Don’t be confused with the word RSS. It simply means Really Simple Syndication. So, in this tutorial, we will show you how to add featured image to WordPress RSS feed without plugin. You will be able to do this without altering any code on your site.
WordPress RSS feed normally comes by default without an image. In some cases, developers and website owners will want to add more photo-graphic details to their sites by adding at least an image to their feed outputs. Popular newsletter companies like MailChimp, Aweber, etc make use of RSS to send latest blog posts of website owners and web developers to their subscribers.
An example of RSS feed URL looks like www.startblog.tech/rss OR www.startblog.tech/feed.
Without any further ado, let’s get started.
Prerequisite.
You will need the following requirements in order to successfully add featured image to WordPress RSS Feed.
- A WordPress blog
- A computer with internet connection.
- Ability to copy and paste simple code to WordPress theme function.
Add Featured Image to WordPress RSS Feed Without Plugin.
Step 1: Login to your WordPress admin dashboard (www.example.com/wp-admin).
Step 2: Go to Appearance > Editor. See the screenshot below for more clarity.
Step 3: Click and open the default Theme functions.php file.
Step 4: Once the Functions.php file opens up, scroll to the bottom-end of the page. Copy and paste the following code then save it.
// Startblog.tech Custom Code featured image thumbnails in WordPress RSS Feeds
function startblog_post_thumbnails_in_feeds( $content ) {
global $post;
if( has_post_thumbnail( $post->ID ) ) {
$content = '<p>' . get_the_post_thumbnail( $post->ID ) . '</p>' . $content;
}
return $content;
}
add_filter( 'the_excerpt_rss', 'startblog_post_thumbnails_in_feeds' );
add_filter( 'the_content_feed', 'startblog_post_thumbnails_in_feeds' );
How to Test WordPress RSS Feed.
Now that you have added this function, it is time to check whether your site’s RSS feed is really outputting with the featured images. To do this, you will need the service of a dedicated RSS feed checker online.
Visit site like FeedBucket. This site will display your blog’s RSS Feed with image like the screenshot below.
I have tested this code on some of the most popular themes on ThemeForest like Newspaper theme by Tagdiv, JNews theme, Smartmag and Soledad. So I believe it will also work with your theme.
Lastly, if in case you encounter any trouble with this code, leave us a feedback in the comments.
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