RSS Feed

Feedframer provides an RSS 2.0 feed for each connected Instagram account, making it easy to syndicate your Instagram content to email marketing platforms, feed readers, and other RSS-compatible services.

What is an RSS Feed?

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a standardized web feed format that allows you to subscribe to content updates. When you publish new Instagram posts, your RSS feed is automatically updated, and any service subscribed to your feed will receive the new content.

Getting Your RSS Feed URL

1. Navigate to the RSS Feed page in your Feedframer dashboard
2. Select the Instagram account you want to create a feed for
3. Copy the RSS feed URL displayed

Your RSS feed URL will look like this:

https://feedframer.com/api/v1/rss?api_key=YOUR_API_TOKEN

Important: Keep your RSS feed URL private. Anyone with this URL can access your Instagram posts through the feed.

Feed Format

Feedframer generates RSS 2.0 feeds with the following specifications:

Channel Information

• Title: @{username} - Instagram Feed
• Description: Your Instagram biography (or a default description)
• Link: Your Instagram profile URL
• Language: English (en)
• Image: Your Instagram profile picture (if available)

Item Information

Each Instagram post is represented as an RSS item with:

• Title: First 100 characters of the caption (or post type if no caption)
• Description: Full caption with embedded image/video
• Link: Direct link to the post on Instagram
• GUID: Instagram post ID (unique identifier)
• Publication Date: When the post was published on Instagram
• Media Content: Full-size image or video URL (using Media RSS extension)

Namespaces

The feed includes these XML namespaces:

• xmlns:atom - Atom syndication format for self-referencing links
• xmlns:media - Media RSS (Yahoo) for rich media attachments

Post Limits

The number of posts included in your RSS feed depends on your tier:

• Free Tier: 12 most recent posts
• Premium Tier: 100 most recent posts

Update Frequency

Your RSS feed updates automatically whenever Feedframer fetches new posts from Instagram:

• Free Tier: Posts fetched hourly
• Premium Tier: Posts fetched every 5 minutes

RSS subscribers will see new posts based on how frequently they check the feed (typically configurable in their RSS reader or automation platform).

Media Types Supported

Your RSS feed includes all Instagram post types:

• Images - Single photo posts with media:content type="image/jpeg"
• Videos - Video posts with media:content type="video/mp4"
• Carousels - Carousel albums (first image included)
• Reels - Instagram Reels (video content)

Feed Features

HTML Descriptions

Each post includes an HTML-formatted description with:

• Embedded image or video
• Full caption with line breaks preserved
• "View on Instagram" link

This makes your posts look great in feed readers and email clients that support HTML content.

Media RSS Extension

For advanced feed readers and email platforms, each post includes a <media:content> element with:

• Direct media URL (image or video)
• Media type (image/jpeg or video/mp4)
• Media medium (image or video)
• Thumbnail URL (for videos)

Common Use Cases

1. Email Marketing Automation

Automatically send new Instagram posts to your email subscribers using:

• Mailchimp RSS-to-Email campaigns
• Klaviyo RSS feed automation
• Campaign Monitor RSS campaigns

2. Feed Readers

Follow your Instagram content in popular RSS readers:

• Feedly
• Inoreader
• NewsBlur
• Apple News
• Any RSS-compatible reader

3. Content Syndication

Republish Instagram posts to other platforms:

• WordPress (using RSS import plugins)
• IFTTT and Zapier integrations
• Custom RSS aggregators and widgets

Example Feed Structure

Here's what a simplified RSS feed looks like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/">
    <channel>
        <title>@yourusername - Instagram Feed</title>
        <link>https://www.instagram.com/yourusername/</link>
        <description>Your Instagram bio goes here</description>
        <language>en</language>
        <lastBuildDate>Thu, 04 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000</lastBuildDate>
        <atom:link href="https://feedframer.com/api/v1/rss?api_key=..." rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/>

        <item>
            <title>Check out this amazing sunset! 🌅</title>
            <link>https://www.instagram.com/p/ABC123/</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="false">1234567890</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 03 Oct 2025 18:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[
                <img src="https://example.com/image.jpg" alt="Check out this amazing sunset! 🌅" />
                <p>Check out this amazing sunset! 🌅<br/>Perfect evening at the beach.</p>
                <p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ABC123/">View on Instagram</a></p>
            ]]></description>
            <media:content url="https://example.com/image.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image"/>
        </item>

        <!-- More items... -->
    </channel>
</rss>

Security Considerations

API Token in URL

Your RSS feed URL contains your API token as a query parameter. This is standard practice for RSS feeds, but means:

• Don't share your RSS feed URL publicly - Only give it to trusted services
• Services will have read-only access - They can view your posts but cannot modify anything
• Regenerate if compromised - You can regenerate your API token in Settings if needed

HTTPS Only

All RSS feed URLs are served over HTTPS, ensuring the content is encrypted in transit.

Troubleshooting

Feed Not Updating

If your RSS feed isn't showing new posts:

1. Check that your Instagram account is still connected
2. Verify posts have been fetched (check Dashboard)
3. Note your tier's update frequency (Free: hourly, Premium: 5 minutes)
4. Some RSS readers cache feeds - check their refresh settings

Feed Not Loading

If the RSS feed URL returns an error:

1. Ensure the API token is correct (check Settings > API Keys)
2. Verify your Instagram account is active and not expired
3. Try accessing the URL directly in a browser to see the error message

Missing Images or Videos

If images or videos aren't displaying:

1. Check that the RSS reader or email client supports HTML content
2. Some clients may block external images for privacy - check security settings
3. Media RSS elements may not be supported by all readers

Integration Guides

Learn how to integrate your RSS feed with popular platforms:

• Mailchimp RSS-to-Email - Automatically email new posts to subscribers
• Klaviyo RSS Automation - Trigger email flows from new Instagram content

Support

Need help with your RSS feed?

• Check the FAQ section on the RSS Feed page
• Review integration guides for specific platforms
• Contact support if you encounter any issues