5 simple strategies to make your content more accessible

Dec 04, 2024

Contributed blog by Angie Ramirez, Freelance Writer at Government Social Media®

As government social media managers, we have a responsibility to ensure everyone in our communities can access the vital information we share. Accessibility isn’t just a legal checkbox—it’s about fostering inclusion and trust. When we prioritize accessibility, we’re sending a clear message: everyone is part of the conversation, and no one is left behind.

And let’s be real—it’s also becoming a legal must-do. Across the U.S., states are rolling out accessibility standards. For example, in Colorado, HB21-1110 requires government agencies to ensure all information is accessible starting this year.

We all know accessibility is important, but it can seem daunting—especially for those small teams or teams of one. But don’t worry! A few small adjustments to your workflow can make a big impact. To keep things simple, here are five strategies you can start using today to make your content more accessible.

1. Use descriptive alt text

How would you describe an image to an individual who is blind or visually impaired? That’s what alt text, or alternative text, does.

Alt text allows those using a screen reader to understand the context of an image or graphic. It’s one of the essential aspects of making your content more accessible and meeting legal standards.

Alt text should be descriptive and useful. For example, the photo below could have alt text that reads:

Five individuals wearing sunglasses and lanyards posing at the Government Social Media Conference holding various emoji face signs, standing in front of a backdrop with the GSM logo and #GSMCON.

Pro-tip: There are some super-handy AI tools today that can help you save time and improve the quality of your alt text. For example, Sprout Social has a built-in alt text generator, and some social networks can also auto-generate alt text. Just remember to double-check any auto-generated alt text and make any necessary edits before publishing to make sure it’s accurate and reliable.

2. Caption all videos

This is a big one! Any video with dialogue or sound effects should have captions to ensure it’s accessible for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Not to mention anyone who’s scrolling their feed on mute (you know they are).

There are two types of captions to know:

Closed Captions: These can be manually turned on or off (like on YouTube or Netflix)
Open Captions: These are burnt into your video and are always visible (perfect for Instagram or TikTok).

Pro-tip: Again, there are a ton of free tools that can help auto-generate captions. Some of my favorites include CapCut, the Captions App and Splice. Always double-check auto-generated captions for accuracy, even when the social networks themselves offer them.

3. Use accessible fonts and colors

We’ve all seen graphics out there that are hard to read. To ensure your social graphics are accessible, keep things clean and simple with easy-to-read fonts and high color contrast.

Fonts: If you’re following your brand guidelines for font selection, you’re probably safe, but simple sans-serif styles like Arial, Helvetic, Montserrat, and Verdana are always good options. If you’re using an accent font like a cursive or bubble font, make sure it’s clear and easy to read.
Colors: It’s always important to ensure your text stands out from the background. Choosing dark text on a light background (or vice versa) is a good rule of thumb.

Pro-tip: Tools like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker are also a great resource for checking accessibility.

4. Be mindful of emojis

I know, I know, we all love a good emoji. But did you know screen readers read them every time?

For example: “🎉🎉🎉 Great job!” sounds like “Party popper, party popper, party popper, great job!”

This can be very distracting and confusing for those using a screen reader. Using a few emojis intentionally is perfect. But too many can be too much. Keep them to a minimum and consider how they could disrupt the flow of a sentence for a screen reader.

Pro-tip: If you’re using ChatGPT for help drafting posts (no judgment!), you’ll need to delete at least half of the emojis (trust me, it’s a dead giveaway, and in my experience, it always uses way too many).

5. Make accessibility part of your workflow

Accessibility shouldn’t feel like an afterthought; it should be part of your daily routine so that it becomes second nature. Here are some things I like to do to ensure accessibility is built into every post:

Add a column for alt-text in your social media content planner.
Meet with your organization’s accessibility coordinator, if you have one, to keep learning and stay up to date on any new regulations or resources.
Use tools like screen reader simulators or accessibility checkers to catch issues before posting.
Leverage AI to do things like draft alt text or auto-generator captions. This can save a ton of time, but make sure you double-check everything for accuracy.

By making accessibility part of your routine, you can ensure content is inclusive for all while also protecting your agency from potential liability.

Let’s make accessibility the norm

Accessibility isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress and inclusion. Every small step you take makes a difference in helping your community feel seen and heard.

Have any accessibility tips or tools you swear by? Share them in the comments or join the conversation in the Government Social Media Community Facebook Group. Together, we can keep raising the bar for accessibility in government communications!

Meet the author

Angela Ramirez (Pitts)

Freelance Writer - Government Social Media LLC

Angela is an award-winning government communicator who is passionate about leveraging social media to build strong relationships between government agencies and the people they serve. During her tenure with the City of Tampa, Angela proudly maintained a dynamic social media presence for the City, telling Tampa’s story through historic events, including the Super Bowl, the COVID-19 pandemic, major hurricanes, and more. She also helped establish a community-centric social media following for the City, growing the @cityoftampa Instagram profile from less than 1k followers to over 100k in under five years.

She has recently moved to the beautiful state of Colorado and now serves as Communications Manger for the City of Lakewood, the 5th largest city in the state. Her passion for government social media continues as she strives to be a thought leader in the field. She takes immense pride in the connections she’s made with social media professionals across the nation.

Angela earned her bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida and is currently completing her master's degree in Digital Strategy from the University of Florida. In her free time, you can find her scrolling Instagram Reels, spending time with her husband and dog, or planning her next big adventure.

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