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As email marketers, designers, and developers, we care deeply about how our emails look in our subscribers' inboxes. But have you ever wondered what your email sounds like? We don't think about it much, but it's a crucial component of email accessibility.
Can screen readers read emails?
The short answer is: yes.
Screen readers and their underlying software translate the user interface and content displayed on a screen into audio. More and more people are relying on screen readers to consume digital content, including email. Therefore, optimizing your messages for screen readers is crucial for brands. You don't want your email to sound like a garbled mess that listeners can't understand or can't fix.
With screen readers on the rise, the sound of your emails matters
The World Health Organization estimates that there are around 2.2 billion people with visual impairments, many of whom are considered blind. This has increased the need for screen readers to read content aloud so that people with visual impairments and blindness can use modern devices.
Mick Curran, founder and CEO of free screen reading software NV Access, said:
“For those of us who don’t have vision, computers don’t work right away. To translate visual information verbally, a software called a “screen reader” is needed so that we can understand what is displayed on the screen. Screen readers open so many doors, allowing us to learn, interact or shop online, for example.”
However, screen reader software is not just reserved for people with disabilities. The recent proliferation of voice assistant software – such as Amazon Alexa, Apple's Siri and Google Assistant – has resulted in assistive technology becoming virtually mainstream. According to industry tracker Voicebot.ai, the number of smart speaker users in the US alone will have risen to nearly 150 million in 2023. Their research also shows that half of smart speaker owners respond positively to advertisements they hear through their speaker.
More people than ever are using voice assistants to receive messages, make purchases and, yes, even read and respond to their emails. But all too often, brands don’t consider the audio email experience and fail to make their emails accessible to screen readers.
This doesn't sound right: When emails don't work with screen readers
Screen readers work by looking at the underlying code of an interface – in our case, an email – and translating it into audio for the user. If your code doesn't follow accessibility best practices for online content, screen reader audio might not work. But the specifics of email development present unique challenges for people who rely on screen readers.
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