Email Marketing That Connects: Crafting Accessible Campaigns

Think of your email like a mini-webpage. It should be structured using proper HTML tags, even if you’re using a drag-and-drop editor.

Screen readers rely on proper headings (<h1>, <h2>), paragraphs (<p>), and lists (<ul>, <ol>) to understand the layout and hierarchy of your content. Without them, an email can become a jumbled mess for assistive technology.

Don’t just make text bold and large to make it look like a heading.

• Use the actual heading formatting options in your email builder.
• Use bullet points for lists instead of manual hyphens.

Every image you include in your email – from your logo to product shots – should have descriptive alt text.

If an image doesn’t load, or if a subscriber is using a screen reader, the alt text provides crucial context. Without it, your beautiful hero banner or product image is just a blank space or an unhelpful “image file.”

Write concise, meaningful alt text for every image. If an image is purely decorative (e.g., a simple divider line), it can often have empty alt text (alt=””) so screen readers skip it.

When you include links in your email, make sure their purpose is clear, even when read out of context.

Screen reader users sometimes navigate by jumping from link to link. If all they hear is “click here, click here, learn more,” it’s impossible to know where each link leads.

Embed your links in descriptive text.

• Instead of “To download our new guide, click here,“
• try “Download our new guide on accessible marketing.“

Your text needs to be easily readable against its background colour.

Low contrast can make text impossible to read for people with low vision or colour blindness. It also causes eye strain for everyone else.

Use tools (like our colour contrast checker) to ensure your text colours and background colours meet WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) AA standards. Dark text on a light background (or vice-versa) is usually safest.

Choose fonts that are easy to read and ensure your text is large enough.

Overly fancy, thin, or small fonts can be a nightmare for legibility, especially on smaller screens or for users with vision impairments.

• Stick to common, sans-serif fonts (like Arial, Verdana, Helvetica).
• Ensure your body text is at least 16px, and headings are proportionally larger.
• Lean on tools like TypeScale to automatically generate harmonic font treatment and size.

Your email needs to look great and be usable on any device.

A huge percentage of emails are opened on mobile phones. If your email doesn’t adapt to smaller screens, it becomes a frustrating “pinch and zoom” experience, making it inaccessible to many.

Always preview your emails on various devices. Most modern email platforms handle responsiveness well, but always double-check.

This applies to all marketing, and email is no exception. Avoid jargon, long sentences, and overly complex ideas.

Simple language benefits everyone, especially those with cognitive differences, non-native English speakers, or anyone just quickly scanning their inbox.

• Get straight to the point.
• Use short sentences, common words, and active voice.