Creating a Syndication Feed is a small configuration job: enable the parent Site or Experience Cloud network, define the feed record with the source object and SOQL query, map fields to RSS or Atom elements, and publish the feed URL. Most of the risk is on the sharing side rather than the configuration side, since the feed exposes data to the unauthenticated guest user. Plan the sharing rules and the explicit syndication flag before you click Save on the first feed.
- Confirm the parent Site or Experience Cloud network is set up
Syndication Feeds live under a Salesforce Site or an Experience Cloud network. The parent has to be active, the guest user has to be configured with appropriate sharing rules, and the public access settings have to allow the source object the feed will query. From Setup, open Sites (or Experience Cloud), find the parent, and confirm Active is checked. Open the Guest User profile and confirm it has Read on the source object. Without the parent network, there is no place to attach the feed.
- Create the Syndication Feed record
From the parent Site or Experience Cloud network settings, open the Syndication Feeds section and click New. Name the feed (visible in the feed channel metadata), enter a description (visible in the channel description element), select the source object, and write the SOQL query that filters records into the feed. Add a WHERE clause that includes the Boolean syndication flag on the source object so only explicitly-flagged records appear. Save the feed. The URL is generated automatically and visible in the feed configuration.
- Map fields to RSS or Atom elements
In the feed configuration, set the mappings for Title (typically a Name or Subject field), Description (a long text field or formula), Link (a URL field that points to the public-facing detail page), Pub Date (a Date or DateTime field), and Author (an email or name field). For Atom feeds, add the Atom-specific elements (id, summary, content). Save the mappings and test the feed by opening the public URL in an RSS reader; confirm entries appear with the right values and the right ordering. Iterate on the mapping until the feed looks right.
- Restrict exposure and monitor consumption
Add a Boolean field to the source object (named Publish to Feed or similar) and update the SOQL WHERE clause to require this field to be True. Train record editors that only flagged records appear in the public feed. Configure the guest user sharing rules to only share Publish-to-Feed records with guest users. Add the feed URL to your Salesforce site monitoring dashboard so you can see polling rate, response time, and any errors. Annual audit: confirm the feed is still consumed and still appropriate; retire any feed with zero recent activity.
- Syndication Feeds expose data to the unauthenticated guest user. Misconfigured sharing rules can leak internal records into a public feed. Always restrict with both a SOQL filter and a sharing rule.
- RSS readers poll the feed URL on their own schedule. A popular feed can exceed the parent site request limit and degrade service for every consumer of that site, not just feed subscribers.
- The feature has not received meaningful investment in years. For new content distribution needs, evaluate REST API or Platform Events first; fall back to Syndication Feeds only when the consumer truly is an RSS reader.
- Atom and RSS have different element names. Configure the right format on the feed record before publishing; switching format after consumers subscribe can break their parsers.
- Schema changes on the source object can break the feed without warning. Add a Salesforce monitor on feed response time and error rate so silent breakage surfaces quickly.