Understanding RSS Feed Errors in Letterhead

Letterhead allows you to incorporate RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds as a content source for your newsletters, providing an automated way to pull articles and stories into the Curations Library. By leveraging RSS feeds, you can streamline content updates and publishing for your newsletter editions.

Occasionally, you may encounter errors related to your RSS feed. This guide explains what these errors mean, why they might occur, and steps you can take to resolve them.

RSS Feed Error Codes and Resolutions

Error Code	Response (What You See)	Explanation	Resolution
`VALIDATION_CODE_RSS_DOCUMENT_TOO_LARGE`	Content too large	The feed exceeds the allowable size limit.	Check the size of your RSS feed and reduce its payload by removing unnecessary items.
`VALIDATION_CODE_RSS_DOCUMENT_EMPTY`	No content in the feed	The feed appears to be empty.	Contact Letterhead support to revalidate the feed.
`VALIDATION_CODE_RSS_DOCUMENT_INVALID_UNKNOWN_REASON`	Error fetching content	The feed is invalid for an unspecified reason.	Contact your RSS feed administrator to diagnose and resolve the issue.
`VALIDATION_CODE_RSS_DOCUMENT_BAD_REQUEST`	The request is invalid	The system could not process your request due to incorrect formatting or parameters.	Verify the RSS feed’s URL and ensure its structure complies with RSS standards.
`VALIDATION_CODE_RSS_INTERNAL_ERROR`	An unexpected feed error occurred	The system encountered an unknown internal issue while processing the feed.	Wait for 30 minutes to an hour. If the issue persists, contact Letterhead support.
`VALIDATION_CODE_RSS_SERVICE_BAD_GATEWAY`	The service encountered a bad gateway	The feed source service is experiencing connectivity issues.	Wait and retry later. If the issue persists, ensure the feed source is operational or contact its provider.
`VALIDATION_CODE_RSS_SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE`	The service is currently unavailable	The feed source is temporarily unavailable.	Wait for a while and try again later. If the problem persists, confirm the availability of the feed source.
`VALIDATION_CODE_RSS_PROVIDER_CONFLICT`	There is a conflict with the request	The feed encountered a conflict during processing.	Review recent changes to the feed or contact the feed administrator for clarification.
`VALIDATION_CODE_RSS_PROVIDER_TIMED_OUT`	The request timed out	The system could not retrieve the feed within the expected time frame.	Check your network connectivity and confirm the feed is accessible. Retry after some time.
`VALIDATION_CODE_RSS_PROVIDER_THROTTLE`	Too many requests	The system has received too many requests for this feed in a short period.	Reduce the frequency of feed requests. Wait for some time before retrying.

Invalid: Error fetching content

| **RSS Feed exception: this RSS Feed doesn’t meet Letterhead’s requirements… returned error 413 because: Document too large”
** | RSS feed failure was due to the file being too large
Letterhead’s RSS payload size limit | Try adjusting the feed to include fewer episodes so it stays within Letterhead’s 1.5 MB (1,572,864 bytes) limit. |

General Guidelines for Handling RSS Feed Issues

Some errors may resolve themselves if you wait 30 minutes to an hour.
Use an online RSS validator to confirm your feed adheres to proper formatting standards - Feed validator
If the issue persists after troubleshooting, reach out to Letterhead support for further assistance.

By addressing these errors promptly, you can ensure a smooth integration of your RSS feed into Letterhead.

Please ensure that our crawler’s domain is safe-listed:

Safelist Domain: *.tryletterhead.com | letterhead.email | letterhead.ai

By safe-listing the mentioned domains, you enable our crawlers to efficiently access and retrieve content from our RSS feeds.

In addition to this, the Letterhead crawler is labeled “LetterheadCurationBot”, and its User-agent is below:

Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; LetterheadCurationBot/1.0; +http://tryletterhead.com/bots)

Still can’t find what you need? Contact support.