RSS, newsletters or social media – which is best?

There are three common ways to receive and share news online: RSS, newsletters and social media. They solve different problems, and the smartest approach is often to use them together.

RSS: you are in control

With RSS you choose exactly which sources you follow. No algorithm hides anything and nobody asks for your email address.

Pros

• Everything new in chronological order, in one place.
• No ads or tracking from a platform.
• Can be shown automatically on a website with an RSS widget.

Cons

• Needs an RSS reader or a tool that reads the feed.
• Not every site has RSS – but you can create a feed yourself.

Newsletters: when you want the inbox

Newsletters land directly with the recipient and work well for offers and summaries.

Pros: personal, high trust and easy to measure.

Cons: need consent and email addresses, and the inbox competes with everything else.

Social media: for reach

Social media is good for reaching new people and starting conversations.

Pros: big reach and room for interaction.

Cons: the algorithm decides who sees a post, and the platform can change the rules at any time.

How to combine them

1. Publish on your own website first – you own it.
2. Let the site's RSS feed fill your newsletter and post to social media automatically.
3. Show the same news on your website with a widget.

That way you write once and show up everywhere.

Summary

RSS is best for following and reusing content, newsletters for a direct relationship and social media for reach. Start with RSS as the foundation – it makes the other channels easier. Learn more in our guide What is RSS?.