How to Add a Blog Feed to Create Meaningful Relationships with Your Readers
This post was updated in December 2019.
Do you want to learn how to add a blog feed to your site?
Maybe you have the best blog on the web. Your ideas are genius. With your writing, you compel readers to read to the very end of every post. You are relevant and interesting. Unique, even.
But it isn’t enough to have the best blog on the web.
Because what if visitors read a post, love it, and then never come back to your blog?
With social media, instant messaging, and tons of other blogs vying for their attention, it’s even possible they’ll forget your blog.
So how do you ensure they read the next thing you post?
The answer is by adding a blog feed to your blog.
In this post, I’ll show you how to add a blog feed to successfully boost your readership.
How to Add a Blog Feed to Create Meaningful Relationships with Your Readers
How Adding a Blog Feed Works to Boost Readership
1. Advantages for Blog Readers
2. Advantages for Bloggers
How to Add a Blog Feed to Your Site
1. How to Add a Blog Feed to WordPress
2. How to Add a Blog Feed to Blogger
[bctt tweet=”If you’ve been publishing for quite some time, you could have already gained fans. ♂️How do you keep them close? Add a blog feed to your site to keep them updated with the freshest. @JuliaEMcCoy shows how.” username=”ExpWriters”]
How Adding a Blog Feed Works to Boost Readership
Before we go into how to add a blog feed, let’s understand how blog feeds work.
Blog feeds work using RSS (Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) technology. Therefore, a blog feed can also be called an RSS feed.
RSS feeds were invented to give people ease and convenience when browsing the web.
For example, imagine yourself browsing the web. You have a list of your favorite sites. These are blogs and news sites which have content relevant to you. But maybe you love more than 20 sites. How do you find enough time in a day to visit all 20 to check for new updates?
The answer is RSS.
With RSS, you can get the content of your favorite blogs and websites to come to you. All you need is to find the right RSS reader. When you create an account, you can subscribe to blogs and websites you like. Every time these blogs and websites post something new, it will come straight to your reader.
RSS is as simple as that.
1. Advantages for Blog Readers
For blog readers, RSS feeds save a lot of time. For instance, maybe you make it your habit to keep up with business trends. You also want a guide on investing and finances. If so, all you need to do is go to your RSS reader and subscribe to sites like Entrepreneur and Forbes.
If you choose Feedly for your reader, your feed will look something like this.
On the left side, you can view the sites you subscribed to. On the right, you can see all Entrepreneur’s and Forbes’ new posts.
You can also search for something specific in your RSS reader. For instance, you can type the keyword ‘real estate’ into the search field provided on the left. Your reader will bring up all real estate-related articles from both Entrepreneur and Forbes.
With blog feeds, you can stay updated without wasting time.
2. Advantages for Bloggers
As the owner of a website or blog, adding a blog feed will keep your readers from forgetting about you. Once they click the subscribe button on your blog, they get your updates each time you post.
Also, if they have their own blogs, they can share your content there. This gives you the chance to get exposure and even more subscribers.
Finally, you can benefit from RSS as a blogger because it helps you avoid the email spam folder. While successful email content marketing is a good strategy, some of your emails may be filtered as spam. Having an RSS blog ensures that your content reaches the users who are interested in it.
As can be seen, adding a blog feed is the answer to how you can make a mark in today’s vast sea of online content.
So now you might be wondering “How to create an RSS feed for my blog?”
Here’s your comprehensive guide to doing it yourself.
How to Add a Blog Feed to Your Site
The good news is you don’t need to be a techy person to add a blog feed to your site. Here’s how to add RSS to your blog on WordPress and Blogger.
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How to Add a Blog Feed to WordPress
The advantage of using WordPress for your blog is that it’s easy to add an RSS feed to it. Since WordPress already does contain RSS for both content and comments, all you need to do is to set things up so readers can easily click subscribe.
Here’s how to do it.
1. Find the Location of Your RSS Feed
First of all, you need to find where your RSS feed is located.
To do this, you can use software like Feedburner. Since it’s owned by Google, you can access it with your Google account. Once you log in, this is what you’ll see.
Type the URL of your blog into the given field. Feedburner will then locate your RSS feeds. Select one and click Next.
This is what you’ll see.
You’re now ready to burn your feed! Select Next on the bottom left of the box.
What comes up next is this.
In the red box marked above, you can find your feed URL. Copy this URL.
2. Add Your Feed to WordPress
On the WordPress platform, select Customize from the left-side toolbar. From there, select Widgets. This will allow you to customize widgets within your site.
You can choose whether you want your subscription button to be a sidebar or a footer.
Once you have made your selection, click add a widget. Then, scroll down to select RSS.
Add the URL you copied from Feedburner.
Click Done and you’re ready to go! Those who love your blog will now be able to subscribe to you easily and see your posts on their feed readers.
[bctt tweet=”Adding a blog feed in WordPress is easy. ⛱️ Just find the location of your RSS feed and add it as a customized widget. See this step-by-step guide. ️” username=”ExpWriters”]
How to Add a Blog Feed to Blogger
What if you use Blogger as your blogging platform? You might be wondering, “How do I create RSS for my Blogger blog?”
Although slightly different from the steps for WordPress, adding a blog feed to Blogger is also simple.
Here’s how to add a blog feed to Blogger.
1. Create Your Short Code
To create this code, you can use software like Powr. Powr allows you to get RSS for one blog free of charge. If you have more than one blog, you can go for a premium account.
To begin, create an account on Powr. This is as easy as entering your email address and creating a password. Once you’ve created an account, you’re ready to create your short code.
Then, go to the plugin library by clicking Create New Plugin on the right side of the platform. From there, click on RSS feed. Here’s what it looks like.
Once you’ve clicked RSS feed, you’ll see this.
Enter the URL of your blog into the second blank field and click Next.
You will then be asked which platform you want to add the code to. Click Blogger.
Then, click Add to Layout and copy the HTML code you’re given.
This is the code you’ll use for your Blogger RSS feed.
2. Add the Code to Blogger
After you’ve copied the code, return to Blogger. Click Layout on the left toolbar. You then need to decide where you want your subscription button to go. You can put it on the sidebar or footer of your blog. Once you’ve decided, click Add a Gadget.
A box will appear once you’ve clicked Add a Gadget. Scroll down and find HTML/JavaScript. Click on the blue plus button on the right side of the selection.
A title and content box will appear. In the content box, paste the HTML code you copied from Powr. You can also add any title you want to the title box.
That’s about it! When you click save, you’ve made it simple for users to follow your blog.
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[bctt tweet=”Adding a blog feed in Blogger is something you can easily do. With tools like Powr, you can create a short code that you can paste as a gadget in your Blogger layout. Know more how to do this in this post by @JuliaEMcCoy. ” username=”ExpWriters”]
How Adding a Blog Feed Creates Better Relationships with Readers
Relationships are a vital part of being human. Building a strong relationship with anyone can’t be done in just one step.
To gain trust and closeness, you need to keep close communication with a loved one. Without constant words, gestures, and messages, your relationship will fade.
The same is true when it comes to your relationship with readers. Yes, you can awe them with one fantastic blog post. But unless you find a way to keep talking to them, you inevitably lose them. And online, this can happen so much faster than in a traditional setting.
This is why you need an RSS feed. When you add an RSS feed to your blog, you put yourself front and center in your readers’ minds.
Also, when you add a blog feed to your blog, you keep engaging users with new content. This means you establish your brand by creating a lasting relationship with your followers.
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