Adding alt text onto social media images

Adding alt text descriptions onto social posts is relatively simple to do. It ensures that your social media content is accessible which is crucial, especially for disabled people and those with learning differences.

Here is our step-by-step guide on how you can make your content images more accessible on different social media platforms:

How to add alt text to a Facebook post

Once you have uploaded your image to your post, hover over the image and select the “edit” button.

On the left-hand side of the screen select “alternative text” and then add in your customed text. Once you have done this, press the “save” button then you will be directed back to your Facebook post.

Note: Frustratingly, Facebook currently does not provide you with the option to add alt text to scheduled post-activity. This means that it will need to be added manually to each post. [information correct as of September 2022].

How to add alt text to an Instagram post

As you get to the final page of creating your Instagram content, select the “advance settings” tab at the bottom of the page.

Select “write alt text”

Finally, write in your description, select the tick button and continue creating your post to be published.

Unfortunately, like Facebook, you are unable to add descriptions into scheduled content. If you have posts without them then you can add them in even if the post is live. You can do this by:

Pressing the three dots in the top right-hand corner.

Select the “edit” button

Select the “edit alt text” tab on the bottom left-hand side of the graphic

Finally, write your alt text and then select the tick button to be directed back to your post to re-publish.

How to add alt text to a LinkedIn post

When you add your image to your post, select “add alt text” from the top right-hand corner of the image.

Select “alt text”, input your alt text description, select “done” to be directed back to your post to publish.

How to add alt text to a Twitter post

When composing a tweet, simply select “add description”.

Add in the description, select “save” and you will be re-directed back to your post.

The beauty of Twitter is that you can schedule posts with the text included. You can do this through TweetDeck which is free and easy to use. You can find TweetDeck online by clicking here.

We hope you have found this step-by-step guide useful. We’re looking to launch a new e-learning course where we will teach organisations how to create accessible social media content. If you would like to hear when the course goes live, then subscribe to our mailings by clicking here.