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Publish and Share Time-Based Media

Congratulations! You’ve produced an accessible time-based media file! Now it’s time to share your content with your audience.

Basic Publishing Guidelines

The basic guidelines for publishing any time-based media on WordPress is as follows:

  • Ensure captions are added on the media hosting platform (such as YouTube) and edited for accuracy
  • In WordPress: Use semantic headings (H2, H3, etc.) for the video content section of a page or the page title if the video is the primary delivery modality. For tips on how to add headings in WordPress see Best Practices: Outline Headings.
  • Provide a short description of the content in the video on the WordPress page as well as in the post or description on the media hosting platform.
  • Inform users of any accessibility features (closed captions, descriptions, etc.)
  • Include the full transcript or a link to the full transcript on your WordPress page and in the post or description on the media hosting platform.

Page Design Options

In addition to the basic publishing guidelines, there are several options available within the WordPress theme. Examples of each are included on the page.

Video + Text

The most obvious choice is a Video + Text Panel. This is a great option as it allows you to add a solid background (blue orange, white, or grey) to the content so the video appears more prominently on the page. You can also include a video description and a link to a full transcript all in one place.

WYSIWYG Panel

The other panel that may be a good option for displaying video content is the WYSIWYG panel and it appears most like the plain text editor. However, we don’t recommend using the columns to display multiple videos. It’s best used to display a single video.

Text Editor

Additionally, you can display a video on your page by simply pasting your video link directly into the text editor. We recommend including a heading prior to your video along with a description and any accessibility related information. This will help your users navigate more effectively.

Video in the Text Editor

This is an example of a video displayed in the text editor.



Mastering Web Accessibility: Underlined Text

Example Video + Text Panel (This is the accent title)

Image Descriptions (This is the title)

Accurate image descriptions are essential for low and non-visual users but that doesn’t mean describing images is easy. Learn three easy steps to better describe images in your content. Video contains closed captions. (This is the video description area)

Access Image Descriptions Transcript (this is the link label)
Video Placeholder Image
Play Image Descriptions Video (This is the video play button label)

WYSIWYG Panel (this is the title)

This is the main description area in the panel. This is a good place to add video descriptions, links to transcripts, or other accessibility related information.

Play Generic Links Video

This is the first column in the panel. Include your heading and video link here.



Mastering Web Accessibility: Generic Links

Video Transcript

You can include your video transcript within the column immediately following the video.

Sharing on Social Media or in Email

To share your video on social media, keep these tips in mind:

  1. Include a brief description of the video
  2. Provide a link to your descriptive transcript or include the descriptive transcript in your main post, or as the first comment
  3. Inform users of accessibility features (closed captions, transcript available)

To share your video in email, keep these tips in mind:

  1. Don’t embed your time-based media directly
  2. Link out to your webpage with the embedded media and transcript
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