This guide covers Instagram accessibility best practices for feed posts, Reels, and Stories, including alt text, captions, color contrast, hashtags, and links.
Instagram is all about visuals – stunning photos, engaging Reels, and eye-catching Stories. But in a platform built on images and video, how do you ensure your content actually reaches everyone, including people who use screen readers, have low vision, are Deaf or hard of hearing, or process content differently?
As a small business owner or content creator, making Instagram more accessible means your visuals aren’t invisible, your videos aren’t silent, and your message isn’t confusing or exhausting to navigate. The good news? Instagram accessibility doesn’t require coding, expensive tools, or a total brand overhaul.
Small, intentional changes can make a big difference — for your audience and your engagement.
Below are the most common Instagram accessibility barriers, paired with simple, practical fixes you can start using today.
In This Article
Your Post Feeds Are Invisible
The Problem: Instagram is a visual-first platform, but visuals alone don’t work for everyone. For people using screen readers, images without alt text are announced simply as “image,” with no context, meaning, or message.
The Fix: Instagram supports custom alt text for feed posts, allowing screen readers to read a description of your image aloud.
How to Add Alt Text on Instagram Feed Posts
For New Posts
Create a new post and select your image(s).
Move through the editing screens.
On the caption screen, tap Advanced settings (or More options).
Select Accessibility → Write Alt Text.
Edit or replace Instagram’s auto-generated alt text (it’s often vague or inaccurate).
Write a short, clear description focused on what matters visually.
Tap Done, then share your post.
For Existing Posts
Open the post.
Tap the three dots (…) in the top-right corner.
Choose Edit → Edit Alt Text.
Update the description and save.
Alt text tips
Skip phrases like “image of” or “photo of.”
Include any visible text from the image.
Focus on purpose, not decoration.
Reels Are Silent to Some Users
The Problem: Instagram Reels rely heavily on audio — voiceovers, trending sounds, and spoken explanations. Without captions, Deaf and hard-of-hearing users (and anyone watching without sound) miss critical information.
The Fix: Caption every Reel.
How to Make Instagram Reels Accessible
Use Instagram’s Built-In Auto-Captions
Upload or record your Reel.
On the editing screen, tap More options.
Scroll to Accessibility and enable Captions.
Review and edit captions carefully.
Post your Reel.
You can also record and edit your Reels in external software like CapCut, Veed.io, and Clipchamp. These tools allow you to generate captions, fix errors, and control placement before uploading to Instagram.
Best practices for Reel captions
Ensure captions don’t overlap buttons or usernames.
Keep text high contrast and easy to read.
Don’t rely on sound alone to convey meaning.
Instagram Stories Don’t Support Alt Text
The Problem: Unlike feed posts, Instagram does not support custom alt text for Stories. This means screen reader users may miss key visual information entirely if accessibility isn’t considered during design.
The Fix: With Stories, accessibility comes from intentional layout, readable text, and redundancy, not alt text.
How to Make Instagram Stories More Inclusive
Use Instagram’s text tool for all important information. Screen readers can read on-screen text.
Avoid baking text into images without also adding readable text on top.
Caption all video Stories, even short clips.
Add brief image descriptions as visible text when the image itself matters.
Use large fonts, strong contrast, and simple layouts.
If a Story contains critical information (like an announcement, instructions, or education), consider sharing it as a feed post as well, where alt text is supported.
Create an Accessible Instagram Story Template
You can use AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to help you build accessible Story templates. Here’s a prompt you can copy and customize.
AI Prompt
“Create a reusable Instagram Story template for my brand that is accessible and inclusive. The template should use large, readable sans-serif fonts, high color contrast, minimal text per slide, and space for captions or image descriptions. Avoid text-heavy layouts, decorative fonts, and low-contrast color combinations. Assume the audience may include people with low vision, color blindness, or who use screen readers.”
Text on Graphics Is Hard to Read
The Problem: Quote cards and promotional graphics often fail accessibility because text blends into the background or is too small to read.
The Fix: Design graphics with readability first.
Best practices
Aim for a color contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.
Use sufficiently large font sizes.
Stick to clean, legible fonts.
Place text on solid or semi-transparent backgrounds.
Remember: Any text shown in a feed image must also be included in the alt text.
Hashtags Can Be Hard to Understand
The Problem: Hashtags written in all lowercase are read as one long word by screen readers.
The Fix: Capitalize the first letter of each word.
Examples
Accessible: #WebAccessibility #SmallBusinessTips
Less accessible: #webaccessibility #smallbusinesstips
For better readability, place hashtags at the end of your caption or in the first comment.
Links Might Be Confusing or Easy to Miss
The Problem: Many users still assume “link in bio” is the only option, which can be confusing and inefficient.
The Fix: Use Link Stickers in Stories and clear instructions everywhere else.
Accessibility tips for Link Stickers
Write descriptive link text
Avoid placing stickers over busy backgrounds.
Don’t rely on color alone to indicate a link.
For feed posts, clearly tell users what they’ll find:
“Tap the link in our bio to read our full guide to accessible websites.”
Go Easy On Emojis
The Problem: Screen readers announce every emoji, which can quickly overwhelm users.
The Fix
Use emojis sparingly.
Place them at the end of sentences.
Avoid long emoji strings.
Small Changes, Big Impact
Making Instagram more accessible isn’t about limiting creativity — it’s about making sure your message actually lands.
By adding alt text where supported, captioning Reels, designing accessible Stories, and writing clearer links and hashtags, you create content that more people can interact with.
And when your content works for more people, your brand does too.
