What is an RSS Feed and how does it work in Metricool

What is an RSS Feed

An RSS Feed is a list of the latest content published on a website, such as blog articles.
This feed is generated in a standard format called XML, which allows tools like Metricool to read it and detect new content.

How to get an RSS Feed

Each blog or website usually has its own RSS Feed.
Depending on the platform, this feed is generated automatically or can be configured.

Here are the most common ways to find the RSS Feed of your blog:

• Adding /feed at the end of the blog URL.
  Example: https://yourblog.com/feed

• Adding /rss at the end of the URL.
  Example: https://yourblog.com/rss

• Checking your platform's documentation (e.g., WordPress, Blogger, Wix...).

• Inspecting the page source: in many blogs you’ll find a line like:

<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" href="https://yourblog.com/feed" />

Specific settings in WordPress

If your blog is created with WordPress, by default the RSS shows the latest 10 posts.

If you want to change the number of posts included in the feed, you can do it from the WordPress admin panel:

1. Go to Settings.

2. Go to Reading.

3. In the "Syndication feeds show the most recent" field, define how many posts you want to appear in the RSS.

Example of a valid RSS Feed

Here’s the RSS Feed of the Metricool blog:
🔗 https://metricool.com/feed/

You can open it in your browser and see how it's structured in XML format.

Uses of the RSS Feed in Metricool

You can use an RSS Feed in Metricool in two main ways:

• When connecting your website
  When you connect your website or blog to Metricool, you can add its RSS.
  This way, Metricool can automatically read your latest articles and display them in your panel.
  This keeps your content updated in the tool.

• In an auto list
  You can create an auto list from the RSS Feed to automate the publication of your articles on social networks.
  👉 This system is designed for blogs. It is not 100% compatible with other types of feeds (such as YouTube or Instagram), which have different structures.

If you want to learn how to create an auto list with an RSS Feed, we recommend this article: 👉 How to link an RSS Feed

How does the RSS Feed work in Metricool

When you connect an RSS Feed to Metricool, the process is as follows:

• We read each item in the feed (each entry is called <item>).

• We extract the URL of the content (<link> field).

• We visit that URL, which is the actual article page.

• On that page, we check if there is a main image configured (og:image tag).

• If we find this image, we use it to accompany your posts on social networks. If there is no og:image, we try to show the first available image on the page, usually the logo or any image that appears first in the HTML code.

👉 Note: the og:image is not inside the RSS, but on each article page.

Limitations to keep in mind

• If the page does not have the og:image tag, no image will be published.

• If you use feeds from other platforms (such as YouTube or Instagram), compatibility may vary:

• YouTube: we can read the URL and image, but it will be published as image + link, not as a video.

• Instagram: images may expire, as the URLs are temporary.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use any RSS Feed?
The system is designed for blog feeds that follow the XML standard. Feeds from other platforms (such as YouTube, Instagram, or custom feeds) may not be compatible or may not work as expected.

Why does the RSS only show the last 10 articles?
This is the default setting in many blog platforms, such as WordPress. You can change it in your platform settings.
👉 In WordPress, it's the option “Syndication feeds show the most recent” in the Reading settings.

Does the RSS Feed sync automatically?
Yes. If you use an auto list with RSS, Metricool periodically checks the feed to detect new articles and publish them based on your configuration.

What happens if my page doesn’t have og:image?
If your page does not include the og:image tag, our system will not find a specific image for the post.
In this case, it will try to display the first available image on the page, usually the logo or any image that appears first in the HTML code.

Why don’t I see the image in the auto list?
Because images are only downloaded for Instagram and Pinterest. On other networks, the preview is generated by the platform itself.

Does it work with YouTube?
Yes, but it publishes an image and a link, not the video.

Does it work with Instagram?
It can work, but images are temporary and may expire.