By Kelsey Johnson February 8, 2022
RSS feeds are a easy and extensively out there software that may prevent time, improve your visibility, and enhance your productiveness.
RSS feeds typically the best option to automate your advertising. In the event you’re a podcaster, blogger, or journalist you possible have one. In the event you’re not utilizing it, you’re lacking out on an enormous alternative.
Anybody can reap the benefits of RSS feeds — from enterprise homeowners and managers to advertising managers and researchers.
We’ll cowl what precisely RSS feeds are. Plus, get 3 examples of how one can implement RSS feeds right this moment to save lots of time tomorrow (and enhance the best way you do advertising).
Basically, an RSS feed is an XML textual content file, created by an internet site, weblog, or podcast writer. It features a listing of content material up to date in actual time, with probably the most lately revealed content material on the prime.
Every new entry on an RSS feed can embrace issues just like the title, picture, description, hyperlink, and audio hyperlink — in addition to different related info.
You will get the newest info from any RSS feed by subscribing to it. Wish to see what your weblog or podcast’s feed seems to be like? Plug it into an RSS reader, like Feedly or Feeder (each have free plans).
Sorts of RSS feeds
Subscribers to an RSS feed are in all probability superfans — they don’t need to miss a factor from that supply. In the event you needed to create a listing of solely the blogs, podcasts, and information articles from sources you already like — you may.
Listed below are a couple of examples of the sorts of feeds you would possibly need to subscribe to.
Weblog submit RSS feeds
A weblog submit’s RSS feed permits readers to remain up-to-date on the newest posts. Anybody can subscribe to all the things on the weblog, or only one class.
For instance, right here’s the RSS feed for the tech information firm FastCompany’s Work Life class (“fastcompany.com/work-life/rss”).
Whoa… that XML file can look fairly intense to some.
However don’t fear, all you want is to plug the URL “fastcompany.com/work-life/rss” right into a feed reader and it’ll present a accessible show of the newest articles:
Plug your individual weblog’s RSS feed, or your favourite content material – and plug it right into a feed reader to see the way it seems to be!
Podcasters are in all probability the commonest customers of RSS feeds as of late. That’s as a result of, to start out a podcast, you have to submit your RSS feed to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and different platforms to ensure that them to publish your episodes.
RSS feeds work the identical manner for podcasts that they do for blogs — the feed is up to date with the podcast’s most up-to-date episodes on the prime. Folks within the podcast can subscribe to get the newest episodes.
For instance, right here’s the podcast RSS feed for 99% Invisible (“https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/podcast-episode/feed/“):
When you’ve got a podcast, don’t fear about creating an RSS feed for it. Your publishing platform — Captivate, Anchor, Libsyn, and many others. — will create one for you.
Plug the URL 99percentinvisible.org/episode/podcast-episode/feed/ right into a feed reader and it’ll present a accessible show of the newest podcasts:
Information could be overwhelming or random whenever you attempt to devour all of it by way of social media or web sites. However when you’ve got a couple of sources you actually like, you need to use RSS feeds to maintain updated.
For instance, right here’s the RSS feed for The New York Instances: https://rss.nytimes.com/providers/xml/rss/nyt/homepage.xml
Plug this into your feed reader, and also you’ll see a listing of the newest information articles from The New York Instances:
It was once extra widespread for RSS for use with a reader to create a feed of your favourite content material. However most individuals are very comfortable studying about information, blogs, and podcasts on Twitter, Fb, Instagram, or different social media.
However we’ve acquired a secret. There are literally a ton of different methods you need to use RSS feeds — to save lots of time and enhance your advertising. Listed below are our three favorites.
Finishing 1 advertising process is quick and straightforward. It solely takes a couple of minutes to ship 1 Tweet, write 1 electronic mail, submit 1 video on Fb, and many others. However these couple of minutes add up over time.
Posting about your new podcast, weblog submit, or YouTube video on 5 social media platforms plus sending it in an electronic mail can imply hours of labor or extra per week.
That’s the place automation is available in! You possibly can truly “set and overlook” automations utilizing RSS feeds. They prevent tons of time daily on advertising.
Listed below are 3 locations to get began:
Routinely add your most up-to-date posts, podcasts, movies, and merchandise in your emails
Do you ship a welcome marketing campaign? An deserted cart electronic mail? Automated assessment request emails?
Wish to embrace latest weblog posts without having to replace your automations every time? RSS feeds are the reply.
You possibly can truly add an RSS feed to your emails. Every time the e-mail is shipped — whether or not instantly or in 6 months — it’ll embrace the newest content material out of your feed.
Right here’s the way it works in AWeber:
1. Create a brand new draft Message or open an present Message.
2. Drag and drop the RSS factor into your electronic mail:
3. Then, add an RSS feed or just your YouTube account or your weblog’s URL into the sidebar.
You’ll be proven a number of feed choices:
4. From right here, you may edit the way you need your feed to look.
Select the variety of feed objects, format, colour, class, and what you need to present — picture, description, creator, date, and many others.
5. Upon getting your feed the way you need it, you may schedule your electronic mail.
Whether or not it’s an automatic marketing campaign or a one-off electronic mail you’re scheduling for the long run, the feed will all the time present your most up-to-date content material.
That is helpful should you’re creating an automatic welcome collection or requesting opinions. Show your most up-to-date content material without having to manually replace your emails.
Bonus: Promote Your Latest Etsy Retailer Merchandise
Do you know that your Etsy retailer has an RSS feed too? You will discover it by plugging your retailer’s consumer title into this URL:
https://www.etsy.com/store/user_name/rss
I did simply that with an instance retailer that makes clocks. See how I plugged the feed URL right into a message draft in AWeber:
This could possibly be a weekly or month-to-month automated marketing campaign that goes out to all of your subscribers, prospects, and followers. That manner, the folks most definitely to purchase your stuff will know what’s new. However you get to skip the work making new emails!
Automate social posting utilizing RSS feeds and Zapier
You possibly can arrange an automatic course of that publishes your new weblog submit, podcast episode, or YouTube video.
Right here’s how:
1. There are numerous instruments you need to use to arrange this automation.
We’ll use Zapier (it’s free).
Signal into your Zapier account and click on to create a brand new Zap. Underneath the “Set off” seek for RSS by Zapier.
2. Set the brand new set off occasion to “New merchandise in feed.” Then add your RSS feed url and take a look at the set off. Click on proceed.
3. Underneath the “Motion,” seek for the social media platform you need to submit to.
Right here I selected Twitter:
4. Select “Create a Tweet,” signal into your Twitter account, after which arrange the message you need to ship utilizing dynamic components from the RSS feed.
For instance, to submit a brand new Tweet each time the Market Your Genius Podcast publishes, I’d create a message that claims “New episode! Episode title, episode hyperlink, #advertising.”
Right here’s how that appears in Zapier:
Save and take a look at your new Zap! Right here’s the way it seems to be in my Twitter feed:
5. At this level, ensure you flip in your Zap and then you definately’re carried out.
From right here on out, each new podcast episode (or weblog submit or YouTube video) will routinely be revealed in your Twitter account after it’s launched.
Set this up for all of the social media channels you employ.
After new content material is added to your RSS feed, it’ll be posted on Twitter, Fb, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, and extra. It will probably even be posted on Medium and Reddit! (Be aware: it’s a must to arrange a separate automation for every social media account.)
As soon as that is arrange you’ll positively discover the time you get again in your week.
Sustain on business developments out of your favourite specialists
Let me pose a dilemma:
In the event you’re like me, you have got at the very least 5 channels sending you info. In my case it’s Twitter, LinkedIn, electronic mail newsletters, Instagram tales, Fb teams… the listing goes on.
However, maintaining on the information could be extremely helpful for creating content material — by way of social or electronic mail. And realizing developments is commonly knowledgeable necessity.
So when you have to do business analysis that will help you write your subsequent e-newsletter or social submit, why not use an RSS feed reader, like Feedly. It will probably show you how to keep centered and get info from sources catered particularly to your career.
Right here’s learn how to get your analysis began in just some minutes:
- Establish a couple of enterprise sources that publish breaking information in your business. Discover their RSS feeds. Listed below are a couple of examples:
NEWS Reporter’s RSS Feed (for journey particularly): http://rss.cnn.com/rss/cnn_travel.rss
The LawSites Weblog RSS Feed (for authorized expertise information): https://www.lawsitesblog.com/2010/feed
TechCrunch Weblog RSS Feed (particularly when it has the tag “Tesla”): https://techcrunch.com/tag/tesla/feed/ - Create 1 or extra classes in your favourite free feed reader. Add all of the RSS feeds you collected within the acceptable class.
- Put aside time each day or weekly to signal into your feed reader and scan by means of the latest content material out of your sources.
- Make notes on articles you need to learn, matters chances are you’ll need to write about in your e-newsletter, and developments to observe for
There are 3 causes RSS feeds with a reader work higher than social media for analysis:
- Bypass the algorithm. Don’t let a social media software inform you what it thinks is the preferred or fascinating. You possibly can see all the things written by the supply you already belief.
- Keep away from distraction. Be taught what’s happening in your business with out shedding focus as a consequence of ineffective developments or shiny advertisements.
- One supply solely. Your blogs and podcasts could publish on quite a lot of platforms — however they don’t all publish on all of them on a regular basis. Get the content material you need to see in a single place.
Grow to be an RSS feed knowledgeable. Strive the following tips for utilizing your individual RSS feed(s) and others to take your newsletters and social media advertising from commonplace to wonderful. Plus, save your self a while!
Wish to check out utilizing RSS feeds in your e-newsletter or gross sales emails? You possibly can, utilizing AWeber’s drag-and-drop electronic mail builder. Arrange a free account right this moment.
