In this article, we will go through how to retrieve content from your own sources, such as your website or e-commerce, and then load it directly into your templates using various methods. These different methods allow you to fetch articles, products, and ads that are automatically loaded into the template without you having to do any extra work. This way, you can build larger automated flows that create your mailings for you.

After giving an overview of different ways to retrieve content, you can click through to a more technical article that will guide you step by step once you have found the solution that works for you. In this article, we will go through the following methods for retrieving content:

1. Drag and drop
2. Direct retrieval
3. Dynamic list
4. RSS and Atom feeds

Drag and drop

What is Drag and drop?If your website supports Open Graph or Google Structured Data Markup, you can drag and drop content directly from your website to your campaign inside Rule. This will automatically fetch all the information instead of you having to manually add images, text, and links.

Why and when is this useful?This is the easiest way to get started with retrieving content and saves a lot of time when creating emails.

What is needed from your side?You need to make sure that your website or e-commerce supports Open Graph or Google Structured Data Markup.

> Get started with Drag and drop

Drag and drop feed example from Rule on Vimeo.

Direct retrieval

What is direct retrieval?This means that you do not have to create all the content for products or articles. Instead, Rule retrieves it directly from your website or e-commerce by entering a link in the email itself. When the newsletter is sent out, all content is automatically retrieved from the specified link.

Why and when is this useful?If your publishing tool already has all the necessary information, the content in the newsletter can be created automatically without any manual intervention.

What is needed from your side?Easier development for creating custom content for the link.

> Get started with direct retrieval

Example of how it looks in email creation:

This is how it looks in the final email to the customer. This means that the link retrieves image, product information, and price without any extra work for you!

Dynamic list

What is a Dynamic list?With a dynamic list, you can customize the content in your emails to fill in different blocks in a template. These lists can, for example, be based on behavioral data retrieved from your website. Dynamic lists connect the content that customers show interest in on your website and automatically apply it in your emails.

Why and when is it good?It's good when you want to automate multiple articles in a row, not just one.

What is needed from your side?More advanced development is needed to create custom lists that link to pages with correct data.

> Get started with Dynamic lists

Here is an example of how a dynamic flow looks when you build an email compared to how it looks when the recipient receives the email. The content in the dynamic flow is unique for each recipient and is not visible when you build the email. Instead, it is only shown when the recipient has received the email.

RSS and Atom feeds

What are RSS and Atom feeds?These feeds are retrieved as a file from your website and are a way to easily and efficiently include desired content from the website directly when you edit it. If you have an RSS block in your template, it will be filled with material from your feed.

Why and when is this good?When you want to be able to add information to emails when editing them.

What is needed from your side?More advanced development is needed to create or customize an RSS/Atom feed.

How do I update the feed?The RSS block retrieves the information that is current in your RSS feed when the link is added to the block. If you want to update the information in the block, you need to drag the link in again.

> Get started with RSS and Atom feeds

Drag and drop feed examplefromRuleonVimeoSubscriber