Social media like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) have taken information sharing and content consumption to a new level. However, as these platforms keep growing, there’s a major issue that needs attention: content accessibility. Everyone deserves an inclusive experience, regardless of their abilities. Fortunately, best practices and accessibility tools—such as creating video captions—can make your social media content more accessible.
However, creating accessible content is more than just ticking boxes; it’s a fundamental part of building an engaged community. So, how can content creators utilize accessibility tools and practices to ensure their social media posts are inclusive to all users?
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- About 42.5 million adults in the U.S., or 13% of the population, have disabilities.
- The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) suggest aiming for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates social media content creators to make their content accessible to all users.
Why is Accessibility Crucial in Social Media Content Creation?
I can’t overstate the importance of accessibility in social media content creation. It ensures that everyone has equal access to information. However, accessible content doesn’t just create a more inclusive online community; it also often gets more visibility. More views mean potentially higher income for content creators. It’s a win-win situation.
Apart from the earnings potential associated with content accessibility, social media content creators are mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to make their content accessible to all users, especially the 42.5 million adults with disabilities, about 13% of the country’s population.
Luckily, doing so isn’t very difficult. Closed captions, alt text for images, and transcripts for audio content are all great ways to do it.
Most Common Types of Social Media Content
Before we discuss the finer details of this topic, below is social media content that we may frequently encounter.
| Contents | Description |
| Text Posts | Short, written updates or longer blog-style posts sharing thoughts, opinions, or information. |
| Images | Visual content such as photos, illustrations, infographics, or memes. |
| Videos | Short-form or long-form video content, including vlogs, tutorials, or entertaining clips. |
| Live Streams | Real-time video broadcasts that allow interaction with the audience through comments or reactions. |
| Stories | Short-lived content, typically available for 24 hours, often featuring a mix of images, videos, and text. |
| User-Generated Content | Content created and shared by users, often in response to prompts or challenges from brands or influencers. |
| Sponsored Content | Paid partnerships between brands and creators to promote products or services. |
Strategies to Improve Social Media Accessibility
There are many ways; however, let’s focus on the major ones—for now.
Alt Text for Images
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommends using alt text for images for better accessibility.
What is alt text? It’s simply a short description of an image that screen readers read aloud so visually impaired users can understand the image. Keep it short and descriptive when writing alt text, focusing on the essential info the image conveys.
Let’s say there’s an image of a sunset on the beach. The alt text could be: “A stunning orange and pink sunset over a sandy beach with palm trees silhouetted in the foreground.”
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms can add alt text to images, so it’s not difficult for content creators to improve the accessibility of visual content.
Descriptive Captions
Well-crafted captions are the way to go when sharing images or videos on social platforms. Try to provide as much essential information about the visual content as possible. It should be short but accurately describe the elements and purpose of shared media.
An example of this could be a photo of a sunset. The caption could be, “A breathtaking view of vibrant orange and pink hues paint the sky as the sun sets behind the silhouette of a cityscape.” Be creative on this one.
Descriptive captions also enhance the experience for visually impaired users who rely on screen readers; they benefit everyone by providing a clearer understanding of the content’s message.
Proper Color Contrast
Although not very apparent, color contrast is crucial in making social media content accessible. The difference in brightness between text and its background can make or break readability, especially for those with visual impairments or color blindness.
Therefore, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) suggest aiming for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. So, when creating eye-catching social media graphics, it pays to pick color combos that hit those marks. Tools like WebAIM’s Color Contrast Checker can be quite helpful for double-checking ratios.
CamelCase for Descriptive Hashtags
In general, hashtags on social media platforms are like secret codes. They work best when they’re descriptive and in CamelCase.
CamelCase is a writing style that capitalizes the first letter of each word in a compound word or phrase to help screen readers distinguish the words.
So, instead of “#effectiveaccessibilitytips,” content creators should opt for “#EffectiveAccessibilityTips” to ensure screen readers read the hashtag correctly. This strategy isn’t just a win for users with visual impairments; it can also boost readability for everyone scrolling through their feeds.
Limit the Use of Emojis
Although emojis can add some personality or alternative visual interest to social media posts, they can also compromise accessibility for people who rely on screen readers. The City University of New York pointed out that screen readers used by visually impaired people read out the description of each emoji, which can make the message more difficult to comprehend.
If emojis are in the mix, they should be used sparingly and with purpose to ensure they add value rather than clutter. A single birthday cake emoji in a post about a birthday celebration? That’s cool. A bunch of random emojis? Well, it might leave visually impaired people scratching their heads.
Trigger Warnings
Although a hot topic due to “Spoiler” issues, trigger warnings are also crucial in making social media content more accessible, most especially for those with mental health conditions or past traumas.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recommends content creators should be open to include trigger warnings when posting about potentially distressing topics, like violence, abuse, mental health issues, and so on. These warnings should be front and center—spelling out what the content covers—so users can decide whether to engage.
For instance, a post could start with “Trigger Warning: This post discusses experiences with domestic violence.” That simple trigger warning alone can help content creators create a more inclusive social media environment.
Captions and Transcripts for Videos
We all know that video content on social media can be a great way for content creators to increase their relevance to the algorithm, even though videos aren’t always accessible to everyone.
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) emphasizes that captions and transcripts are necessary for users with hearing issues to join in on the fun. Captions should be spot-on, synced with the audio, and include relevant non-speech sounds to create a full viewing experience.
Some platforms, like YouTube, have automatic captioning, but content creators should always double-check captions to ensure accuracy.
How Can You Get Transcripts for Video Captions?
Several transcription methods for audio or video files might sound like excellent ways to make your social media content more accessible and engaging. However, not all of them are appropriate for video transcription. Here’s why:
In-House Transcription
In-house transcription refers to you or a hired employee transcribing video to text. This has certain significant disadvantages, the biggest of which is that transcription is time-consuming. Furthermore, having a professional employee transcribe audio to text can be expensive.
Automatic Transcription
Automatic transcription uses machine learning, AI transcription software, or other automated speech-to-text tools to automatically transcribe and caption video or audio recordings. Most platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok offer built-in auto-generated closed captions in their apps. They also often come as free transcription functions in popular word processors like Google Docs and Microsoft Word.
While this might sound like a fast, cheap option, transcribing Instagram videos with AI will lead to less accuracy—14% less, to be exact, as automatic verbatim transcription is often only 86% accurate.
Manual Transcription Is The Best Way To Put Captions on Social Media Videos.
In all honesty, professionals better handle transcribing video content, and Ditto Transcripts is your best option. We’ll take any video or audio file and produce transcripts and captions that are 99% accurate all the time, made by 100% human transcriptionists. This ensures that inaccuracies do not affect your overall marketing and engagement strategies.
We offer manual video transcriptions and captioning of YouTube and Facebook videos, Instagram stories, TikTok, recorded Zoom meetings, and other social media posts. We handle a wide range of spoken content in different industries and offer translation services with the same 99% guarantee.
Let Ditto Transcripts Help You Create Accessible Social Media Content
Growing the media following is crucial for organizations in this era, and you don’t want to mess up your video content with inaccurate text files that need more time to fix. Get Ditto’s video and audio transcription service and experience 100% U.S.-based human services, more than 99% accuracy rates, fast turnaround times, and excellent customer service.
Our online transcription offering is affordable, and we can handle different video formats. So, what are you waiting for? Call us for a free trial.
Ditto Transcripts is a Denver, Colorado-based transcription services company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcripts for individuals and companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote, and ask about our free five-day trial.