How SocialBu Finds Images in Your RSS Feed

Written By Umar Khan

Last updated 29 days ago

This guide explains how it finds them and how to include images so they’re detected.

The Detective Metaphor

Think of SocialBu as a detective looking for a photo in a filing cabinet:

  1. First, it checks the “Enclosure” folder (RSS enclosure tags)

  2. Then it checks the “Link Page” folder (meta tags on the linked page)

  3. Then it checks the “Description” folder (images in the item description)

  4. Finally, it checks the “Thumbnail” folder (RSS image/thumbnail tags)

It stops at the first image it finds.

How SocialBu Looks for Images (In Order)

Method 1: RSS Enclosure Tag (Highest Priority)

SocialBu first checks for a standard RSS <enclosure> tag with an image type.

What it looks for:

  • An <enclosure> tag

  • A type attribute that contains "image" (like image/jpeg, image/png, etc.)

Example:

<item>
    <title>My Blog Post</title>
    <description>This is my post description</description>
    <enclosure url="https://example.com/image.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="50000"/>
</item>

Why this works: SocialBu recognizes the type attribute indicating an image.

Method 2: Meta Tags on Your Linked Page

If no enclosure is found, SocialBu visits the page linked in your RSS item and looks for Open Graph or Twitter Card image tags.

What it looks for:

  • <meta property="og:image" content="..."> or

  • <meta name="twitter:image" content="...">

Example: If your RSS item has:

<item>
    <title>My Blog Post</title>
    <link>https://example.com/my-article</link>
</item>

And your article page (https://example.com/my-article) has this in its HTML:

<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/image.jpg" />

SocialBu will find and use that image.

Why this works: Many sites use these tags for social sharing, so SocialBu checks them too.

Method 3: Images in Your Description/Content

If the above don’t work, SocialBu looks for <img> tags inside your item’s description or content.

What it looks for:

  • An <img> tag with a src attribute

  • It uses the first image found

Example:

<item>
    <title>My Blog Post</title>
    <description>
        <![CDATA[
        <img src="https://example.com/image.jpg" alt="My Image" />
        This is my post description with an image.
        ]]>
    </description>
</item>

Why this works: If you include the image in your description, SocialBu can extract it.

Method 4: RSS Image/Thumbnail Tags (Last Resort)

Finally, SocialBu checks for RSS <image> or thumbnail tags.

What it looks for:

  • <image> tags or thumbnail data in the feed

Example:

<item>
    <title>My Blog Post</title>
    <image>https://example.com/image.jpg</image>
</item>

Note: This method works, but the methods above are more reliable.

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Blog with Images in Description

Your RSS Feed:

<item>
    <title>New City Council Meeting Scheduled</title>
    <link>https://www.apexnc.org/news/council-meeting</link>
    <description>
        <![CDATA[
        <img src="https://www.apexnc.org/ImageRepository/Document?documentID=46211" />
        The city council will meet next Tuesday to discuss the new budget proposal.
        ]]>
    </description>
</item>

Result: SocialBu finds the image from the <img> tag in the description.

Example 2: Using Enclosure Tag

Your RSS Feed:

<item>
    <title>Summer Festival Announcement</title>
    <link>https://www.apexnc.org/events/summer-festival</link>
    <description>Join us for the annual summer festival!</description>
    <enclosure url="https://www.apexnc.org/ImageRepository/Document?documentID=28591" type="image/jpeg" length="0"/>
</item>

Result: SocialBu finds the image from the enclosure tag.

Example 3: Using Meta Tags on Your Website

Your RSS Feed:

<item>
    <title>Park Renovation Complete</title>
    <link>https://www.apexnc.org/news/park-renovation</link>
    <description>The community park has been fully renovated.</description>
</item>

Your Website Page (https://www.apexnc.org/news/park-renovation) has:

<head>
    <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.apexnc.org/ImageRepository/Document?documentID=46211" />
</head>

Result: SocialBu visits the linked page and finds the image from the meta tag.

Best Practices

✅ Recommended: Include Image in Description

The simplest and most reliable method is to include an <img> tag in your RSS item's description:

<description>
    <![CDATA[
    <img src="YOUR_IMAGE_URL_HERE" alt="Description" />
    Your article text here...
    ]]>
</description>

Benefits:

  • Works immediately

  • No changes needed to your website

  • Easy to implement

  • Most reliable method

✅ Alternative: Use Enclosure Tag

If your RSS system supports it, use an enclosure tag:

<enclosure url="YOUR_IMAGE_URL" type="image/jpeg" length="0"/>

Important: Make sure the type attribute contains "image" (like image/jpeg, image/png, image/gif).

✅ Alternative: Add Meta Tags to Your Website

If you control the linked pages, add Open Graph or Twitter Card image tags:

<meta property="og:image" content="YOUR_IMAGE_URL" />

This helps SocialBu and other social platforms.

What Doesn't Work (And Why)

❌ Media Content Tags with Only "Medium" Attribute

Some RSS feeds use tags like:

<media:content url="https://example.com/image.jpg" medium="image"/>

Why it doesn't work: SocialBu checks the type attribute, not the medium attribute. If you use this format, also include the image using one of the methods above.