Social9 TeamProduct, content and engineering team at Social9
How agencies manage 20+ client calendars without burning out
A playbook for agencies running 20+ client calendars: workspace setup, a capacity formula, a monthly cadence, approval SLAs, safe access and burnout rules.
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AI helps make social media accessible by drafting the parts people most often skip: alt text for images, captions for videos, transcripts for audio and plain-language versions of complex posts. It speeds up the work, but it doesn't replace review. The best approach is to let AI draft, have a person check, and make both steps part of every post you publish.
This guide explains what accessible social content looks like, where AI helps, where it falls short, and a step-by-step workflow you can use with any tool.
Why social media accessibility matters
The World Health Organization estimates that 1.3 billion people, about 16% of the global population, experience a significant disability. Many of them use social media with screen readers, captions, magnification or other assistive tools.
Accessible content helps far more people than those with permanent disabilities:
- Visual. People who are blind or have low vision rely on alt text and good contrast.
- Hearing. People who are deaf or hard of hearing need captions and transcripts. So does anyone watching with the sound off.
- Motor. People who use keyboards, switches or voice control benefit from clear, simple posts and links.
- Cognitive. Plain language, short sentences and a clear structure help people with learning disabilities, people reading in a second language, and readers who are short on time.
There's also a compliance side. Standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) shape what organizations are expected to provide, and public-sector and regulated organizations often have formal obligations. Talk to your legal team about what applies to you. Either way, the practical habits below are the same.
Where AI helps (and where it doesn't)
| Task | What AI does well | What still needs a person |
|---|---|---|
| Alt text | Describes objects, scenes and visible text quickly | Context, names, why the image matters |
| Video captions | Fast speech-to-text with timing | Names, jargon, accents, homophones |
| Transcripts | Turns audio into readable text | Speaker labels, cleanup, accuracy |
| Plain language | Simplifies long or technical copy | Keeping meaning and brand voice |
| Contrast checks | Flags low-contrast text and colors | Design decisions and fixes |
| Audio description | Drafts descriptions of on-screen action | Choosing what is essential |
AI-generated accessibility features are only useful if they're accurate. A wrong alt text or garbled caption can be worse than none, because it confidently tells people the wrong thing.
Alt text for images
Alt text is a short written description of an image that screen readers read aloud. Most major networks let you add it, though it's sometimes hidden under advanced or edit settings.
How AI generates alt text
Computer vision models identify what's in an image, such as people, objects, settings and text, and write a description. Many platforms generate automatic alt text when you don't provide any, but these defaults tend to be vague ("may be an image of two people").
Writing better alt text with AI
Use AI for the first draft, then edit using these rules:
- Be specific and literal. "Woman holding a blue reusable water bottle on a mountain trail," not "product photo."
- Include text in the image. If a graphic contains a quote or offer, the alt text must include it.
- Add context the image can't show. If it's your CEO at a conference, say so.
- Keep it short. One or two sentences is usually enough.
- Skip "image of." Screen readers already announce that it's an image.
- No hashtags or keyword stuffing.
A useful prompt:
Write alt text for this image for a screen reader user. One or two sentences. Describe only what is visible, include any text in the image word for word, and do not add hashtags.
In Social9, every uploaded image has an Add alt text box and the app shows a tip when one is missing. On paid plans, a connected AI assistant can also draft a caption, hashtags and alt text from a photo in your brand voice, which you review before posting.
Captions and transcripts for video and audio
Video is a large share of social content, and much of it is watched without sound. Captions make it usable for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers and for everyone else scrolling in a quiet place.
Auto-captions
Most video networks and editing apps offer automatic captions. They save a lot of time but make predictable mistakes:
- Brand names, product names and people's names
- Industry jargon and acronyms
- Words that sound alike ("their" and "there," "accept" and "except")
- Overlapping speakers and background noise
Always play the video and read along before publishing.
Burned-in vs closed captions
- Closed captions can be turned on or off and are read by assistive technology. Use them where the network supports caption files.
- Burned-in (open) captions are part of the video image. They're common on short-form video, but they need to be large, high-contrast and placed where the app's buttons won't cover them. Check current image and video specs for safe zones.
Transcripts
For podcasts, audio clips and longer videos, offer a transcript, either in the post, in a comment or on a linked page. AI transcription tools produce one in minutes. Clean it up, add speaker names, and remove filler where it helps readability.
Audio description
For videos where important information is only visual, such as a product demo with no narration, add a short description of key on-screen actions to the caption, voiceover or post text. AI voiceover tools can help produce narration. See our roundup of AI voiceover tools for social.
Readable text, color and formatting
Accessibility isn't only about media. The text and design of a post matter too.
- Color contrast. WCAG recommends a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text. Use a contrast checker on graphics with text overlays.
- Don't put key information only in an image. Repeat dates, offers and calls to action in the post text.
- CamelCase hashtags. Write #SmallBusinessTips, not #smallbusinesstips, so screen readers pronounce the words correctly.
- Use emojis sparingly. Screen readers read each emoji's full name. A row of five emojis becomes a long, confusing string.
- Avoid fancy Unicode fonts. "Bold" or "italic" characters from font generators are often read letter by letter or skipped.
- Plain language. Short sentences, common words, the main point first.
AI is useful for the last point. Ask it to "rewrite this post at a reading level a 12-year-old can follow, keeping all facts and the call to action." Then check that nothing important changed.
Inclusive language and moderation
AI tools can flag potentially biased or exclusionary phrasing in drafts and help moderate comments at scale. They also make mistakes in both directions: flagging harmless posts and missing subtle harm, especially in reclaimed terms, satire and non-English content. Use them as a filter that sends posts to human review, not as the final decision. Our guide to AI content moderation and bias covers this in more depth.
Step-by-step: an accessible posting workflow
Build these steps into how you create and schedule posts so accessibility happens every time.
- Write the post with the key message first. Use plain language and keep sentences short.
- Generate alt text for each image. Use AI to draft, then edit for accuracy, context and any text in the image.
- Caption every video. Generate auto-captions, then correct names, jargon and timing while watching.
- Add a transcript for audio. Put it in the post, a comment or a linked page.
- Check graphics. Run a contrast check on text overlays and make sure key details are in the post text too.
- Clean up formatting. CamelCase hashtags, fewer emojis, no Unicode fonts, clear link text.
- Review before publishing. Use an approval step so someone other than the creator checks the accessibility items.
- Test occasionally with a screen reader. VoiceOver on iOS and macOS and TalkBack on Android are free. Listen to a few of your own posts.
- Ask for feedback. Invite followers to tell you when something isn't accessible, and act on it.
If several people publish for your brand, a shared checklist plus an approval step (Social9's approvals work this way) keeps standards consistent.
Accessibility checklist
Copy this into your content process:
- Alt text on every image, edited by a person
- Text inside images repeated in alt text or the post
- Accurate captions on every video
- Transcript for audio-only content
- Contrast checked on text overlays
- CamelCase hashtags
- Emojis used sparingly, not mid-sentence
- No Unicode "fancy" fonts
- Plain language, main point first
- Links described in words, not only "click here"
Key takeaways
AI removes most of the busywork from accessible social media. It drafts alt text, captions, transcripts and simpler rewrites in seconds. The responsibility stays with you: check everything, add the context AI can't see, and make accessibility a default step in your workflow. Your posts will reach more people, and they'll be clearer for everyone.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI write alt text for social media images?
Yes. Many AI tools, including some built into social platforms and schedulers, can describe an image and suggest alt text. The drafts are a useful starting point but often miss context, such as who is pictured, why the image matters or text inside the graphic. Read each suggestion, fix errors, and keep it short and literal before you publish.
Are auto-generated captions good enough for accessibility?
Auto-captions are a good first draft but rarely good enough unedited. They struggle with names, jargon, accents, background noise and words that sound alike. Review the captions against the audio, correct mistakes, and add speaker labels or sound cues where they help. Burned-in captions should also be large enough and high-contrast enough to read on a phone.
What makes a social media post accessible?
An accessible post has alt text on every image, accurate captions on video, a transcript for audio, readable text with good color contrast, hashtags written in CamelCase, emojis used sparingly, and links with clear context. The language should be plain and the key message should come first. Avoid putting important information only inside an image.
Which social networks support alt text?
Most major networks let you add alt text to images, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest, Bluesky and Mastodon, although the setting is sometimes hidden under advanced or edit options. Some schedulers let you add alt text once when you upload the image, so you don't have to set it on each network separately.
