How to Create an RSS feed in WordPress
One of the most difficult things to understand about WordPress is its generation of RSS feeds. The reason is, the process is automatic, and there’s no big, glaring button or link that tells you how to use it.
Anytime you create a new category in your WordPress theme, an RSS feed is generated for it. For example, I have started submitting chapters of my book Discipline on its website — in the form of a podcast. I set up a category called “DISCIPLINE Audio Book,” and whenever I record a new chapter, I post it under that category only.
Next, I went to feedburner and burned the feed generated by that category. The feed is: http://www.disciplinebook.come/category/discipline-audio-book/feed. I want to note here that every time you create a new category, you are also prompted to create a slug. That’s the part of the URL that says discipline-audio-book, and that’s what you would use to burn your feed — along with the rest of the URL elements.
Feedburner will then generate an RSS feed that you can track and customize. The feed it generated for my audio book podcast is http://feeds.feedburner.com/DisciplineAudioBook, and that’s the link I give to people who want to subscribe. Of course, if you prefer, you can simply use the feed generated by your site (for instance, http://www.disciplinebook.come/category/discipline-audio-book/feed), but you sacrifice the ability to track the feed and customize, and/or monetize it.
And that’s all there is to it! A relatively simple process that seems incredibly daunting and intimidating. Now you know!
Paco Ahlgren
Having trouble with RSS? Click here.
You can buy Paco's novel Discipline wherever books are sold.
