RSS feed

An RSS, or rich site summary, feed is a format used to publish frequently updated content by websites, blogs, and newsletters. RSS feeds can be used to automatically share content updates, summaries, or full articles (like blogs or newsletters) across different platforms.

How an RSS feed works

A site publishes a feed file, usually at an address like example.com/feed or example.com/rss.xml, that lists its newest items with a title, link, summary or full text, and publish date. Feed readers and other tools check that file on a schedule and pull in anything new. RSS is still the most reliable way to follow a site without an algorithm deciding what you see. Atom is a similar format that most tools treat interchangeably.

RSS feeds and newsletters

For newsletter teams, RSS runs in both directions:

• RSS to email. A newsletter platform watches your blog feed and automatically builds and sends an issue whenever new posts appear. It is the easiest way to keep a blog audience in the inbox without writing a separate email. Our RSS to email guide walks through the setup.
• Newsletter to RSS. Your published issues are exposed as a feed, so readers can follow them in a feed reader, other sites can syndicate them, and search engines can discover the archive.

Breaker supports both Breaker-to-RSS and RSS-to-Breaker, meaning content that is published in Breaker could also be sent to another website or content published on another website can be used in Breaker.

How to find a site's RSS feed

• Try /feed, /rss, /rss.xml, or /atom.xml after the domain. WordPress, Substack, Ghost, and most blog platforms use one of these.
• Look for the orange RSS icon or a "Subscribe" link in the footer.
• View the page source and search for "application/rss+xml".
• Paste the homepage into a feed reader; most will discover the feed automatically.
• YouTube channels, podcasts, and subreddits also publish feeds, which makes RSS a useful source for curated newsletters.

Common uses in B2B marketing

• Sending automated blog digests to subscribers
• Curating industry news from dozens of sources into one editorial newsletter
• Syndicating content to partners or an internal intranet
• Feeding dynamic content blocks, such as latest posts, job listings, or changelog entries, into a scheduled send