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How to Upload Stories with RSS

This guide covers how to set up an RSS feed to import stories from your content management system into Plucky Wire. Once configured, you can review imported stories in your RSS Inbox and send them to the Upload Page, or enable automatic imports to bypass the inbox entirely.

Looking for manual uploads?

If you prefer to upload stories one at a time without RSS, see How to Upload a Story.

Before You Begin

You will need:

  • A Plucky Wire account with a verified Outlet (see Join an Outlet)
  • Membership in at least one Group (see Join a Group)
  • Admin permissions at your Outlet or Group
  • The URL of your Outlet's RSS feed

Note

Most content management systems (WordPress, Ghost, etc.) generate RSS feeds automatically. Common feed URLs include /rss, /feed, /rss.xml, /feed.xml, or /?feed=rss2 (WordPress). Check your CMS documentation or look for an RSS icon on your website.

Instructions

  1. Log in to your Plucky Wire account.

  2. If you belong to multiple Groups, ensure you have the correct Group selected in the navigation bar. The feed you create will import stories into this Group.

  3. Click RSS in the navigation bar (within the Group section, next to Upload, Search, and Browse). This opens the RSS Inbox.

  4. Click Manage RSS Feeds to view your existing feeds or add new ones.

Add a New Feed

  1. Click Add RSS Feed to open the feed creation form.

  2. Fill in the required fields:

    Feed Name
    Enter a descriptive name for this feed (e.g., "Main News Feed" or "Sports Section RSS"). This helps you later filter by feeds in the Inbox.
    RSS Feed URL
    Enter the full URL to your RSS or Atom feed (e.g., https://example.com/feed.rss).

  3. Optionally, fill in additional fields:

    Description
    Add a description of what this feed contains. This is helpful if you have multiple feeds.
    Outlet (Group admins only)
    If you're a Group admin, select which Outlet will manage this feed. Outlet admins can only create feeds for their own outlet.
    Fetch Frequency
    Set how often Plucky Wire checks for new items (default: 30 minutes, minimum: 10 minutes, maximum: 1440 minutes/24 hours).
    Feed is active
    Toggle this off if you want to pause the feed temporarily. Inactive feeds won't be checked for new items.

  4. Click Test Feed to verify the URL is valid and returns content.

  5. Click Create RSS Feed to save.

    On save, we'll check the feed one more time to make sure it works. This can take a few seconds. When it's done, you'll be redirected to the Manage RSS Feeds page.

Review Stories in the RSS Inbox

Once your feed is active, Plucky Wire will periodically check for new stories and add them to your RSS Inbox.

  1. Click RSS in the navigation bar to open the RSS Inbox.

  2. For stories you want to share with your Group, click Send to Upload Page.

  3. Complete the upload process on the Upload Page. See How to Upload a Story for details on filling out the remaining fields.

Info

The RSS Inbox acts as a staging area. Stories in the inbox are not visible to other Outlets until you send them to the Upload Page and complete the upload.

Enable Automatic Imports (Optional)

If your RSS feed imports stories correctly and you want to skip the inbox review step, you can enable automatic imports. This will automatically convert new RSS items into published stories.

Use with caution

Only enable automatic imports after considerable testing. Verify that your RSS feed:

  • Contains properly formatted content
  • Includes accurate headlines and publication dates
  • Has a stable structure that won't change unexpectedly

Automatic imports bypass the review step, so any issues with your feed will be published directly to your Group.

To enable automatic imports:

  1. Click RSS in the navigation bar, then click Manage RSS Feeds.

  2. Click on the feed you want to configure.

  3. Toggle Enable automatic story import to ON.

  4. Configure the preset fields that will apply to all automatically imported stories:

    Default License
    Select the license that will be applied to imported stories. This determines how other Outlets can use your content.
    Default Boilerplate
    Select a boilerplate to automatically include standard text with imported stories.
    Default Series
    If imported stories belong to an ongoing series, select it here.
    Default Embargo (hours)
    Set how many hours after import before other Outlets can download the story. Leave blank for no embargo.
    Update story in Plucky to match updates in feed
    When enabled, if your RSS source updates an article, the imported story will automatically update to match. A version history is preserved.

    Note

    If two stories appear in your RSS feed with identical GUID values, but different titles, publication dates, or titles, we will update the story.

    If anyone manually edits an imported story, automatic syncing is disabled for that story to protect your changes.

  5. Click Update RSS Feed to save.

Info

Automatic imports require approval from a Group administrator before they become active. After enabling, you'll see a "Pending network admin approval" badge until a Group admin approves the configuration.

Next Steps

After setting up your RSS feed:

  • Monitor your RSS Inbox regularly to ensure stories are importing correctly
  • Find stories shared by other Outlets in your Group
  • View your story analytics to see how many Outlets have downloaded your content

Troubleshooting

  • "Invalid feed URL" error: Verify the URL is correct and publicly accessible. Try opening the URL directly in your browser to confirm it returns RSS/XML content.

  • Feed isn't finding new stories: Check that the feed is active (not paused). Verify the fetch frequency is appropriate for how often your site publishes. Try clicking Test Feed to manually check the connection.

  • Stories are missing content: Some RSS feeds only include excerpts rather than full content. Check your CMS settings to ensure full content is included in the feed.

  • Automatic imports aren't working: Verify that a Group admin has approved automatic imports. Check for the approval badge on the feed settings page.

  • I need to change the Outlet for a feed: Group admins can change the Outlet assignment by editing the feed and selecting a different Outlet from the dropdown. Outlet admins cannot reassign feeds to other Outlets.

Note

If you're having trouble with your RSS feed, contact your Group administrator or reach out to us at support@pluckyworks.org. We're happy to help troubleshoot feed configuration issues.