
Adds featured images from posts to your site's RSS feed output, with featured image size and CSS positioning options.
Get images in your RSS feed instantly for free. Output blog featured images to Mailchimp RSS email campaigns, ActiveCampaign, Infusionsoft, Hubspot, Zoho, Feedburner, Bloglovin’, Feedly, and other services that use RSS feed data. Also works with WooCommerce product images for product-based RSS campaigns! A trusted plugin, developed in California with over 30,000 active installs and 75+ five star reviews. We actively answer every support forum thread.
Featured Images In RSS was built for content marketers. Easy set-up with minimal configuration to get up and running in minutes.
This plugin is forever free. Upgrade to Premium to unlock powerful features for content marketing. Developed and supported in the United States by 5 Star Plugins.
Free Features:
- Can be used in any marketing automation service.
- Select Featured Image Size: thumbnail, medium, large, any theme-specific sizes, or full size
- Select Image Position: left above text, left text wrap, right text wrap, or centered above text
- Padding: Instantly set the spacing between the image and the body text.
- Feedly: Supports webfeedsFeaturedVisual class name on image HTML.
- WooCommerce: Instantly add product photos to the product RSS feeds, and create product-based RSS campaigns.
- Free support through the WordPress Support Forum.
- Plugin updates with free version new features, fixes and security patches.
Premium Upgrade Features
Enjoy a 14-day free trial no credit card required. Check out this full suite of image customization features for professional marketing.
- Tech Support: Expert support in the U.S. to help get everything working and looking great.
- Media and Enclosure Tags: Some services require it and it allows you to custom design email templates.
- Use Media tag images only: Fix duplicate images issues when using image tags for advanced template designs.
- Custom Image Sizes: Completely customize the size of image display for RSS feeds.
- Feature Body Image: No featured photos set? No problem. Use the first photo from the body of posts.
- Disable Responsive Images: Helps fix services that have issues with the responsive image code, like Mailchimp’s Preview.
- Exclude Categories: Exclude unwanted categories not meant to be included in the RSS feed, like Homepage or Featured categories.
- Custom Content in Feeds: Add custom content (text or HTML) before or after the post such as backlinks or ads.
- Publish Delay: Add a time buffer to new posts from instantly hitting the RSS feed to safeguard from typos or accidents.
- Premium plugin updates with new features, fixes and security patches.
Real Testimonials
“Must-have for content marketing. This is a super easy way to customize the featured images that appear in the RSS feed – no more ugly pre-populated visuals. I especially love the Mailchimp integration. It’s great to have this much control over our content. Image is everything!” – @morganmariequinn Read the review
“Must Have for Featured Image Based Themes & MailChimp Users. For several years my WordPress theme has used featured images at the head of all my posts. The problem is, then, when feeding my RSS feed to MailChimp, that featured image at the head of the post is lost. Sometimes the image is highly crucial to the post (not to mention more enjoyable), so this plugin is a life saver. A must have!” – @ericdye Read the review
“It just works – lovely! Great with MailChimp. I installed this plugin, changed the (very simple) settings and the featured images started appearing in my MailChimp campaigns straight away – perfect!” – @barn2media Read the review
We promise you’ll love the features this plugin provides for your content marketing automation!
Need help or wish it did something else as well? Use the Support tab to submit your thoughts.
Love this plugin? Please submit a rating and review, I’d appreciate your praise. (Have an issue? Post to the support forums before leaving a bad review.)
Screenshots

An example RSS feed with images included to the left with the text wrapping to the right, medium sized.

An example RSS feed with featured images included above the text, full sized.

A screenshot of the plugin's options screen.

A sad example of a plain RSS feed with no images, because they aren't using this plugin. Don't have sad RSS feeds, use this plugin!


FAQ
SUPPORT
Visit the WordPress support forum here for free plugin support only. Premium support is provided through our Premium Knowledge Center and by contacting us from your WordPress Dashboard plugin settings page.
How do I use it? Where do I go to edit plugin options?
After successful installation and activation, go to “Featured Images” settings in your WordPress Dashboard. Look for it in the black left sidebar. This is where you can configure this plugin and find links to support.
Images are not aligning or resizing properly
Please note that the alignment and sizing CSS is sometimes stripped out depending on the RSS reader/service you’re using it with, and may require custom CSS inside the service you’re using (Mailchimp, etc)
View an example of Mailchimp RSS Template Code
Need to center your RSS image in Mailchimp?
The Premium version now includes media and image tag support, which may work better with your RSS service.
ChangeLog
1.6.4
- Updated Freemius SDK to latest version.
1.6.3
- Updated Freemius SDK to v2.9
1.6.2
- Updated Freemius SDK to v2.5.10.
1.6.1
- Updated Freemius SDK to privacy-focused v2.5.5, bump WP compatibility to v6.2
1.6
- Updated Freemius SDK, bump WP compatibility to v6.1
1.5.9
- Updated Freemius SDK with improvements and security fixes, bump WP compatibility to v5.9.1.
1.5.8
- Updated: Freemius SDK to v2.4.2, minor improvements and fixes
- Updated: Bumped WordPress compatibility to v5.7
- Added: Added affiliate program information and link, refer paid customers and earn commissions
1.5.7
- Updated: Update Freemius SDK to latest version, updated WordPress compatibility to v5.6
- Improved: Top banner and upgrade responsive layout
1.5.6
- Fixed: Premium version fix for Enclosure tag to remove width and height attributes that resulted in invalid feeds. Feeds now validate at https://validator.w3.org/feed/
1.5.5
- Fixed: Premium version fix for “Use Only Media Tag Image” option bug removed all body images, now only skips adding featured image to body/rss desc as intended.
1.5.4
- Fixed: Fatal error on some sites due to incorrect version of file uploaded to repo, apologies!
1.5.3
- Updated: Update Freemius SDK to latest version, updated WordPress compatibility to v5.3
1.5.2
- Updated: Update Freemius SDK to latest version, updated WordPress compatibility to v5.1
1.5.1
- Added: Add option to make the prepended image clickable, props to @crzyhrse for the suggestion.
- Updated: Revised our support link, free and premium support now provided via https://support.5starplugins.com/
1.5
- Fixed: (Premium update only) Various feed XML validation improvements and fixes.
- Updated: Freemius SDK updated to the latest version
1.4.9
- Fixed: (Premium update only) Various feed XML validation improvements and fixes.
1.4.8
- Fixed: Various feed XML validation improvements and fixes.
- Fixed: To fix a duplicate image issue when adding images as a Media/Enclosure tag, a new option to remove the regular prepended image from the main feed.
- Added: Media and Enclosure tags (Premium options) now resize to image size chosen, instead of always being full sized.
- Updated: Freemius SDK updated to the latest version
1.4.7
- Fix: Add full size to media tag from first attached image of post. Props to @babouz44.
1.4.6
- Added: Added Yahoo Media support to RSS namespace for services that may require it to work with media:content tag
- Added: support for Feedly’s webfeedsFeaturedVisual class name on image HTML
1.4.5
- Fix: Automatic deactivation of free plugin when premium plugin activated fixed, and free trial text link adjusted.
1.4.4
- Fix: Small issue with activating Trial version and Premium options being displayed, now fixed.
1.4.3
- Fix: Corrected max-width: 100% output for image widths, failed to escape % signs, now fixed.
1.4.2
- New: Added support for Feedly’s <webfeeds:cover image=> tag to the Media tag option.
- New: Enclosure Tag Option: Output images in <enclosure> tag
- Fix: Added MIME type output on the media tag
- Fix: Fixed the Trial license with free plugin fatal error, and trial upgrade links
- Fix: Translation slug fix to support translate.wordpress.org
- Fix: Updated Freemius SDK to latest version
1.4.1
- Fix: Oops – the new opt-in and admin notices were displaying in the wrong place, apologies, this is now fixed.
1.4
- New: Added option for custom image padding.
- Update: Refactored the code from top to bottom, now performs much better.
- Update: Translation ready, we’re accepting translated pot files.
- New: Now using Freemius for opt-in user usage data and better support, feature requests.
- New: Premium Version now available with media and image tag support, custom images sizes, exclude categories, pre and post feed content, and more. Free trial available, and instant upgrades on checkout.