{"id":163,"date":"2005-04-26T22:05:00","date_gmt":"2005-04-26T16:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/26\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T11:48:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T06:18:55","slug":"google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Monetize an RSS Feed in 2026 (After AdSense for Feeds)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Bloggers have always faced the same problem: readers who follow you in a feed reader never see the ads on your site. In April 2005 we spotted Google testing AdSense ads inside RSS feeds, and it looked like the answer. That product came and went. So how do you monetize an RSS feed in 2026? This guide covers what happened to feed ads and the methods that actually earn money from feed and newsletter readers today.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-68409\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/monetize-rss-feed.webp\" alt=\"Pink piggy bank, for ways to monetize an RSS feed or newsletter\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/monetize-rss-feed.webp 1200w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/monetize-rss-feed-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/monetize-rss-feed-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/monetize-rss-feed-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/monetize-rss-feed-768x403.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Google retired AdSense for Feeds in December 2012, and there is no Google ad product for RSS today. To monetize an RSS feed now, add a sponsor message or affiliate links to feed items, turn your feed into an email newsletter that sells sponsorships, offer a paid members-only feed, and use the feed to bring readers back to your site, where your normal ads and offers work.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aeb72576d0d8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aeb72576d0d8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#What_happened_to_Google_AdSense_for_Feeds\" >What happened to Google AdSense for Feeds<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#How_to_monetize_an_RSS_feed_today\" >How to monetize an RSS feed today<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#1_Sell_feed_sponsorships\" >1. Sell feed sponsorships<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#2_Add_affiliate_links_in_feed_content\" >2. Add affiliate links in feed content<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#3_Add_a_feed_footer\" >3. Add a feed footer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#4_Turn_the_feed_into_a_newsletter\" >4. Turn the feed into a newsletter<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#5_Offer_a_paid_members-only_feed\" >5. Offer a paid members-only feed<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#6_Use_excerpts_to_bring_readers_back_to_your_site\" >6. Use excerpts to bring readers back to your site<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#What_not_to_do\" >What not to do<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#What_changed_since_2005\" >What changed since 2005<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#Can_I_put_Google_AdSense_ads_in_my_RSS_feed\" >Can I put Google AdSense ads in my RSS feed?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#Is_RSS_still_worth_having\" >Is RSS still worth having?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#Should_I_use_full_or_partial_feeds_for_income\" >Should I use full or partial feeds for income?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/04\/google-adsense-in-rss-feeds-advertising-in-news-aggregators-to-increase-earnings-for-bloggers\/#What_replaced_FeedBurner\" >What replaced FeedBurner?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happened_to_Google_AdSense_for_Feeds\"><\/span>What happened to Google AdSense for Feeds<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The test we saw in 2005 became AdSense for Feeds, which later ran through FeedBurner after Google bought it. Publishers could show text and image ads inside feed items and earn when readers clicked. Google announced in September 2012 that it would retire AdSense for Feeds, and the ads stopped on 3 December 2012. FeedBurner itself was slowly wound down after that. We cover the full story in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/06\/google-adsense-rss-advertising-in-feedburner-feeds\/\">what happened to AdSense for Feeds<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Today, AdSense code inside an RSS item will not run in feed readers, because readers strip scripts for security. Any feed monetization has to use plain links and text.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_monetize_an_RSS_feed_today\"><\/span>How to monetize an RSS feed today<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Sell_feed_sponsorships\"><\/span>1. Sell feed sponsorships<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If you have a loyal, focused audience, sell a weekly sponsor slot: one short line with a link at the top or bottom of every feed item, clearly marked &#8220;Sponsor&#8221;. Niche tech, design and developer blogs have done this successfully for years. Price it per week or month, not per click.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Add_affiliate_links_in_feed_content\"><\/span>2. Add affiliate links in feed content<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Plain affiliate links work in feeds just as they do on your site. Recommend products you genuinely use, add the required disclosure, and make sure links are tagged correctly so you get credit.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Add_a_feed_footer\"><\/span>3. Add a feed footer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Most SEO and feed plugins for WordPress let you add a short footer to every feed item. Use it for a link to your product, course, service or newsletter. Rank Math and Yoast, for example, both include RSS feed content settings.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Turn_the_feed_into_a_newsletter\"><\/span>4. Turn the feed into a newsletter<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Email newsletters are the modern version of the feed, and they are far easier to monetize. Services such as <a href=\"https:\/\/mailchimp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mailchimp<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/kit.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kit<\/a> can send new posts automatically from your RSS feed, and newsletters with an engaged audience can sell sponsorships and ads. We moved our own subscribers to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/07\/moving-feedburnerfeedblitz-email-subscribers-to-amazon-ses\/\">self-hosted newsletter setup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Offer_a_paid_members-only_feed\"><\/span>5. Offer a paid members-only feed<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Membership plugins and platforms like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Patreon<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Substack<\/a> can give paying supporters a private feed with extra or early posts. Podcasters use the same idea for ad-free premium feeds.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Use_excerpts_to_bring_readers_back_to_your_site\"><\/span>6. Use excerpts to bring readers back to your site<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Some publishers use summary feeds so readers click through to the site, where display ads, related posts and offers can earn. It is a trade-off: many readers prefer full-text feeds, and you may lose some subscribers. If you use excerpts, make them long enough to be useful.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_not_to_do\"><\/span>What not to do<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Don&#8217;t paste ad network JavaScript into feed items; it won&#8217;t run and can break some readers.<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t stuff every item with several ads. Readers will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/why-do-rss-feed-readers-unsubscribe\/\">unsubscribe<\/a> quickly.<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t hide sponsorships. Label sponsor messages and affiliate links clearly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_changed_since_2005\"><\/span>What changed since 2005<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Our original April 2005 post reported that Google AdSense was quietly testing ads in RSS feeds, with LonghornBlogs as the only test site, and predicted feed ads would let bloggers publish full-text feeds without losing income. The test did become a real product, AdSense for Feeds, but Google shut it down in 2012, and Google Reader followed in 2013. Feed reading moved largely to email and apps, so most feed income today comes from sponsorships, affiliates and newsletters rather than automatic ads.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_put_Google_AdSense_ads_in_my_RSS_feed\"><\/span>Can I put Google AdSense ads in my RSS feed?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. Google retired AdSense for Feeds in 2012, and AdSense script code doesn&#8217;t run inside feed readers.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_RSS_still_worth_having\"><\/span>Is RSS still worth having?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Feed readers, newsletter tools, podcast apps and aggregators all rely on RSS, and it costs nothing to keep. It is also an easy way to power an automated email newsletter.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_I_use_full_or_partial_feeds_for_income\"><\/span>Should I use full or partial feeds for income?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Full feeds keep readers happier; partial feeds send more visits to your site. Many blogs use full feeds with a sponsor or affiliate line in the footer as a middle ground.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_replaced_FeedBurner\"><\/span>What replaced FeedBurner?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>FeedBurner still serves existing feeds in a basic mode, but most publishers use their own WordPress feed plus an email service such as Mailchimp, Kit or a self-hosted tool for subscribers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bloggers have always faced the same problem: readers who follow you in a feed reader never see the ads on&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":68409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43,1],"tags":[13],"class_list":["post-163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advertising","category-tips","tag-adsense"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68411,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163\/revisions\/68411"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}