What is RSS, and what can you do with it?
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Many don’t even know what an RSS feed is, let alone all the cool things you can do with it. So let’s start with what the heck it is. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.
An RSS feed is an XML file that WordPress generates and includes a snippet of your latest post or posts. What is XML?
Basically, it is a file that syndicates or groups your content so others (and search engines) can download it and get your updates.
RSS Symbol on Websites
You may have noticed the RSS symbol on websites. Mine is located in the lower right-hand corner of every page, along with all the social icons.
The primary use of an RSS feed is to provide site visitors and syndication services with the ability to subscribe to your feed and receive notifications when you post new content.
You can also set up an RSS feed service to automatically send email notices when you add a new post to your WordPress website. That’s the “simple syndication” part.
When you subscribe to a website’s updates, you are often subscribing to how they syndicate their RSS feed. When you add a post, WordPress updates the feed and sends an email to those subscribed.
The appearance and timing of that email depend on how the particular syndication is configured and vary by website. Various services and plugins help you customize how you use your RSS feed. We’ll also discuss those.
Why I Love RSS Feeds
All you have to do is click that icon to get the feed’s URL.
Power users can add that URL to their feed reader, such as Feedly.com. Some people, like me, use their email program or a mobile app to follow the feeds they are interested in.
When you click a feed, you’ll see all the code required for it to work in your browser. All you need is the URL in your browser’s location bar. Copy and paste that into your email program’s feed management area.
Browsers also let you subscribe to a feed via add-ons. The downside of this approach is that you will not see the updates if you are not in that browser or on a different device.
Using Your Email Program for Feeds
As I mentioned, some email programs can subscribe to feeds and receive updates like any other email. Search for Feeds in your email program of choice. You’ll generally see “Subscribe.”
Click on that and add the URL for the feed you are interested in. For example, here’s mine:
https://www.theistudio.com/feed
Outlook has removed the ability to do this, except in the classic desktop application. That’s not what I call progress — but we’re talking Microsoft, so…
“The new Outlook for Windows does not include support for RSS Feed functionality. This means users cannot add or remove RSS feeds, nor retrieve content from them.”
Same for iPhones — so there’s an app for that.
How to Use Your WordPress Website’s RSS Feed
Most site owners are interested in how to find and use their website’s post feed to keep visitors up to date. So the first question asked is, “Where is my feed?”
You’ll find your WordPress feed at yourdomain.com/feed.
We’ve talked about where your RSS feed is and some of the things you can do with it. What’s cool is WordPress can create various feeds on the fly.
For posts, tags, comments, and pages, you can create a URL for the type of feed you want to offer. Additionally, there are plugins available to help you further customize your feed.
Setting Up Your Website’s New Post Feed via Subscription
Your posts feed allows site visitors to sign up and get an email when you add a new post to your site. Additionally, you can configure the email’s appearance based on the service you use for your RSS campaign.
Kit* is a feature-rich email marketing tool that allows you to automate your built-in RSS feed and customize it to match your site’s look and feel. Once set up, an email is sent to all your subscribers when you add a new post. In addition, RSS can be customized to include images, post counts, summaries, or entire posts.
You can set up Kit to send at a particular time, so it sends whenever you post something new every day. Alternatively, you can configure the service to send weekly, including an excerpt of all the posts for the week. Then, it’s up to you!
If you use MailChimp, you can install the Featured Images in RSS plugin. This plugin then includes the designated Featured Image for each post, increasing click-throughs.
The Yoast SEO plugin lets you customize your RSS feed to include a field crediting your website when your feed is displayed elsewhere. This is because some websites display other websites’ feeds as their content.
You can add content before each item, and include a link to your website at the bottom of each item in your feed.
Using RSS Feeds from Other Websites on Yours
You can display RSS feeds from other websites on your site or in your sidebar. To do this, you would need an RSS aggregator. Here’s a plugin to check out:
Another option is to use a website like Feedspot, an RSS Reader that lets you subscribe to blogs, news sites, and any website you want to keep up with. For example, two of my Email Etiquette blogs made the Best Email Etiquette Blogs to Follow in 2026 list; you can subscribe to each on Feedspot!
Are you ready to make RSS feeds work for you?
You have an RSS feed you can use to gain new subscribers and exposure. It is sitting there just waiting for you to put it to work.
You can also subscribe to other websites’ feeds to stay informed, or display them to complement your content. Now that you know what RSS feeds are, how will you use them to your advantage?
At your service,
*Some of the links on this page are to companies with which I have a professional affiliation.
Read my complete affiliate statement here.