Hashtags: learning from Susan Boyle
When it comes to accessibility on social, little changes can make a big difference to ensure that what you are sharing is understood by everyone.
You don't want to hit a bum note. (who's way ahead of me already here?)
This is a quick tip that I share often with peeps via DM, and I should be regularly sharing it as a post ... so consider this it!
When creating hashtags, consider using Camel Case or Pascal/Title Case to improve readability and compatibility with assistive technology tools:
Camel Case: #thisIsCamelCase begins with a lowercase letter followed by capitalising the first letter of each subsequent word
Pascal (or Title) Case: #ThisIsPascalCase capitalises the first letter of each word (this format is usually my personal go to)
This kind of formatting helps screen readers differentiate and correctly pronounce each word. It's not just about accessibility; it also improves readability for all, ensuring your message is never misunderstood.
But what about Susan Boyle?!
Back in the good 'ol days (of Twitter) aka 2012, Susan Boyle was flying high and she had a new album coming out, woohoo! This is what her marketing team came up with ... #susanalbumparty It got a shit ton of engagement, but not necessarily for the right reasons 🍑
See how much clearer it is in Title Case - #SusanAlbumParty
Proper casing can prevent these kinds of blunders.
A further tip from Alexa Heinrich, the accessible social queen:
- before finalising a hashtag, test it with your phone’s text-to-speech function to ensure it’s interpreted as intended.
This step is simple yet effective for maintaining your brand’s professionalism and inclusivity.
If you have any other questions about hashtag usage, ask me in the comments.
#AccessibleSocial #SocialMediaMarketingTip
“I would like to thank Debbie for spending time with me giving me some excellent pointers to help me grow my reach. The Super 60 is actually longer than 60 minutes. Just this week Debbie gave me an extra, bonus, helpful hint on my posts. What I finds resonates when working with someone is the purposeful nature of the exchange. Debbie knows social media and LinkedIn and I am learning from her expertise. Thank you”