You’ve did everything to schedule a Bluesky post perfectly… but you forgot to add alternative text. Awkward.

For those of us who value accessibility, that mistake is frustrating. People silently judge, or choose not to engage with you or worse – put you on a Bluesky bad list for not upholding accessibility.

Those examples seem extreme, but accessibility is real.

And with new platforms like Bluesky growing rapidly, these are deliberate choices that can make the future of democratized communication better, so it makes sense why so many of us are putting our foot down on this one!

So let’s never make this awkward mistake again when scheduling to Bluesky, LinkedIn, Instagram and others with Fedica.

How Can You Require Alt Text on Bluesky (and More)

Setting up this accessibility safeguard in Fedica is straightforward:

Account settings: Navigate to your account preferences by clicking on the top right user icon in Fedica and enable “Avoid missing ALT-text” (it’s turned off by default)
Flexible drafting: You can still save drafts without alt text as you develop your content
Publishing protection: When you’re ready to schedule or publish, Fedica will prevent you from finalizing until you’ve added alt text

This simple check creates a helpful reminder system that ensures none of your visual content goes out without proper description.

Don’t just schedule with alt-text to Bluesky only…

Schedule Across Platforms for Free

Why Alt Text Matters (For Everyone)

Alt text isn’t just a box to check—it fundamentally changes who can engage with your content. When you skip this step, you’re essentially hanging a “not welcome” sign for:

People using screen readers
Users with slower connections who might see text before images load
Anyone in a situation where images can’t be displayed

But adding alt text consistently does more than just make your content accessible. It also:

Improves your discoverability (search engines, and feeds, index alt text)
Increases engagement from a wider audience
Demonstrates your commitment to inclusive communication
Provides context when images fail to load

I’ve found that taking the extra minute to craft thoughtful alt text has actually helped me refine my post! Describing an image forces you to think about exactly what you want to convey.

Bluesky Alt Text: Leading the Way in Accessible Social Media

One of the reasons I’ve been particularly impressed with Bluesky is their approach to accessibility. Unlike some platforms that treat alt text as an afterthought, Bluesky has built accessibility considerations into their core experience.

The platform makes adding alt text intuitive, prominently featuring the option when uploading images. They’ve created an environment where accessibility is normalized rather than treated as an extra feature. You can probably see the impact in your Bluesky analytics.

This approach is gradually changing expectations across social media. As more users experience the benefits of consistently available alt text on Bluesky, they begin to notice its absence elsewhere. This ripple effect elevates the standard for accessibility across the digital landscape.

Making Accessibility Part of Your Routine with Alt Text Reminders for Bluesky

What I appreciate most about Fedica’s alt text requirement feature is how it helps keep us accountable.

By incorporating this simple check into your workflow, you’re not just expanding your reach—you’re actively building a more inclusive online community. And in my experience, that’s something your audience will notice and appreciate.

If you’ve been looking for a practical way to ensure your social media presence aligns with your values around accessibility, enabling this feature might be the simplest step you can take today. Your future followers (who might rely on screen readers) will thank you.

Have you been using alt text consistently on platforms like Bluesky? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments.

How to Require Alt Text on Bluesky, LinkedIn, Instagram and More in Your Scheduler

We’ve all been there. You’ve crafted the perfect post, selected a stunning image, and hit publish—only to realize later that you forgot to add alt text. For those of us who value accessibility, that mistake feels particularly frustrating.

That’s why I wanted to share a feature in Fedica that’s made a real difference in my social media workflow: the ability to require alt text before publishing to platforms like Bluesky, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

How It Works

Setting up this accessibility safeguard in Fedica is straightforward:

Account settings: Navigate to your account preferences and enable “Avoid missing ALT-text” (it’s turned off by default)
Flexible drafting: You can still save drafts without alt text as you develop your content
Publishing protection: When you’re ready to schedule or publish, Fedica will prevent you from finalizing until you’ve added alt text

This simple check creates a helpful reminder system that ensures none of your visual content goes out without proper description.

Why Alt Text Matters (For Everyone)

Alt text isn’t just a box to check—it fundamentally changes who can engage with your content. When you skip this step, you’re essentially hanging a “not welcome” sign for:

People using screen readers
Users with slower connections who might see text before images load
Anyone in a situation where images can’t be displayed

But adding alt text consistently does more than just make your content accessible. It also:

Improves your SEO (search engines index alt text)
Increases engagement from a wider audience
Demonstrates your commitment to inclusive communication
Provides context when images fail to load

I’ve found that taking the extra minute to craft thoughtful alt text has actually helped me refine my messaging. Describing an image forces you to think about exactly what you want to convey.

Bluesky: Leading the Way in Accessible Social Media

The platform makes adding alt text intuitive, prominently featuring the option when uploading images. They’ve created an environment where accessibility is normalized rather than treated as an extra feature.

Making Accessibility Part of Your Routine

What I appreciate most about Fedica’s alt text requirement feature is how it transforms accessibility from something easy to forget into a natural part of the publishing process. After using it for just a couple weeks, adding descriptive alt text began to feel as essential as writing a caption.

Have you been using alt text consistently on platforms like Bluesky? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is alt text in Bluesky?

Alt text (alternative text) is a written description of images that helps visually impaired users understand the content through screen readers. On Bluesky, it’s a text field you can fill in when uploading images to your posts.

How do I add alt text to Bluesky after posting?

Unfortunately, you can’t add alt text to an image after it’s been posted. You can enable a Bluesky alt text reminder that makes it require alt text before posting though. And if you want that same feature in your scheduler, then Fedica does that.

What is an example of alt text?

Good alt text describes what you see in order of comprehension. Like, how you would experience a meme, for example. Text, describe the image, describe the punchline of the image, text punchline, for example. See what Harvard has to say in their example:

Can people see your alt text?

Yes, people can see the alt text you’ve written. Many Bluesky users will check alt text quality, and some apps even display it visibly alongside images.

Do I need alt text?

Yes, it’s the right thing to do to make social media more accessible of course, and the culture on Bluesky strongly supports this, even with people campaigning to only support posts with alt text. Beyond being inclusive, it’s becoming an expectation in progressive social media communities.