Content creators and writers around the world are changing the way they write to be more accessible and inclusive of their audiences. This change is both because of necessity and due to the fear of backlash.
But what makes content accessible and inclusive?
Inclusive and accessible writing is any piece of content that does not make assumptions about its reader and is catered to everyone regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sex, caste, appearance, physical ability, mental ability, education, economic status, social status, etc.
While it is easier to be inclusive when curating visual content such as videos or photos, you can make an effort to be inclusive and accessible when writing by keeping the following tips in mind:
Subtitles
One of the easiest ways to ensure that your content is inclusive is by adding subtitles or by transcribing it.
Even if it is just a recorded version of a zoom meeting, you can turn on closed captions before starting your recording. Moreover, when you are sending out the meeting minutes, you can use auto-transcription software to write a transcript of everything that was spoken.
This is helpful not only for people with auditory issues but also for those who missed the meeting or could not keep up during the meeting. Another benefit of transcribing and subtitles is that you can create a searchable document that will make it easy to refer to in the future.
Complexity
Many writers amplify the complexity of their writing by using uncommon and longer words in an attempt to sound smart. While this may create the illusion of knowledge, it does not do much to grab a reader’s attention. The more jargon you add, the harder your writing will be to read.
The same goes for slang too. The biggest problem with slang is that it is highly regional and age-specific. While it may seem like the entire world is using them, many people may have never heard of them.
Save your readers a web search and use layman’s language to explain your thoughts.
To avoid any problems with complexity and readability, use an online readability checker on your writing before submitting or publishing anything.
A good readability checker will not only highlight sentences that are hard to read but also provide you with an overall analysis of who can read your writing.
Pronouns
Pronouns are a hot topic of discussion on the internet. However, as a writer, incorporating gendered pronouns almost makes your writing harder to read at least when writing in English.
For example, it is a lot easier to say “they can become a copywriter if they want to” instead of saying “he/she can become a copywriter if he/she wants to” and the same goes for reading too.
Descriptions
Another way to be more inclusive in your writing is to go the extra mile when writing descriptions whether it is for products you are promoting or pictures you are posting.
Take the time to write detailed descriptions about the shapes, colors, ingredients, products, actors, etc. that are being used. For example, if you are writing a product description for a brand, make sure to mention the colors that something is available in and what exactly your product can be used for.
You need to write descriptions for your social media posts too such as describing what an actor is doing in a video you post and the caption should clearly describe the events taking place.
You can also use an online description generator for this purpose. These generators can often write alt-text which can help immensely for website optimization too.
Conclusions
All in all, an inclusive and accessible writing technique is not only finessed over time but also highly in demand in the industry right now.
Use these tips to stay ahead of the curve by thinking about who your writing caters to and who it omits.
Read Also:
