Creating RSS Feeds

What is an RSS Feed?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It refers to files easily read by a computer, called XML files, that automatically update information. This information is fetched by a user's RSS feed reader that converts the files and the latest updates from websites into an easy-to-read format.

How does Hushly work with RSS Feeds?

When you already have blogs, but you want to create the content for them as Assets. Now, creating each article and checking each article one by one will take forever. Imagine being able to add all the articles at once? With Hushly and RSS Feeds, it's possible!

All you have to do is copy the RSS feed URL from the blog's page source and create an RSS Feed which is provided in your Hushly account. Hushly will automatically add all the articles as Assets, which can also be used in your Hub. Please note: Blog articles are not available in Experiences.

With Hushly's hourly Sync, New Assets would get created when there are articles added to the blog, and already synced assets will be updated when there are modifications made to an article automatically.

You can follow the steps below to create RSS Feeds:

1. From the Left Nav Menu, click Assets.
      
2. On the Assets page, click RSS Feeds.   
3. On the RSS Feeds page, click Add RSS Feed. 
4. The Add RSS Feed page is displayed.   
5. Enter the details on the Add RSS Feed page.
   •  Enter the RSS Feed Name.   
   • Enter or Paste the RSS Feed URL.   
   • Select the Asset Type from the drop-down list. Note: Asset Type fields are defined under Setup > Asset Types.
     
     
   • Select the Sync Category Field from the drop-down list.
     When selected, Hushly automatically maps and assigns category values from RSS feed entries to the chosen Catalog field in Hushly.
     
     Example: If a Catalog field in Hushly has three predefined values and the Sync Category Field is mapped to it, Hushly will automatically assign new category values from the RSS feed entries to this field. As a result, the Catalog field may now include a new (fourth) value based on the feed. 
   • Note: Sync Category Fields are defined under Setup>Field Management.
   • Edit the Catalog field and arrange the values in alphabetical order under Setup>Field Management.
     
     
6. Remove Asset with Feed Entry: Toggle this option to Yes to automatically remove the asset from Hushly when it is removed from the RSS feed. If left off, the asset will remain in Hushly even after it's removed from the feed. 
7. Download Thumbnail Image: If your blog's images are restricted to your domain and not accessible externally, you can use this option to ensure your thumbnail image displays correctly on Hushly.
   
   

   When enabled, this feature downloads and copies the thumbnail image to Hushly's servers, allowing it to be served directly from Hushly. This is especially useful if your original image URLs are blocked by CORS policies, firewalls, or authentication.

   
   
8. Folder: The default location for the RSS Feed is the Uncategorized/Asset folder. Click on Choose to designate a different folder of your choice for placement.

   
   

9. Click Save.    
10. The RSS Feed Edit Page is displayed with the Configure (by default) and Automation tabs, as well as Activate and Delete buttons.
    • Configure Tab: Prepopulates the fields and values updated during the creation of RSS Feeds.
    • Automation Tab: Enables automatic assignment of Catalog field values based on the contents of RSS feed entries. This streamlines asset classification during RSS imports, reduces manual effort, and ensures greater consistency. 
    • Activate:  Clicking the Activate button begins the process of syncing RSS Feeds into Hushly. If you want to include Catalog field values during the sync, make sure to create an Automation rule first.
      Note: If you click Activate without setting up automation rules, the assets will sync into Hushly, but the Catalog fields' value will not be populated.
    • Delete: Clicking on the Delete button will delete the RSS Feed and the Assets with a confirmation message.
      
      
11. Click the Automation tab. The Automation details page is displayed with Activate, Delete, and Add Rule buttons. Click Add Rule. 
12. The Add Automation Rule pop-up is displayed.
    • Name: Enter a Name for the automation rule. The Enabled toggle is set to Yes by default.
      
    • In the rule section, click the drop-down list to select the RSS Feed Item by Title, URL, Author Name, Author Id, Categories, and Content. 
    • Select an operator from the drop-down.
      
    • Add the value for the rule. The Title value entered should match the Title in the Feed.
      
    •  In the Perform These Actions section, select a Catalog Field from the drop-down list.
      
    • Select the Value for the chosen Catalog Field and click Save.Note: You can add more Rules and Actions for the Automation Rule.
      
      
    • The rule is saved and displayed in the Automation Rules listing page. Click Activate to initiate the feed synchronization.  
      
    • A confirmation dialog appears with Ok and Cancel options. Click Ok to activate the feed, and a confirmation message will be displayed. The Activate button is replaced by Sync and Pause buttons after activation.Note: Clicking RSS Feed in the breadcrumb navigates to the RSS Feed listing page.
      
      
13. The RSS Feed is synced and displayed with the number of Entries.   
14. Once the RSS Feed is successfully synced, click on the number link under the Number of Entries column, which will lead to the Assets that were created using the RSS Feed.  
15. The Assets are filtered and displayed on the Assets page.

Viewing the Assets created by the RSS Feed:

To view the Assets created by the RSS Feed, you can follow the steps below:

1. On the Assets page, click the drop-down arrow from the Search field.   
2. Select the RSS Feed name from the RSS Feed list and click Search.   
3. The Assets created by the RSS Feed are displayed. Click the Asset you would like to view.
      
4. By default, the Metrics tab opens. This tab provides information about the performance of the Asset.   
5. Click the Setup tab. This tab provides set-up information on the Asset that was created by RSS Feed.
   • Metadata Section: Name, Title, Excerpt, Description, Folder, Type, Language, Fulfillment URL, and Time. 
        
   • Options Section: Ungated, Opt-in Message, Hidden, and Email Template.
      For RSS Feeds, the Ungated button is set to Yes by default and cannot be toggled to No.       
   • Thumbnails Section: Thumbnail 1 and Thumbnail 2. Thumbnail 1 is created if there is an image tag in the Feed, either in the Content or Description section. Thumbnail 2 is not created automatically. 
     
   • Catalog Section: The values will be added to the Catalog fields automatically. 
     Note: Catalog Fields need to be created and defined under Setup > Field Management > Asset Fields.        
   • SEO Section: SEO Title, Canonical URL, and SEO Description.  The article's page URL is used as the Canonical URL. 
      
        
     
   • Custom Fields Section: If you define Custom Fields using Setup > Field Management, the fields for the Asset are seen  in this section.    
6. Click the Content tab to view the content of the item in the RSS Feed.  

Related Topics:

Editing RSS Feeds 

Sync, Pause, and Activate RSS Feeds.