Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with billions of active users. While many people use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, it can also be a useful source of news and information from Pages and Groups you follow.
One way to simplify staying up-to-date with new posts from your favorite Facebook Pages is to use RSS (Really Simple Syndication). RSS allows you to subscribe to updates from sites and services and view them in one place using an RSS reader app or web service.
So how do you go about turning your Facebook feed into an RSS feed you can subscribe to? Here’s what you need to know.
What is RSS and how does it work?
RSS is a format for delivering regularly changing web content in a standardized way. Websites can publish an RSS feed, which includes full or summarized versions of new articles, blog posts, videos, podcasts, etc. Users can then subscribe to that feed using an RSS reader.
Some key advantages of subscribing to websites via RSS include:
- New content is automatically delivered to your RSS reader when it’s published, saving you time from manually checking sites.
- You can follow many sites and see new posts from all of them in one place.
- RSS readers can filter, search, and organize content with tags or categories.
- RSS feeds only include new content, not old posts or other site clutter.
RSS uses XML formatting to structure posts with standardized elements like title, description, publish date, and more. This allows any RSS-compatible reader to process and display the content.
To subscribe to a site’s RSS feed, you just copy the RSS URL from the site and add it to your RSS reader. Most major sites like newspapers, blogs, and other publishers offer RSS feeds to follow. There are also many free RSS reader apps and services to choose from.
Can you get RSS feeds directly from Facebook Pages and Groups?
Unfortunately, Facebook does not directly provide RSS feeds for Pages, Groups, or your personal News Feed. This means there is no built-in way to subscribe to Facebook content through RSS.
Facebook likely doesn’t offer RSS feeds because they want to encourage people to visit their platform directly and be exposed to other content and ads. Providing RSS feeds would allow people to consume Facebook content elsewhere more conveniently.
While you can’t get official RSS feeds from Facebook itself, there are some workaround third-party options. We’ll look at how those work next.
Using third-party tools to create Facebook RSS feeds
To allow RSS subscriptions to Facebook content, a number of third-party tools and services have been created. These work by interacting with the Facebook API to pull public content from Pages, Groups, or your News Feed, and then create corresponding RSS feeds.
Here are some of the most popular options for generating Facebook RSS feeds:
RSS.app
RSS.app is a dedicated platform for creating RSS feeds from social media, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and more. The service is free to use.
To create a Facebook RSS feed on RSS.app:
- Go to rss.app and sign up for an account.
- Click Add New Feed and select Facebook Page or Facebook Group as the source.
- Enter the Page or Group name and click Create Feed.
- Copy the generated RSS feed URL to add to your reader.
You can repeat the process to create multiple Facebook RSS feeds, and RSS.app will aggregate new posts from all of them into a single feed if you prefer.
Facebook RSS Graffiti
Facebook RSS Graffiti is a free Chrome extension that lets you subscribe to RSS feeds for Facebook Pages, Groups, Events, and user Profiles. To use it:
- Install the Facebook RSS Graffiti extension in Chrome.
- Go to a Facebook Page or Group and click the extension icon in your toolbar.
- Choose what content you want to subscribe to and click Generate RSS Feed.
- Copy the URL and add it to your RSS reader.
One advantage of Facebook RSS Graffiti is you can generate feeds directly from the Facebook site without having to copy and enter names elsewhere.
Social RSS
Social RSS is another Chrome extension that lets you create RSS feeds for Facebook and Twitter. It works similarly to Facebook RSS Graffiti:
- Install the Social RSS extension in Chrome.
- Navigate to a Facebook Page or Group.
- Click the extension icon and choose Create RSS feed.
- Copy the generated RSS URL to your RSS reader.
Social RSS provides feeds for Pages, Groups, Events, and user Profiles. The free version limits you to 3 feeds.
Feedity
Feedity is a service that focuses specifically on creating RSS feeds from Facebook Pages and Groups. They offer both free and paid plans:
- Go to feedity.com and connect your Facebook account.
- Search for the Facebook Page or Group you want to follow.
- Click Create Feed and copy the RSS URL.
The free plan is limited to 5 feeds with partial post content, while paid plans provide unlimited feeds and full post content.
Other Facebook RSS options
In addition to the options above, there are also services like Feedbucket and CrowdTangle that can generate Facebook RSS feeds. Browser extensions like RSS Feed Reader provide similar functionality.
The specific steps vary for each tool, but the overall process is the same – they interact with Facebook through the API to create an RSS feed on your behalf that you can add into your RSS reader.
Choosing the best Facebook RSS service for you
Any of the tools and services above can handle creating RSS feeds from Facebook Pages, Groups, Profiles, and more. Which one is best for your needs depends on a few factors:
- Platform support – Browser extensions only work on desktop browsers, while standalone services also offer mobile apps.
- Number of feeds – Some free tools limit how many Facebook RSS feeds you can create.
- Content format – Full content in posts vs. summaries only.
- Extra features – Some provide categories, filters, feed aggregation, etc.
- Reliability – Choose an established service less likely to go down.
- Ease of use – How simple is the interface and feed creation process.
Take these factors into account when evaluating the various Facebook RSS services. I’d recommend starting with RSS.app, Facebook RSS Graffiti or Social RSS since they are free and easy to set up.
Setting up your Facebook RSS reader
Once you’ve used a service to generate RSS feeds for the Facebook Pages and Groups you want to follow, the next step is setting up an RSS reader to subscribe to those feeds and start consuming content.
You have numerous options for RSS readers across various devices:
Web-based RSS readers
- Feedly
- Inoreader
- NewsBlur
- The Old Reader
Web-based RSS readers allow you to access your feeds from any internet browser on desktop or mobile. They provide online accounts to sync your feeds and reading history across devices.
Desktop RSS readers
- QuiteRSS
- CommaFeed
- RSSOwl
- Thunderbird RSS Reader
Desktop RSS reader apps work great if you primarily read feeds on a Windows or Mac computer. They enable reading RSS feeds offline and often include robust organizational features.
Mobile RSS readers
- Feedly (iOS, Android)
- Inoreader (iOS, Android)
- Reeder (iOS)
- FeedMe (iOS, Android)
There are excellent mobile apps for conveniently accessing your RSS feeds on phones and tablets. Mobile apps can synchronize with web services like Feedly for continuity across devices.
Email RSS readers
- Blogtrottr
- FeedMyInbox
- Feedbin
If you prefer receiving your RSS feed updates directly in your email inbox, services like Blogtrottr can email new posts from all your feeds to you on a schedule.
Take some time to experiment with different RSS readers to see which options and features suit you best. The key is finding a reader(s) that makes it as easy as possible to consume your favorite Facebook content.
Adding your Facebook RSS feeds into your reader
Once you’ve chosen your RSS reader service(s), actually adding your Facebook RSS feeds is simple. Most readers only require you to copy and paste or import the feed URL.
For example, here is how you would add a Facebook RSS feed to some popular readers:
Adding a feed in Feedly
- Sign into your Feedly account.
- Click Add Content in the left navbar.
- Choose Add by URL.
- Paste in your Facebook RSS feed URL.
- Click Add to add it to your Feedly account.
Adding a feed in Inoreader
- Open Inoreader and login.
- Click the + icon in the navigation bar.
- Select Add subscription from URL.
- Enter your Facebook RSS feed URL.
- Click Add and the feed will be added.
Adding a feed in QuiteRSS
- In QuiteRSS, go to Sources > New Subscription.
- Choose Web Resource.
- Paste your Facebook RSS URL into the URL box.
- Enter a Label for the feed.
- Click OK to add it.
Once you’ve added your new Facebook RSS feeds to your reader, you’ll start seeing new posts delivered automatically as they are published to Facebook. No more manually checking for updates!
RSS reader features to optimize your Facebook feeds
Most RSS readers provide ways to customize and optimize your feed consumption experience. Here are some features to take advantage of:
Folders/Categories
Organize your Facebook RSS feeds into topical folders or categories in your reader for quick access.
Search
Search across all your Facebook feeds to easily find old posts on specific topics.
Tagging
Manually tag posts in your reader to create your own subject categories.
Filters
Use rules to filter out posts, send specific posts to separate folders, etc.
Read later
Flag interesting posts to easily access unread items across feeds.
Sharing
Share content from your RSS reader via email, social media, or links.
Mobile apps
Enable mobility by syncing your Facebook RSS feeds across desktop, mobile and web.
Take advantage of these types of features to get the most out of consuming Facebook content via RSS feeds.
Troubleshooting your Facebook RSS feeds
Hopefully everything goes smoothly with your Facebook RSS experience. But occasionally you may encounter issues like:
- Missing posts – Content stops updating for a feed.
- Incorrect or truncated posts – Posts don’t display fully.
- Non-working feeds – A feed returns errors or stops working.
- Reader syncing problems – Issues with feeds syncing across devices.
Here are some tips for troubleshooting and fixing Facebook RSS feed problems:
- Check the Facebook page/group itself to see if posts appear there normally.
- Try regenerating the RSS feed URL in your RSS service/tool.
- Force refresh feeds in your reader to grab latest content.
- Temporarily switch to a more stable RSS service.
- Use RSS feed validator tools to check for errors.
- Disable plugins/extensions that may conflict with feeds.
- Clear your reader’s cache to eliminate corrupt data.
- Make sure you have the latest app/reader version.
With a bit of troubleshooting, you should be able to resolve most common Facebook RSS issues. Contact the relevant app developer support if problems persist.
Conclusion
Although Facebook doesn’t directly support RSS feed creation, third-party tools make it possible to subscribe to your favorite Pages, Groups, and Profiles via RSS. Services like RSS.app, Facebook RSS Graffiti, Social RSS, and Feedity can all generate RSS feeds from Facebook.
You then just need to copy the RSS URLs into your preferred RSS reader app or service, whether Feedly, Inoreader, QuiteRSS or something else. Take advantage of reader features to optimize and organize your feeds.
Following Facebook via RSS delivers your desired content automatically to you, avoiding time wasted manually checking for updates. Set up a few key Facebook RSS feeds today to simplify your Facebook experience!