Alt text is part of the post

Say the product, the setting, and any words baked into the image. Skip "image of" and skip a second caption full of hashtags. A person who cannot see the picture should get the point, not a keyword list.

If the image contains a price, the alt text contains the price. Leaving it out makes the pretty version and the accessible version disagree.

Alt text written after publish is often skipped. Put a field next to the caption and fill it while the post is still in review. The approver can catch a claim in that sentence too.

Carousels need alt text per slide when the slides make different points. One vague line for eight panels drops seven of them.

A joke can be in the caption. Alt text should stay plain enough to be understood without the picture. Clever alt text that depends on seeing the punchline fails twice.

Match the language of the post. Do not switch language in alt text because the template was English.

Add an example to the brand kit. People copy examples. They do not invent accessibility from a policy line.

Check a sample each month. If the field says "photo" every time, the field is theater and the review step is not real.