Designing Accessible Mass Emails and Newsletters in Beefree

This article is for employees who design email or newsletter content using the Beefree tool. It gives a brief overview of the Beefree tool and best practices for meeting digital accessibility standards in mass email and newsletter designs.

Beefree is a user-friendly, no-code tool available to employees to design emails. Please note, Beefree is only available if you plan to send email to groups of individuals through our Salesforce CRM. For questions about getting access to Beefree please contact the MSU CRM Team at crm@mnsu.edu. 

All content designed in Beefree must be made accessible. Beefree has accessibility features like heading styles, alt text, and an accessibility checker. Inaccessible emails can prevent people from accessing information or completing required actions. Designing emails with accessibility in mind reduces barriers and improves clarity for everyone.

Best Practices

• To ensure proper formatting, use the built-in content blocks to add content. Drag and drop the blocks you want from the Content tab.
  • Use the Title block for headings.
    • Apply heading styles by selecting the content and navigating to the Title Properties window. From the Title drop-down menu, choose the proper heading level (H1, H2, H3, H4, etc).
    • Every email should include only one primary heading (H1) as the title of the email. For additional headings below that, use H2, H3, H4, etc. Do not skip heading levels.
  • Use the Paragraph block for body copy.
  • Use the List block for numbered or bulleted lists.
• Use a minimum font size of 14 pt.
• Left aligned text is recommended for better readability over center aligned text.
• Use meaningful hyperlinks, avoiding long URLs and vague terms like “click here.”
• Avoid using QR codes. Instead, use hyperlinks directly in the text, which are better for accessibility and easier to use for mobile users.
• Don't use flyers or text-heavy graphics to convey essential content. Instead, write all content directly in the email.
• Include meaningful alt text for images. There is a built-in AI alt text generator that may be helpful, but use it with caution and always double check generated alt text for accuracy.
• Ensure sufficient color contrast in all text and images.
• Use caution copy and pasting content as it can cause formatting issues. Be sure to clear formatting and double check things like font size and style.
• Ensure any links or attachments go to accessible content.
• Ensure videos have captions.
• If you're using emojis, use them sparingly. Avoid starting sentences with emojis, overusing emojis, or placing multiple emojis in a row. Don't use emojis in the place of bulleted lists, instead use the built-in Lists block.
• Use the Smart Check tool to check for common accessibility issues. Note, the checker isn’t always right and may miss key issues. Always perform manual checks in addition to automatic checks.

• Beefree's Email Checklist for WCAG Level AA Compliance
• Accessibility at Beefree
• The MSU Beefree Email Design Team (available to anyone with a Beefree user account)

• For support getting started with Beefree, submit a ticket to IT Solutions.
• Join the Digital Accessibility Drop-Ins using the Academic Technologies Training Calendar.
• Creative Production offers help with document formatting, design, and redesign if needed. Please note that Creative Production cannot ensure accessibility for content created by other users. They may need to re-create a document to ensure accessibility if you choose to use their services. Costs apply. Submit a ticket to request Creative Production services 
• IT Solutions primarily supports digital accessibility for academic and course-related materials, including document accessibility, captioning, and transcription services. Support for other content may be available if time allows, with costs applying to non-course materials. Submit a ticket to request IT Solutions services