How to create accessible social media posts: A complete guide to inclusive content

Not all social media content is made equal. Mindless scrolling through posts isn’t a universal experience. For many, social media is really frustrating to navigate.

There’s good news, though. You can make your social media content more accessible. Follow the steps below to engage a wider audience. Clearer and more accessible social media posts tend to perform better for everyone. Follow our best practice tips below to make it more accessible to all.

What is social media accessibility?

It’s about designing and developing social media content that works smoothly for everyone. It’s about reducing barriers to access wherever possible. It aims for equal access to all social media content. That applies whether you’re creating a fun TikTok reel or a professional LinkedIn graphic.

What does that mean in practice? Thinking about barriers that people face when trying to use your content. Visual impairments are one example. But it extends to auditory, cognitive and motor impairments too. Then there are temporary barriers like sunlight on your screen or typing with a broken arm. Put yourself in other people’s shoes. Does your content work for them?

How about with assistive technologies? That includes screen readers, voice control, magnification tools and alternative input devices. Your social content needs to work smoothly however it’s being accessed.

Why accessible social media posts matter

Many people experience barriers when using social media — whether that’s low vision, temporary injuries, neurodivergence, ageing, poor lighting, or background noise. In the UK alone, around 16 million people have access needs, representing 24% of the population.

Without accessible social media, you risk alienating or excluding people. As much as 20% of your audience could be missing your social media campaigns. Social media is such a key source of information and community. Excluding people from it has real consequences.

Accessible social posts can:

• Improve your reach and engagement
• Strengthen brand trust
• Enhance your reputation
• Boost SEO and discoverability
• Reduce customer support queries with clear, accessible content.

Legal and ethical responsibilities

The social media platforms themselves are responsible for core accessibility. But it’s down to you to be across the digital content you publish. Yes, there are rules and regulations to follow. But it’s also about showing people that you want them to access your content.

Recommended references for accessibility:

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) – a widely recognised set of accessibility standards. While WCAG itself is not law, it underpins many accessibility regulations. And it’s a really helpful reference for improving digital accessibility.

Equality Act 2010 (UK) – a law to protect people from discrimination. That’s direct and indirect discrimination. It replaced previous discrimination laws around sex, race and disability. It requires reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities.

European Accessibility Act 2025 – this EU law applies to certain products and services, including some digital services and e-commerce platforms. While not all social media activity falls under its scope, organisations should be aware of its implications where relevant.

These don’t all refer to social media content specifically. But the guidance will help to improve accessibility on any digital platform.

Key elements of accessible social media posts

Let’s look at specific actions you can take. Here, we’ll help to reduce accessibility issues with your social media posts. These are the most important accessibility features to remember.

Alternative text (alt text)

Write alt text to help people make sense of an image they can’t see. It’s an image description. It’s particularly helpful for screen reader users.

Good alt text is concise but specific. Make sure it clearly explains the purpose of the image. Adding alt text on social posts isn’t always obvious. On Instagram, you have to go to ‘advanced settings’ for example.

Closed captions and transcripts

Add descriptions to video content to increase accessibility. It ensures a better user experience. Include accurate audio descriptions that explain sounds as well as speech (eg “applause”, “music fades”). Don’t rely on auto-generated closed captions. Edit them to be relevant and specific. Ideally, videos should include subtitles or closed captions and a voiceover.

Clear and accurate video descriptions, subtitles and transcripts are really helpful. They’re not only for deaf and hard‑of‑hearing users. You may also use captions if you’re watching a video without sound. Or perhaps you’re in a noisy place and can’t hear it properly. When you add captions, you provide information to search engines (SEO) too.

Descriptive, plain language

Keep your copy simple. Use clear, straightforward language to improve readability. That benefits everyone, including people using screen readers. Be concise rather than complicated. Keep sentences short. And try not to use jargon or acronyms. Write as you chat. That helps more people to get what you’re saying.

Hashtags

Think about readability with hashtags, too. It’s best practice to use CamelCase. That means the first letter of each word is upper case. Limit your hashtags. Again, keep it simple and concise. And always put them at the end of your post.

Colour contrast

Good colour contrast helps your text to stand out better. It helps everyone to see it. It’s essential to keep visual elements readable for users with low vision or colour blindness.

Don’t simply choose colours because they’re pretty. Think about the colours you put together. Make sure there’s high contrast between text and background colour. Don’t rely on colour alone to convey meaning. Make it visible, accessible and readable.

Use our colour checker to test your palette’s accessibility.

Emojis and GIFs

Emojis and animated visuals can be distracting or hard to access. Screen readers read emojis aloud. Overuse can be confusing.

A poor user experience example:

🚀✨📣 New service launching now 🔥🔥🔥

(Screen reader output: “rocket, sparkle, loudspeaker, new service launching now, fire, fire, fire”).

That’s neither clear nor helpful.

Use emojis intentionally and sparingly. Write words rather than emojis. Be cautious with animated GIFs. They can be distracting or inaccessible. As with language, keep it plain and clear.

Tools and resources to help you

Help is at hand. There are excellent resources available to you.

• Facebook and Instagram Accessibility Settings – enable alt text and caption features
• WebAIM Contrast Checker – test colour contrast in visuals
• Accessible Social – guidance and examples for accessible social media
• Hemingway Editor – for plain language and clarity
• Rev and Kapwing – captioning and transcription tools
• Buffer and Hootsuite – social media scheduling tools that support alt text
• Studio Noel colour palette checker – test your colour palette’s accessibility. Make sure it complies with WCAG guidance.

Common mistakes to avoid

Small oversights can create big barriers. These pitfalls are all too common:

• Adding text to images without providing alt text
• Relying solely on emojis to convey meaning
• Ignoring colour contrast in branded assets
• Posting videos without closed captions.

Always double check your social media content before publishing. These tips apply whether it’s a TikTok reel, a Facebook or Instagram image, a YouTube video or a LinkedIn post.

Welcome more people to your social media channels

Taking steps to make your social media content more accessible is a win-win. It provides a better user experience for everyone. And increased reach and engagement benefit your brand.

Accessible social media isn’t about instant perfection. It’s about progress, awareness and consistency. Making these changes will help your social media content become more usable, more human and more effective. Accessibility should be an ongoing process. Build it into how you plan, create and review content.

We can help to make your social media content more accessible. We’re passionate about inclusivity and content that works for everyone.

Get in touch – let’s create better content together.