set my Meta pixel to 123456789012345 and my LinkedIn partner ID to 1234567 on my Linkbreakers workspace, then tell me which pixels are set. The same is available through the REST API (`PUT /v1/retargeting-pixels`), the CLI and the SDKs. ## Separate audiences per campaign Pixels apply to every link and QR code of the workspace, so one pixel sees the scans of all your campaigns. To build an audience for one campaign, filter in the ad platform on the page URL the pixel reports, which is the address of the Linkbreakers link that was opened. Most platforms let you build an audience from visitors whose URL contains a word, so a distinct short link per campaign keeps them apart. Check the URLs your pixel receives in the platform's events view before you build the audience. If you run campaigns for different clients, use a [workspace per client](/help/article/how-to-manage-qr-codes-for-multiple-clients), each with its own pixels. ## Limits and caveats - **A short delay on every visit.** The brief page that fires the pixels adds usually well under a second, never longer than 1.2 seconds. Without pixels, links redirect instantly - **Workspace-wide pixels.** There is no per-link choice yet - **Page views only.** No purchase or lead events are sent, and there is no server-side Conversions API connection - **Consent is yours.** Pixels set marketing cookies, which in the EU and the UK usually need consent. Linkbreakers does not show a consent banner; cover it in your privacy policy and consent setup - **Blockers apply.** Ad blockers and tracking protection stop pixels on your links as they do on any website - **Audiences take time and size.** The ad platform decides when an audience is ready ## Frequently asked questions ### Do people who only scan, without filling in a form, enter the audience? Yes. The pixel fires on the visit itself, before the destination. ### Will people who scan see a different page? They see a brief page for usually well under a second, then the same destination as before. ### Can I use different pixels for different QR codes? Not yet. Pixels apply to every link and QR code of the workspace. Use a separate workspace when you need separate pixels. ### Do bots or link previews fill my audience? No. Only people's visits fire the pixels. Bots, link previews, AI agents and recognized automated browsers get the instant redirect. ### Is it included on the Free plan? Yes. Retargeting pixels are available on every plan. ## Sources - Linkbreakers Retargeting pixels, checked in the product on 2026-10-30. - Meta for Developers, Meta Pixel: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/meta-pixel/ - Google tag platform, the Google tag: https://developers.google.com/tag-platform/gtagjs ## Last reviewed 2026-10-30 by Laurent Schaffner.