How to Take Your RSS to Email from Meh to Yeah!

RSS to Email is a form of email automation that uses a feature almost every website has, though for some it’s a hidden feature: the RSS Feed. Utilizing the RSS Feed, you can send automatic emails to notify your subscribers of changes to your site, most common in the form of new posts to your blogs or news sections, further amplifying and promoting your latest updates.

This article will walk you through what the RSS feed does and how FeedBlitz’s RSS to Email features empower you. From quickly setting up your email marketing to promoting your new website content learn how you can send can use this automation to your advantage.

In the Beginning, There was the RSS Feed

While 1999 seems like millennia in internet-years, users then had the same issue as now:  when their favorite sites posted new content.

The solution was the Really Simple Syndication (RSS).

The RSS Feed on a website sends out notifications in the forms of basic information and content (titles, summaries, pictures, etc.) to anyone who subscribes to it. While this information was once only used by users and special software called aggregators, modern feeds are integrated into many apps and news sources.

The RSS feed quickly became the go-to for individuals and news services and is still very much in use today, though not always in the same way.

Does my Website Have an RSS Feed?

If your website has a blog, chances are your RSS feed is already up and running. This is the most common type of feed used to power RSS to email mailings, but you can also create filtered feeds from your blog based on category, tag, or author as well.

You’ve almost certainly seen the white-on-orange RSS logo of the dot and two curved lines on your own and others website, but social channels like Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, as well as online stores like Shopify and Etsy all have RSS feeds, too. These are all valid RSS feeds you can use to power your emails.

It’s time to make them work for you.

Why Use RSS to Email?

While RSS readers still exist in the form of website plugins and apps, for many individuals and businesses this is an underutilized resource. Take advantage of this resource, by turning it into a more accessible format. Use your feed to send automatic emails built from the new content on your site.

This gives you and your subscribers a powerful resource – a new tool for them to keep track of all of your new content and additional automated marketing tool with every new post you write.

Here are a few scenarios where RSS to Email really shines:

• Set It and Forget It: Want an easy way to share your blogs? After setting this up once, you’re good to go. This feature will save you time when you post to your blog.
• Curated Blog Content: From individual posts to weekly or monthly collections of blogs, your subscribers can pick the frequency they prefer, and you don’t have to worry about too many emails. Create multiple campaigns and let them pick, from daily content to a monthly newsletter.
• Sharing the News: Want only to use RSS to Email sparingly? Have it set up to share certain categories or tags, and then use it for major news or events.

The great thing about RSS to Email is it works for website posts of all sizes and frequencies, from bloggers who are just starting out to content creators who have built a brand and large following. From specialized businesses to daily columns, RSS to Email automation can scale up or down as needed.

Setting Up RSS to Email on FeedBlitz: From Meh to Yeah!

Here at FeedBlitz, RSS to Email has a very special place in our email marketing tools. Since day one – over a decade ago – we’ve led the way when it comes to innovation and reliability in this field.

What once was formatted and boring is no more!

Setting up your RSS feeds campaigns to create personalized and beautiful RSS to email campaigns can be done in a matter of minutes, along with tons of options to help customize your emails to your brand and audience. Below is a summary of how we help you put together an RSS to Email mailing, with links to additional reading and tutorials.

• Set up the Email: Just like with any other mailing, create a campaign, pick your subscriber list, and adjust settings.
• Choose Your Frequency: How often do you want to send these automated emails? Options range from Express, which sends an email with every post, to weekly or monthly for longer digests.

• Select Your Feed: After that, it’s all about selecting the RSS feed you want to power the mailing. FeedBlitz can help you set that up too.
• Filter by Category, Tag, or Author: Use your main feed to power your mailing or customize the content by subscriber preference by filtering the content based on certain categories, tags, or authors.

• Build Your Email: From there, choose a ready-made or blank template, decide how much blog text to preview in the email, add any personalization or other features you like, and you’re all set.

For the full tutorial, you can check it out here or browse the Knowledge Base.

Promoting Your New RSS to Email Feature

Now that your RSS to email campaign is read, how do you promote it?

You can, of course, send these campaigns to a current subscriber list – especially if these subscribers already follow you for your blogs or other posts, but it might make sense to augment or create a new email group for your RSS to email.

Here are some ways to get started:

• Create a Subscription Form: From adding the option to get notifications on new posts on current forms to creating new ones (including popups), SmartForms allow you to better gauge interest.
• Tagging and Segmentation: Include tags in your forms and segment current subscription list by using powerful segmentation and tagging tools.
• Send an Email: Create a mailing to send to one or more lists to let people know about this new option and allow them to opt-in. You can even use this as a chance to re-engage inactive subscribers.
• Promote on Social Media: Just like with automated mailings, you can set up FeedBlitz to promote your new blog to social media in just a few short clicks.

RSS to Email is all about working smarter, not harder when it comes to maximizing the effect and reach of each post, from a starting blog to an enterprise’s news. Use this powerful tool to supercharge your blog and whole website. Learn why FeedBlitz leads this field by checking out our RSS to Email page.

Want to get started? Learn more about our free trial and reach out to us on our Support Page to contact us via email, chat, or even over the phone. Live support is available Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern.