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Email and Newsletters

Email and newsletter platforms all vary, but you can apply some basic accessibility checks to your content to ensure your message is accessible.

Use the following five steps to create a more accessible email or newsletter. Always defer to the accessibility best practices of your particular email or newsletter platform.

1. Subject Line – The “Title”

Accessibility starts with accessible titles. For an email or newsletter, the subject line is your title. This tells your readers something useful before they even open the message.

  • Be Specific: Instead of “Meeting,” use “Action Required: Faculty Senate Meeting Agenda – March 15.”
  • Avoid All-Caps: SCREEN READERS SOMETIMES READ THESE AS ACRONYMS (like “A-L-L-C-A-P-S”).

2. Structure and Visuals – The “Body”

After you’ve given your message a clear subject line, it’s important to structure your body content for accessibility. This makes up the largest portion of your message.

  • Headings: Not all email platforms allow for headings, but if they do, use them to name your different sections. If you can’t add headings, breaking your content up into shorter paragraphs will aid in readability.
  • Use Real Lists: Don’t use hyphens (-) or asterisks (*). Use the “Bulleted List” or “Ordered List” buttons to add real lists so screen readers announce the number of items.
  • Avoid “Image-Only” Emails: If your email is just one big flyer (graphic), a blind user sees a blank screen. Always include the vital text (Who, What, Where, When) as plain text in the body. If possible, do not embed your text in an image. Only use live text to share important information. Images should be secondary to text content.
  • Alt Text: If you include a photo, add a brief description to describe the meaning and purpose. You can often do this by either right-clicking the image or find the image properties.
  • Use Plain Language: Keep sentences short, avoid jargon, and write for your audience so everyone can understand your message the first time they read it.

3. Links and Color – The “Navigation”

Links and color can help users navigate your message more effectively. Use the following tips to ensure they are accessible for all users:

  • Write Descriptive Links: Instead of “Click Here,” use “Register for the Accessibility Webinar.” Use the Insert Link functions to add the URL and type a descriptive link. Not sure what to write? Add the title of the linked resource. This helps users quickly verify that the link the clicked on matches the title of the resource.
  • Don’t Rely on Color alone: Avoid saying “The items in red are overdue.” Use a prefix like “[Urgent]” or “[Action Required]” along with a color so everyone can identify the priority.
  • Use Accessible Colors: If you do add color, make sure there is enough difference between the foreground and background to read it clearly. Tip! View your message in gray scale, can you still read easily with the color removed?

4. Signature – “The Footer”

The signature of your email is like the footer on your webpage. It should contain the important details for users to reach out and contact you. Use this tips to ensure your signature is accessible:

  • Clean & Simple: Avoid using images for your contact info. If your phone number is inside an image, a user can’t click-to-call or copy it.
  • Contrast: Ensure your department logo and text meet high-contrast standards (no light grey on white). Also check that any colors in the signature are clear and easy to read.
  • Alt Text: Always add alt text to any images in your signature.

5. Check before Sending – The “Accessibility Review”

Some platforms may include an accessibility checker. If they do, make it a habit to check your message before you hit Send.

If you don’t have a checker, you can scan your message and ask these three questions

  1. Images: If you have images, did you add alt text or include a text description?
  2. Links: If you have links, are you using a text description instead of the URL?
  3. Color: If you have color in your email, are you using it to convey meaning and have you checked the contrast?

If you are sending a high stakes email or emailing a large group and you want to verify the accessibility of your content, you can type your messages into Google Docs, or Microsoft Word and use the accessibility checkers in those tools check your content. Then copy and paste your message into your email.

Want more tips?

Check out the Email Accessibility Checklist on Webguide.