If you’re exploring more ethical approaches to social media advertising, the dominance of Big Tech might seem at odds with your goals. The good news? You can promote your brand responsibly while stepping away from the usual platforms.
Here are some tips and alternative platforms to guide you on this journey.
BlueSky
BlueSky is part of the growing movement toward decentralised social media and is less saturated with advertising. It’s still in its early stages but promises transparency and user control, avoiding the pitfalls of algorithm driven engagement. It’s ideal for brands willing to experiment and invest in long term community building.
How to use it:
- Position your brand as a thought leader by sharing meaningful updates and joining conversations.
- Experiment with storytelling to connect with early adopters and progressive users.
Vero
Vero doesn’t rely on ads or algorithms. Instead, it’s a subscription based platform built to encourage real, authentic connections rather than profit-driven interactions. And great news it shares posts in chronological order!
How to use it:
- Share eye catching, authentic stories about your brand and its values.
- Vero is a great way to connect with a creative and socially conscious audience who value substance over hype.
Medium
A popular platform for content sharing and thought leadership, offering brands a chance to engage with a community that values depth and quality over sensationalism. A great way to share your purpose driven content. Medium is funded through memberships, avoiding the intrusive ads found on many other platforms.
How to use it:
- Write in depth posts about your brand’s values, ethical practices, and impact. Use Medium as a hub to demonstrate thought leadership and connect with an audience that shares your principles.
- Quality over quantity is key, even just 4 informative articles a year is enough to gain traction.
Mastodon
Mastodon is a social platform that’s all about people, not profit. It’s run by independent communities instead of big companies, so there are no ads, no sneaky algorithms, and no corporate influence.
How to use it:
- Instead of focusing on selling, use Mastodon to share updates, join conversations, and build genuine relationships within niche groups. It’s a place for meaningful engagement, not flashy pitches.
Email Marketing
Email marketing still remains a reliable, ethical, and cost effective way to connect with your audience. With email, you can personalise messaging, highlight your values, and drive traffic to your website or blog. Plus, you’re not dependent on algorithms; you will always have access to your audience and your message lands straight in the inbox. Use email as a companion to your social strategy, whether you’re sharing exclusive updates, promoting new content, or running campaigns.
Streamlining Posting
At the moment, many of these alternative platforms don’t integrate seamlessly with tools like HubSpot or Hootsuite, so you may need to post directly on each one. While this can feel like extra work, it also encourages more personalised and authentic engagement. If automation is essential, keep an eye out for updates; many platforms are beginning to explore integrations as they grow.
While it’s still unfolding which ethical platforms will be the next big thing, dipping your toes in now could position your brand ahead of the curve. Balance your time wisely, explore new platforms, keep your email list engaged, and focus on building relationships rather than simply following trends. Also check their current user base and activity levels to decide if the investment is worth it now or better saved for later. In the meantime, we’re going to test some out for ourselves so if you have any questions about your social media strategy please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Integrating Easy English into your website is a highly effective way to improve accessibility for users who may struggle with reading and comprehension, which is why we implement it into our clients websites as part of our ongoing effort to make sites more user-friendly and accessible.
Easy English is a writing style that simplifies language for people who find reading and understanding standard English challenging. Unlike Plain English, which is intended for those with reasonable literacy, Easy English caters to individuals with lower literacy levels or cognitive impairments. It uses shorter sentences, straightforward grammar, and visual aids like pictures or symbols to help communicate key information.
Why Easy English Matters
A significant 44% of Australians between the ages of 15 and 74 are functionally illiterate, meaning they struggle to read and write at a level that allows them to manage everyday tasks. Easy English makes information accessible to these individuals by simplifying content without losing the core message. But the benefits of Easy English extend beyond those with low literacy levels, it’s also valuable for time-poor individuals or those experiencing cognitive overload, making content easier to digest quickly.
Our Approach to Easy English Integration
To convert our client’s website to Easy English, we utilise a dedicated plugin that helps reformat content for readability. Here’s how we approached the task:
- Simplifying the Text: Write the website’s existing content using plain language, shorter sentences, and simple grammar structures. Each sentence was limited to around 15 words or fewer to ensure clarity.
- Adding Visual Support: We incorporated relevant icons and images to enhance comprehension. Visuals are crucial in helping users who struggle with reading to understand important information at a glance.
- Streamlined Layout: Using an uncluttered design with plenty of white space. This layout ensures the content is not overwhelming and is easier to navigate.
Why We Chose Easy English
While Easy Read is another popular method for simplifying content, it’s generally geared toward people with intellectual disabilities and includes slightly more complex language. Easy English, on the other hand, uses very basic language and shorter sentences, making it suitable for a broader audience. After discussing the needs of our client’s website users, we determined that Easy English was the best fit for ensuring the widest accessibility possible.
Want to learn more about making your website accessible? Download our Easy English Resource Sheet to get practical tips and guidelines.
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Creating spaces where everyone can be seen and celebrated is essential, and the recent photography project with Yumba Bimbi Support Services beautifully demonstrated what is possible when inclusivity is placed at the heart of creativity.
Yumba Bimbi provides disability support across the Central Highlands and Western Queensland regions. It is more than an organisation, it is a vibrant community centered on connections and a commitment to people. To bring this vision to life, we ensured inclusivity was at the forefront of our planning process and that the photoshoot echoed the very spirit of Yumba Bimbi. When selecting talent, Yumba Bimbi invited participants of all abilities to audition, and those selected were treated with the same professionalism and respect as any model. This meant contracts, payment, and a photoshoot day that mirrored the experiences of models in any commercial setting.
The team selected settings that were both practical and enjoyable, allowing participants to feel comfortable and express themselves naturally. The day kicked off on a Emerald Green Turf , where participants mingled with Hazel the sheep and Mary the chicken. From there, they moved to the Emerald Botanical Gardens, where the participants enjoyed some activities at the park and netball courts. The day wrapped up with online games at the social club, a perfect end to a day brimming with fun and connection.
The Yumba Bimbi team made sure the environment was as inclusive as possible, with an informal dress code that encouraged participants to wear what they felt best in. After all, magic often happens when things are natural and unplanned.
“Being part of this incredible community is truly rewarding. Every interaction brings me a sense of fulfilment and joy. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work with such wonderful people.” – The Emerald Photographer
This experience has shown that when we prioritise inclusivity, we foster a sense of belonging and unity that resonates far beyond the lens. We can’t wait to share more of our work with Yumba Bimbi, so watch this space.
© Freerange Future 2025