RSS to WordPress: How to Auto-Post from RSS Feeds

Moving content from RSS to WordPress automatically is one of the easiest ways to keep a news or niche blog updated. Instead of copying stories by hand, you connect a feed once and let WordPress create posts on a schedule. This tutorial shows you how RSS feeds work, how to check a feed, and how to set up auto-posting step by step.

What is an RSS feed?

An RSS feed is a file on a website that lists its latest posts in a standard format. Each item usually has a title, a link, a date, a summary or the full content, and sometimes an image. Atom is a similar format. Plugins check the feed regularly and can turn each new item into a WordPress post.

A few common feed addresses:

• WordPress sites: https://example.com/feed/
• A WordPress category: https://example.com/category/technology/feed/
• Many news sites list feeds on a page called "RSS" or "Feeds"

If you still need sources, read our guide on how to find RSS feeds for a news website.

Before you start: check the source

Just because a site has an RSS feed does not mean you may republish its articles. A feed is made for reading, not automatically for copying.

Before you add any feed:

1. Read the source's terms of use or content licence.
2. Prefer sources that clearly allow reuse, such as official press releases or openly licensed content.
3. Plan to credit and link the original article in every post.
4. Plan to add your own value, such as a summary, local context or a translation.
5. Remove content quickly if the owner asks you to.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. If you are unsure about a source, ask a lawyer.

Step 1: Test the feed

Open the feed URL in your browser. You should see structured text (XML) with items listed one after another. Look for these things:

1. Is it updated often? Check the dates of the latest items.
2. Does it contain full text or only a summary? Many news feeds give only one or two sentences.
3. Does it include images? Look for tags such as media:content, enclosure or an image inside the content.
4. Is it on-topic? A site's main feed may mix many subjects. A category feed is often more focused.

Write down what you find. It helps you choose the right settings later.

Step 2: Choose your method

There are a few ways to get from RSS to WordPress posts.

This tutorial uses AI AutoPost for the steps below. The general ideas, such as filters, schedules and review, apply to any tool you choose.

Step 3: Install and activate the plugin

1. Download the plugin from the download page.
2. In WordPress, go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, upload the ZIP file and activate it.
3. Enter your license key. Each license is linked to one site domain.
4. New accounts include free starter posts, so you can test the full process first.

The documentation covers installation in more detail.

Step 4: Create a campaign

A campaign is one import job. Think of it as "these feeds go into this category".

1. Create a new campaign and give it a clear name, for example "Tech News - India".
2. Add one or more RSS or Atom feed URLs.
3. Choose the WordPress category for the posts.
4. Set the maximum number of posts per run. For testing, start low, for example 2 or 3.
5. Choose a schedule, for example every hour or every few hours.

Keep each campaign focused on one topic. When one works well, clone it and change only the feeds and category. You can also export campaigns and import them on another site.

Step 5: Add filters

Filters decide which feed items become posts. They are the easiest way to improve quality.

Word count limits

Set a minimum word count to skip short teasers and one-line updates. Set a maximum if you want to avoid very long pieces. The right numbers depend on your niche, so test and adjust.

Blocked keywords

Add words that should never appear on your site. If an item's title or content contains a blocked keyword, it is skipped. For example, a tech site might block "horoscope" or "sponsored".

Duplicate titles

AI AutoPost skips items whose title matches an existing post. This stops the same story from being imported twice when two feeds carry it.

Require an image

You can skip items that have no image in the feed. This keeps your homepage looking complete, because every post has a featured image.

Step 6: Get the full article, not just the summary

If a feed only has a short summary, a post built from it will be thin. Readers get little value, and search engines have little reason to show it.

AI AutoPost can open the original article page and extract the full text. By default, it reads the page's NewsArticle or BlogPosting structured data, or it detects the main content automatically.

Some sites have unusual layouts. For those, you can set a custom rule:

• CSS selector, for example .article-body
• XPath expression, for example //div[@class="story-content"]
• Regex, for advanced cases

To find a CSS selector, open an article in Chrome, right-click on the main text, choose Inspect, and look for the element that wraps the whole article body.

Then import a few posts and check that the text is complete and free of menus and ads.

Step 7: Rewrite or translate with AI (optional)

You can publish the extracted text as it is, but that is usually a weak choice. It adds nothing new, and a copy of another site's article rarely ranks. It can also cause copyright problems.

A better option is to use AI to create a helpful version for your readers. In AI AutoPost, you write prompt templates with [gpt]...[/gpt] tags. A simple example of the idea:

1. Ask the AI to summarise the key facts in simple English.
2. Ask it to explain why the news matters to your audience.
3. Tell it to keep all names, numbers and dates exactly as in the source.
4. Ask for a new, clear title.

The title and content are rewritten in one AI call, which costs one post credit. The AI runs on AlgoPoint AI's servers using OpenAI, Google Gemini or Anthropic Claude. If the AI call fails, the item is skipped or saved as pending, and the raw prompt is never published.

You can also translate posts into languages such as Hindi, Gujarati, Malayalam, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Vietnamese and more. Non-English titles get English, transliterated URL slugs, so your links stay readable.

Want to know how Google treats this kind of content? Read does AI-rewritten content rank on Google?

Step 8: Featured images

AI AutoPost downloads the feed item's image into your media library, sets it as the featured image, and adds alt text. Check whether each source allows image reuse. If not, replace the image with your own or a licensed one.

Step 9: Make scheduling reliable

The plugin runs campaigns through WP-Cron. WP-Cron only runs when someone visits your site, so on a new site with few visitors, imports may be delayed.

For reliable timing, set up a real server cron job:

1. Open your hosting control panel and find Cron Jobs.
2. Add a job that calls your site's wp-cron.php every 5 to 15 minutes.
3. Optionally, disable the visitor-triggered WP-Cron by adding define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true); to wp-config.php.

Ask your host for help if you are not sure how to do this.

Step 10: Review and adjust

Automation still needs a person to check the results. In the first week:

1. Look at every imported post.
2. Check facts, formatting, images and the source link.
3. Note which feeds produce weak posts and remove or filter them.
4. Adjust word limits and blocked keywords.

AI AutoPost helps here too. If a post's title or content is below the minimum word count, it is saved as a draft for review instead of being published.

Once things run smoothly, increase the posts per run slowly. Our guide on avoiding duplicate content on an auto-posting news site will help you keep your archive clean as it grows.

Troubleshooting common problems

• No posts are created. Check that the feed URL works in a browser, that your filters are not too strict, and that cron is running.
• Posts are very short. The feed has only summaries. Turn on full-article extraction or set a custom selector.
• Wrong text is extracted. The site layout confused automatic detection. Use a CSS selector or XPath rule.
• Many items are skipped. Your minimum word count, keyword list or image requirement may be too strict.
• Imports stopped suddenly. Check that cron is still running, and check your post credit balance and license status.

Frequently asked questions

Can WordPress import RSS feeds without a plugin?

WordPress has a basic RSS widget that shows headlines from a feed, but it does not create posts. To turn feed items into posts automatically, you need a plugin.

Is it okay to auto-post content from any RSS feed?

No. A feed is meant for reading. Check each source's terms, prefer sources that allow reuse, credit the original, and add your own value. If unsure, consult a lawyer.

How often should my campaigns run?

It depends on your niche. Fast news topics may need hourly runs. Slower topics may need only a few runs a day. Match the schedule to how often your sources publish.

Do I need my own OpenAI or Gemini API key?

No. With AI AutoPost, the AI runs on AlgoPoint AI's servers. Each AI rewrite uses one post credit. See the pricing page for credit packs.

Next steps

Pick one feed you are allowed to use and set up a small test campaign today. Download AI AutoPost to try it with your free starter posts, or read the complete guide to starting an automated news website for the bigger picture.