Making Your Emails Accessible: 6 Ways to Make Your Emails Easy to Read
Email accessibility is all about making sure everyone can read and comprehend your email messages. Not everyone reads at the same level, and there are various disabilities that can cause people to have issues understanding you. The good news is there are some simple strategies that can help you write in a way everyone can understand. Here are six ways to make your emails easy to read.
Make it readable
One simple way to make your emails easy to read is to avoid writing walls of text. Break up your paragraphs so they don’t look as intimidating and are more approachable. People in general shy away from these walls of text, but they particularly affect people with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. Write in short paragraphs of no more than a few sentences. When you read your paragraph, ask yourself, do these sentences go together? If the answer is no, it’s time to begin a new paragraph. Using bold and italics can be very helpful at identifying important words, just be careful not to go overboard, or they become a hindrance rather than a help.
Use color contrast
Color blindness is more common than you think, so use sufficient color contrast in your emails. Most people with this trait have trouble differentiating between red and green, but there are other variations. To avoid confusion, have your type and background contrast strongly and use texture and patterns for extra contrast. Generally speaking, dark text on a light background is easiest for people to read. Avoid using light text on a dark background, because people with presbyopia (blurred vision) will see a halo effect on the text and have difficulty reading.
Make your format accessible
Align your copy to the left to make it easier to read, rather than centering everything. If you’re writing in a language that reads from right to left, such as Hebrew, align your text to the right for easier readability. Centered text might look better to you, but it’s actually slightly less accessible. Never use justified alignment, it’s more difficult to read in general, but especially difficult in a web browser or email program.
Use semantic markup
Include some tags such as and <hl> and <p> to help the readers differentiate between your different sections. Just be careful and make sure they do not cause rendering issues, as they sometimes do when not done correctly. These kinds of tags make it easier for people using screen readers and other assistive technologies to understand your content.
Keep it simple
Keep the language and word choice in your emails simple. Your goal is clear communication, not showing off your vocabulary (or your ability to use a thesaurus). Try and avoid including too many technical terms. Remember your message should be aimed at people of all different reading levels. “It can be hard to write about something when you have a higher knowledge about it than your audience. You need to put yourself in their shoes and think about what they need to know, some of which may seem second nature to you,” suggests Jimmy Brown, email marketer at PaperFellows.
Check out some online tools to help write accessible emails
Writing can be tricky, especially when you’re trying to make your information accessible to everyone. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources online that can help you achieve this goal. Here are some good ones to get you started:
1) ViaWriting and MyWritingWay – These are grammar resources you’ll find helpful for checking over your emails before sending. Proper grammar is crucial to good communication and being accessible.
2) Academized and BoomEssays – Check out these editing tools, which have been reviewed by BestBritishEssays, to make sure you haven’t missed any errors in your email.
3) WritingPopulist and StateofWriting – Try these blogs out, they are full of useful suggestions on how to write better, more accessible emails. Even if you have lots of experience writing, you can still learn a thing or two here.
4) BigAssignments and EssayRoo – Check out these online proofreading tools, suggested by the people at BigAssignments review, and stop worrying about leaving typos in your emails.
5) SimpleGrad and LetsGoandLearn – Use these writing guides to improve the quality and accessibility of your emails. Learn about the writing process and how helpful it is for producing quality work.
Conclusion
It’s easy to forget that not everyone reads at the same level, but it’s important to keep all our communication inclusive. With some simple strategies, you can make your emails accessible for everybody, regardless of their ability level. Follow these tips to make your emails easy to read.
Author Bio: Chloe Bennet is a content manager at UK Writings and OX Essays services. She reviews latest marketing trends, helps with email automation and improves accessibility. Also, Chloe is a blog writer at Assignment Help website.
