What do we mean by the term accessibility?
Generally, accessibility on social media means ensuring everyone can experience and enjoy your content without barriers. The UK Gov defines online accessibility as:
“Accessibility means more than putting things online. It means making your content and design clear and simple enough so that most people can use it without needing to adapt it, while supporting those who do need to adapt things.” – UK Gov Website, ‘Understanding accessibility requirements’
Why is accessibility important on social media?
In the UK alone, an estimated 16.1 million people have a disability – 24% of the population. Worldwide, more than one billion people (15% of the population) have disabilities. Ensuring accessibility on social media allows your organisation to expand its reach to a wider audience, and this inclusive approach can also lead to increased customer loyalty and engagement.
It’s also important to note that accessible social media content benefits everyone – not just those with disabilities. For example, while captioned videos do benefit people who are deaf or hard of hearing, they can also be useful for users in noisy or quiet environments where they can’t use sound.
What’s more, accessible content can help boost SEO rankings; Features like alt text and descriptive captions can help search engines better display content, which may increase your organisation’s visibility and reach.
HdK’s top tips for more accessible short form video
While we acknowledge that it’s not possible to make all content fully accessible to everyone, here are six tips that you can implement to improve the accessibility of your short form social media content.
Include alt text and video descriptions
- Alt text is a short, straightforward description of an image that can be read by screen readers to help visually impaired users understand the content. Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter) all have features that allow creators to manually add alt text to images.
- When alt text is unavailable for videos, adding a short video description in your caption is an alternative that allows users to visualise the content through text.
Add captions and subtitles to videos
- Include captions or subtitles in every video. Many platforms, including Instagram and TikTok, offer automatic captioning, but we recommend manually editing these or editing in your own subtitles for accuracy.
- Open captions can be turned on and off,, however we recommend burnt-in captions, as this ensures your content remains accessible when reshared.
Consider visual design
- Use simple fonts, ensure high contrast between text and video background, and make sure text size is appropriate for all screen sizes.
- Minimise reliance on visual-only information
- Combine visuals with audio or text descriptions to give visually impaired users more ways to access your information.
Avoid flashing content
- Flashing or strobe-like effects can trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. If such effects are used, include a warning at the start of the video (though we recommend avoiding them altogether if possible).
Use hashtags and descriptions wisely
- Write in simple, easy-to-understand language – the Government Digital Service (GDS) advises to aim for a reading age of nine years old.
- Always use CamelCase for hashtags (e.g. #WeLoveAccessibility instead of #weloveaccessibility) for increased readability and correct interpretation by screen readers.
- Use emojis sparingly and place them at the end of your posts to keep captions screen reader friendly.
If you’re keen to learn more about accessibility in today’s short form social media landscape, you can click the button below to check out HdK’s webinar session, where we chaired a panel discussion on the topic with arts industry professionals from Stopgap Dance Company and Paraorchestra.