RSS email campaigns automatically send your latest blog posts, news articles, or other feed content to your subscribers on a recurring schedule. Instead of manually creating an email each time you publish new content, SendX monitors your RSS feed and sends an email only when new posts are available.
When to Use RSS Campaigns
RSS campaigns work well when you want to keep subscribers informed about new content without the manual effort of creating individual emails. Common use cases include blog digest newsletters, news roundups, podcast episode announcements, and product update feeds. The campaign runs on autopilot once configured, checking your feed and sending emails based on your chosen schedule.
Step 1: Access the RSS Campaign Setup
Click Campaigns in the main navigation bar.
Select RSS from the dropdown menu.
Click the Create RSS button.
If you already have RSS campaigns, you'll see them listed on this page with their active status and execution count.
Step 2: Configure Basic Settings
On the first screen, you'll set up the campaign name, feed URL, subject line, and sender information.
Campaign Name
Enter a descriptive name for your RSS campaign. This is for your internal reference and won't be visible to recipients.
Feed URL
Enter the full URL of your RSS feed, including https://. For example: https://yourblog.com/feed/ or https://yourblog.com/rss.xml
SendX validates the feed URL when you enter it. If the URL is invalid, returns an error, or contains malformed XML, you'll see an error message and won't be able to proceed until you provide a valid feed.
Subject Line
Enter the email subject your recipients will see. You can use the RSS feed title dynamically with a fallback value in case the feed title isn't available:
{{fallback .RssTitle "Your Weekly Digest"}}
This pulls the overall feed title (not individual post titles). If the feed title can't be retrieved, it displays the fallback text you specify.
Who Is This From
Select an existing sender from the dropdown, or create a new sender. This determines the "From" name and email address recipients will see.
Click Next: Content to proceed to the email editor.
Step 3: Design Your Email Content
SendX opens the drag-and-drop email editor with a basic RSS template already configured. This template includes a row that automatically loops through your feed posts.
Understanding the Template Structure
The default template has three sections:
Header area (above the loop): Static content that appears once at the top, such as your logo, greeting, and introduction
Iterative row (the loop): Content that repeats for each post in your feed
Footer area (below the loop): Static content that appears once at the bottom, such as closing text, social links, and unsubscribe information
How the Post Loop Works
The iterative row uses dynamic content to repeat for each post in your RSS feed. When you select this row and look at the Dynamic Content section in the right panel, you'll see:
Before:
{{range .Posts}}or{{range get_latest_post .Posts}}After:
{{end}}
Everything inside this row gets repeated for each post. The {{range .Posts}} syntax includes all new posts since your last send, while {{range get_latest_post .Posts}} includes only the single most recent post.
To switch between all posts and latest post only, click Edit in the Dynamic Content panel and change the "Before" field.
Available Feed Tags
Use these tags within the iterative row to display post content dynamically:
Tag | Description | RSS Field |
| The post title | title |
| The post author name | author |
| The publication date | published, pubDate |
| The URL to the full post | link |
| The post summary/excerpt | description |
| The full post content | content |
| Shows description if available, otherwise content | description or content |
| Shows content if available, otherwise description | content or description |
Click the Feed Tags button in the top navigation bar to view this reference while editing.
Customizing the Template
Adding Header Content
Drag content blocks from the Content panel and drop them above the iterative row. This content appears once at the top of every email. Common header elements include your logo, a greeting, and introductory text explaining what the email contains.
Editing the Iterative Row
Click on elements within the iterative row to edit them. The default template includes the post title linked to the full article, the publication date, a description, and a "Read more" link. You can rearrange these, change styling, or add additional elements.
The "Read more" link is automatically configured to use {{ .PostLink }}, but you can change this if needed.
Adding Footer Content
Drag content blocks below the iterative row for your email footer. This typically includes closing remarks, social media links, and standard footer elements like your company address.
Adding Post Iteration to a New Row
If you add a new row and want it to repeat for each post, you'll need to configure the dynamic content manually:
Select the row.
In the right panel, expand Dynamic Content.
Click Edit or set a custom display condition.
In the "Before" field, enter
{{range .Posts}}or{{range get_latest_post .Posts}}In the "After" field, enter
{{end}}Click Confirm.
Previewing Your Email
Click Show Preview to see how your email will look with actual posts from your feed. You can select a date range to preview posts from a specific time period. This date range filter is for preview purposes only and doesn't affect which posts get sent in your actual campaign.
Sending a Test Email
Click Send Test Email to send a test to yourself or your team. You can select a date range for the test, allowing you to see real posts from your feed in the test email rather than placeholder content.
When you're satisfied with your design, click Save & Continue.
Step 4: Select Recipients
Choose who will receive your RSS campaign emails.
You can target recipients by:
Lists: Select one or more contact lists
Tags: Target contacts with specific tags
Segments: Use saved segments for more precise targeting
Select your desired audience and click Next: Schedule.
Step 5: Set Your Schedule
Configure when and how often your RSS campaign should send.
Frequency Options
Send Daily
The campaign checks for new posts and sends daily at your specified time.
Timezone: Select the timezone for scheduling
Preferred Time: Set the time of day to send
Exclude Days: Multi-select to skip specific days (for example, exclude Saturday and Sunday for a weekday-only newsletter)
Send Weekly
The campaign sends once per week on your chosen day.
Timezone: Select the timezone for scheduling
Preferred Day: Choose the day of the week (Monday through Sunday)
Preferred Time: Set the time of day to send
Send Monthly
The campaign sends once per month on your chosen date.
Timezone: Select the timezone for scheduling
Preferred Day: Choose the day of the month (1-31)
Preferred Time: Set the time of day to send
Note: If you select day 31 and a month has fewer days, the behavior may vary. Consider using day 28 or earlier for consistent monthly sends.
Google Analytics Tracking
Check the Track campaign click report on Google Analytics box to add UTM parameters to links in your email. This lets you track RSS campaign traffic in Google Analytics.
Click Send to save your campaign.
Step 6: Activate Your Campaign
After clicking Send, your campaign is scheduled but not yet active. You'll return to the RSS campaigns list where you can see your new campaign.
To start sending:
Find your campaign in the list.
Toggle the Active switch to turn it on.
The campaign will now run on your configured schedule, checking for new posts and sending emails when new content is available.
Managing RSS Campaigns
Understanding Execution Count
The execution count increments each time your scheduled send time occurs, regardless of whether emails were actually sent. If your feed has no new posts at the scheduled time, the execution still counts but shows 0 sends in the detailed report.
Editing an Existing Campaign
Click on a campaign to edit its settings. You can change:
Campaign name and feed URL
Email subject and sender
Email template and content
Recipients
Schedule and frequency
Changes take effect on the next scheduled send. The campaign continues using your new settings going forward.
Deactivating and Reactivating
Toggle the Active switch off to pause a campaign. The campaign won't send during the paused period, even if new posts are published.
When you reactivate the campaign, it waits for the next scheduled send time rather than sending immediately. Posts published while the campaign was paused will be included in the next send (if they're newer than the last successful send).
Viewing Reports
Each RSS campaign has detailed reporting that tracks performance across all executions. You can view high-level metrics for all sends or drill into individual execution reports.
Accessing Campaign Reports
Go to Campaigns > RSS.
Click on the campaign name to open the report view.
The main report view shows a table of all executions with these columns:
Column | Description |
Dispatch ID | Unique identifier for each execution |
Schedule Time | Date and time the execution ran |
Sent | Number of emails sent in that execution |
Open | Open rate percentage |
Click | Click rate percentage |
This table gives you a quick overview of campaign performance over time. Executions with 0 sent indicate scheduled times when no new posts were available in your feed.
Individual Execution Reports
Click on any execution row (or use the execution dropdown in the top right) to view detailed metrics for that specific send.
Overview Tab
The Overview tab shows high-level stats for the selected execution.
Performance Tab
The Performance tab provides comprehensive analytics including:
Overall Performance Metrics
Sent: Total emails delivered
Opened: Total opens (including repeat opens)
Clicked: Total clicks (including repeat clicks)
Unique Opens: Number of individual recipients who opened
Unique Clicks: Number of individual recipients who clicked
Each metric shows both the count and percentage rate where applicable.
Engagement Over Time
A line chart displaying opens and clicks over time since the execution was sent. This helps you understand when recipients engage with your RSS emails and how engagement changes over the days following each send.
Geographic Stats
A breakdown of where your recipients are located, shown as a pie chart. Useful for understanding your audience distribution.
Device Stats
Shows which devices and email clients recipients use to open your emails. This can inform design decisions for your RSS template.
Date Range Filtering
Use the date picker in the top right to filter performance data to a specific time range. This is helpful for analyzing engagement patterns over particular periods.
Comparing Executions
The execution history table lets you quickly compare performance across sends. Look for patterns such as:
Which days or times get better engagement
How open and click rates vary based on the number of posts included
Whether certain content topics drive higher clicks
Executions showing 0 sent with 0% open and click rates indicate times when your feed had no new content. These are normal and expected if you don't publish new posts between every scheduled send.
Important Notes and Limitations
New Posts Only
RSS campaigns only send when there are new posts since the last successful send. If your feed has no new content, no email goes out, though the execution is still counted with 0 sends.
Post Detection
SendX determines "new" posts based on the publication date in your RSS feed. Posts with a publication date after the last send are considered new.
All Posts vs. Latest Post
You have two options for post inclusion:
{{range .Posts}}includes all new posts since the last send{{range get_latest_post .Posts}}includes only the single most recent post
Empty Feeds
If your feed contains no posts at all, the campaign still attempts execution at the scheduled time and logs it with 0 sends.
Plan Availability
RSS campaigns are available on all SendX plans with no limit on the number of RSS campaigns you can create.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if my RSS feed URL stops working?
If the feed becomes unreachable or returns errors, the campaign will fail to pull new content. Check your feed URL if you notice executions with unexpected results. You can edit the campaign to update the feed URL at any time.
Can I include images from my RSS feed in the email?
The standard feed tags don't include a dedicated image tag. However, if your feed includes images in the content or description fields, they will appear when using {{ .PostContent }} or {{ .PostDescription }}. Results depend on how your feed is structured.
Why did my campaign execute but send 0 emails?
This happens when no new posts were published since the last send. The campaign checked your feed at the scheduled time, found no new content, and logged the execution with 0 sends. This is normal behavior.
How do I test my RSS campaign before activating it?
Use the Send Test Email button in the email editor. You can select a date range to include real posts from your feed in the test, allowing you to see exactly how the email will look with actual content.
Can I use personalization for contact fields (like first name) in RSS campaigns?
Yes. Standard contact personalization tags work in RSS campaigns just like regular campaigns. You can use them in the static header and footer sections, or even within the iterative row alongside the feed tags.
What timezone should I use for scheduling?
Choose the timezone where most of your subscribers are located, or the timezone that aligns with when you typically publish new content. The send time you configure uses this timezone.
How quickly after publishing a new post will it be sent?
It depends on your schedule. If you publish a post at 2pm and your campaign is set to send daily at 9am, the post will be included in the next day's 9am send.