How to Create Inclusive Content for Everyone

Inclusive content sells better, too.

The Psychology of Inclusion and the Effects in Advertising by Microsoft Advertising found that the purchase intent of the most inclusive ad in their study was 13 percent higher than the next most appealing ad and 23 percent higher than the average.

Finally, creating inclusive content demonstrates your brand’s commitment to change. Fail to do so, and you’ll look like a brand unwilling or unable to learn or grow (or worse, paint your brand as one that doesn’t care about social issues).

Having a target audience may help narrow your focus and improve your PPC campaigns. But a customer persona rarely fits every potential customer. If the language & imagery you use only appeals to a specific demographic, you risk alienating potential new customers.

Writing for a wider audience will make your content more thoughtful & appealing. Most marketing efforts still lack diversity & inclusivity, esp. when it comes to content marketing. Just identifying & fixing your blind spots can breathe new life into your efforts, & help you build important relationships with a variety of stakeholders.

Start by making your entire site accessible.

Ensure the following:

• screen readers can interact with every page on the site but esp. your blog. Alt text on the images & captions on videos is relevant. & not just used to stuff keywords into your article. Screen readers rely on alt text or captions to describe pictures, videos & other visual content.
• the website is navigatable by keyboard
• reduce excessive motion in design elements
• the site doesn’t ignite physical triggers
• improve the website’s color contrast
• the site works with all browsers and accessibility tools

The words you use matter. They have the power to inspire, but they also have the ability to divide and exclude. When it comes to creating inclusive content you have to be careful about the language you choose.

Adopting gender-neutral language should be the bare minimum. Instead of words like “mankind” and “salesman”, use “humankind” and “salesperson.” You should also avoid making gender-based assumptions. Politicians are not always male. A parent is not necessarily a woman. A gender-neutral pronoun like “they” is the safest bet in these scenarios.

Encourage and embrace feedback. The more you discuss your work openly & invite readers to have their say, the quicker you can start creating genuinely inclusive content.

It’s not just your audience you should consult, however. A sensitivity reader can be a huge help when reviewing your writing for poor phrasing and insensitive language.

Stock images are known to often feature middle-class caucasians. 

It’s not enough to just write in an inclusive manner. People will identify with your company & product more when they see people like themselves included in your content marketing efforts. It also makes it clear that you are writing for them specifically.

Make your blog posts more exclusive by including photos of people from different backgrounds. That can include people of color, non-traditional families, & people of different sizes & abilities.

The format and structure of your writing can also exclude readers. Flowery language and complex clauses aren’t going to cut it if you’re writing for laypeople.

Instead:

• Use short words & short sentences.
• Keep paragraphs short and use lots of subheadings to make it easy for readers to skim your content.
• Avoid industry jargon, abbreviations, & other specialized terms that the average consumer won’t understand.
• Use bullet points to break down lists of information.
• Write in the active advice to keep your writing as concise and clear as possible.