diff --git a/docs.json b/docs.json index 55bd30938..2176aea42 100644 --- a/docs.json +++ b/docs.json @@ -306,6 +306,7 @@ "guides/media", "migration", "guides/navigation", + "guides/rss-email-campaigns", "guides/seo", "guides/style-and-tone", "guides/understand-your-audience" diff --git a/guides/rss-email-campaigns.mdx b/guides/rss-email-campaigns.mdx new file mode 100644 index 000000000..897152e4a --- /dev/null +++ b/guides/rss-email-campaigns.mdx @@ -0,0 +1,126 @@ +--- +title: "Set up email notifications from your changelog RSS feed" +sidebarTitle: "RSS email campaigns" +description: "Send automatic email notifications to subscribers when you publish changelog updates using your RSS feed with Zapier, Make, or other automation tools." +keywords: ["RSS", "email", "changelog", "Zapier", "Make", "notifications", "campaign"] +--- + +Mintlify generates an [RSS feed](/create/changelogs#subscribable-changelogs) for any page that uses `Update` components. You can connect this feed to an automation tool like Zapier or Make to send email notifications whenever you publish a new changelog entry. + +## Prerequisites + +- A Mintlify changelog page with `Update` components +- A [Zapier](https://zapier.com) or [Make](https://www.make.com) account (free tiers available) +- An email service or mailing list (Mailchimp, SendGrid, or the built-in email options in Zapier/Make) + +## Find your RSS feed URL + +Your RSS feed URL is your changelog page URL with `/rss.xml` appended. For example, if your changelog is at `https://docs.example.com/changelog`, your RSS feed is at: + +``` +https://docs.example.com/changelog/rss.xml +``` + +To verify, open the URL in your browser. You should see an XML document with your changelog entries. + + + Add `rss: true` to your changelog page frontmatter to display an RSS icon button that links to the feed. See [subscribable changelogs](/create/changelogs#subscribable-changelogs) for details. + + +## Set up email notifications + + + + +Zapier connects your RSS feed to an email action with a simple two-step automation. + + + + 1. Log in to [Zapier](https://zapier.com) and click **Create**. + 2. Select **Zaps** to start a new automation. + + + 1. Search for **RSS by Zapier** as your trigger app. + 2. Select **New Item in Feed** as the trigger event. + 3. Paste your RSS feed URL (for example, `https://docs.example.com/changelog/rss.xml`) into the **Feed URL** field. + 4. Click **Test trigger** to confirm Zapier can read your feed. + + + Choose one of these options: + + **Option A: Send a simple email notification** + 1. Search for **Email by Zapier** as your action app. + 2. Select **Send Outbound Email** as the action event. + 3. Fill in the email fields: + - **To**: The recipient email address (or a distribution list) + - **Subject**: Use the RSS item title from the trigger data, for example: `New update: {{title}}` + - **Body**: Use the RSS item description or link, for example: `We just published a new update. Read it here: {{link}}` + + **Option B: Send to a mailing list (Mailchimp)** + 1. Search for **Mailchimp** as your action app. + 2. Select **Send Campaign** as the action event. + 3. Connect your Mailchimp account and select your audience. + 4. Map the RSS item title and link to your email template fields. + + + Click **Publish** to activate your Zap. Zapier checks your RSS feed periodically and sends an email whenever a new entry appears. + + + + + + +Make (formerly Integromat) provides a visual workflow builder for connecting your RSS feed to email. + + + + 1. Log in to [Make](https://www.make.com) and click **Create a new scenario**. + + + 1. Click the **+** button to add a module. + 2. Search for **RSS** and select **Watch RSS feed items**. + 3. Paste your RSS feed URL into the **URL** field. + 4. Set the **Maximum number of items** to a reasonable limit such as `5`. + 5. Click **OK** and then **Run once** to test the connection. + + + 1. Click the **+** button after the RSS module. + 2. Search for your email service: + - **Email**: Use the built-in **Send an email** module for simple notifications. + - **Mailchimp**, **SendGrid**, or **Brevo**: Use the respective module for mailing list campaigns. + 3. Connect your email account. + 4. Map the RSS fields to the email fields: + - **Subject**: Map the item `title` + - **Content**: Map the item `description` or `link` + + + 1. Set the schedule (for example, every 15 minutes). + 2. Toggle the scenario to **On**. + + + + + + +## Test your setup + +1. Add a new `Update` component to your changelog page and deploy the change. +2. Wait for the automation tool to check your feed (or trigger a manual run). +3. Confirm the email arrives with the correct content. + + + RSS feed entries contain plain Markdown only. Components, code blocks, and HTML elements are excluded. Use the `rss` property on your `Update` components to provide alternative text for subscribers. See [subscribable changelogs](/create/changelogs#subscribable-changelogs) for details. + + +## Alternative tools + +Other automation platforms that support RSS-to-email workflows: + +| Tool | Description | +|------|-------------| +| [IFTTT](https://ifttt.com) | Simple RSS-to-email applets with a free tier | +| [Mailchimp RSS campaigns](https://mailchimp.com/help/share-your-blog-posts-with-mailchimp/) | Native RSS-to-email feature within Mailchimp | +| [n8n](https://n8n.io) | Self-hosted or cloud automation with RSS and email nodes | +| [Buttondown](https://buttondown.com) | Newsletter tool with built-in RSS feed import | + +The setup process is similar across all tools: point the tool at your RSS feed URL and configure an email action for each new item.