You’ve got your email ready to send.
Eye-catching graphics, carefully chosen colors, compelling copy. You hit send feeling confident.
But what if some of your subscribers can’t read it properly?
There’s 61 million adults in the US alone who live with disabilities that affect how they consume digital content. They might use screen readers, need larger fonts, or see colors differently than you do.
The good news? Making emails accessible isn’t complicated.
Most fixes take seconds and make your content better for everyone.
Why This Matters
Email drives 40% of retail sales. When your messages aren’t reaching everyone who wants to buy from you, that’s revenue walking out the door.
But accessibility goes beyond money. When you make small changes to include people with disabilities, you create better experiences for all subscribers. Someone reading on a phone in bright sunlight benefits from high contrast text. Simple fonts help everyone read faster.
The Quick Wins
Use Larger Fonts Most emails use 12-14 point fonts. That’s too small for many people to read comfortably. Bump your body text to 16-18 points. Larger fonts don’t just help people with vision impairments, they help everyone.
Left-Align Your Text Screen readers work better with left-aligned text. Plus, left-aligned text scans faster for everyone.
Write Better Alt Text When you add images, include descriptive alt text. Good alt text helps when images don’t load too.
Bad: “Mug with cat”
Good: “White coffee mug with black handle featuring a cat at a laptop with text ‘Purr my last email’”
Skip Flashing Effects Animated GIFs that flash more than 3 times per second can trigger seizures. Static images often convert better anyway.
Make Links Descriptive “Click here” tells screen reader users nothing. Instead of “Click here to see our collection,” try “Browse our new spring collection.”
Don’t Rely on Color Alone 300 million people worldwide have color blindness. Use bold text, button shapes, and clear labels instead of just color.
Add White Space Set your line height to 1.5 times your font size. Dense text blocks strain everyone’s eyes.
Your Quick Checklist
✓ Font size 16-18 points
✓ Left-aligned copy
✓ Descriptive alt text
✓ No flashing animations
✓ Clear link text
✓ Adequate spacing
✓ Simple fonts (Arial, Helvetica, Calibri)
Start with one change (maybe font size) and apply it to your next email. Each small tweak makes your brand more welcoming and your emails more effective for everyone.
Ready to make your emails work for everyone?