When WordPress is set to publish full text in its feed but a Mailchimp RSS email still contains a short excerpt, check the merge tag in the Mailchimp template before changing the site. WordPress controls whether the feed includes full text or an excerpt. Mailchimp then chooses which field from each RSS item it inserts into the email.
A feed item can carry both a short <description> and a longer <content:encoded> field. Mailchimp treats those fields differently. A template using *|RSSITEM:CONTENT|* reads <description> first. A template using *|RSSITEM:CONTENT_FULL|* reads <content:encoded> first.
That distinction explains a common result: WordPress is configured for full text, the feed contains the full article, and the email still shows a summary because the template asks Mailchimp for the summary field.
Check one real feed item before changing WordPress
Start with the feed URL used by the Mailchimp automation. Open one recent <item> in the feed source and look for these two elements:
<description><![CDATA[Short summary or excerpt]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Full article body in HTML.</p>]]></content:encoded>
The feed can contain different text in each element. The presence of a long <content:encoded> field is the useful evidence here. It shows that the full article already reaches the feed, so the next check belongs in the Mailchimp template.
WordPress has a Reading setting named “For each article in a feed, show.” Its two choices are Full text and Excerpt. That setting controls the content included in the syndication feed. It does not control how an HTML archive page looks on the blog. A blog archive can show excerpts while the RSS feed carries full post content, or the other way around, because those are separate outputs.
The WordPress setting also does not tell Mailchimp which item tag to render. Mailchimp reads the feed fields available in each item and follows the merge tag placed in the email layout.
Description and content:encoded are separate RSS fields
An RSS item has a title, link, date, and other metadata. Its text can appear in more than one field. The two fields that matter for this issue are <description> and <content:encoded>.
Mailchimp documents *|RSSITEM:CONTENT|* as the HTML summary tag. It pulls the item’s <description> content. If the feed has no <description>, Mailchimp falls back to <content:encoded>.
Mailchimp documents *|RSSITEM:CONTENT_FULL|* as the HTML full-content tag. It pulls <content:encoded>. If that field is absent, it falls back to <description>.
| Mailchimp tag | First RSS field read | Fallback field | Suitable use |
|---|---|---|---|
| `* | RSSITEM:CONTENT | *` | <description> |
| `* | RSSITEM:CONTENT_FULL | *` | <content:encoded> |
The fallback matters. A template may appear to work on some posts even when it uses the wrong tag, because one of the two fields is missing and Mailchimp switches to the other one. Check a recent item that has both fields before deciding the template is correct.
Check CONTENT and CONTENT_FULL in the email template
Find the RSS item block in the Mailchimp draft. A custom block often has a structure similar to this:
*|RSSITEMS:|*
*|RSSITEM:TITLE|*
*|RSSITEM:CONTENT|*
*|END:RSSITEMS|*
That block asks Mailchimp to print the item title and the content stored in <description>. If <description> contains the excerpt, the email will show the excerpt.
For full HTML content from <content:encoded>, use this version:
*|RSSITEMS:|*
*|RSSITEM:TITLE|*
*|RSSITEM:CONTENT_FULL|*
*|END:RSSITEMS|*
Keep the surrounding *|RSSITEMS:|* and *|END:RSSITEMS|* tags when the email is designed to display individual RSS items. They mark the area Mailchimp repeats for each post item.
Mailchimp also provides preformatted tags. *|RSS:POSTS|* and *|RSS:POSTS_HTML|* use RSS item descriptions and summaries. *|RSS:POSTS_FULL|* and *|RSS:POSTS_HTML_FULL|* use the full content field. A preformatted block can be useful when the email layout is built around Mailchimp’s default RSS presentation. A custom block gives more control over the title, body, link, and spacing.
Change only the content tag that matches the feed field you confirmed. A WordPress reinstallation, a new plugin, or a change to search-engine settings does not follow from this diagnosis.
A fictional feed example
This example is fictional. It shows why the two Mailchimp tags can create emails of different lengths from the same post.
<item>
<title>How to choose a blogging schedule</title>
<link>https://example.com/blogging-schedule/</link>
<description><![CDATA[
<p>Choose a publishing rhythm you can maintain.</p>
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>Choose a publishing rhythm you can maintain.</p>
<p>Start by listing the research, writing, editing, and publishing time for one article.</p>
<p>Then set a schedule that leaves room for revisions.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
With this fictional item, *|RSSITEM:CONTENT|* prints the one-sentence description. *|RSSITEM:CONTENT_FULL|* prints the three-paragraph HTML body. Mailchimp is not shortening the second field in this example. The template selects a different field.
A real feed can also contain identical text in both fields. In that case, switching the tag may produce no visible change. The feed source answers that question before any template edit.
If content:encoded is missing
If the inspected item has no <content:encoded> field, *|RSSITEM:CONTENT_FULL|* falls back to <description>. The email may still contain an excerpt because <description> is the only content field present.
Check the WordPress Reading setting first. The Full text option is the setting WordPress documents for including the full article in each feed entry. Save only a confirmed setting change. Then inspect a newly published or updated feed item to see whether <content:encoded> now contains the article body.
If the setting already says Full text and the field remains absent or short, the evidence is not enough to blame Mailchimp. A theme, feed customization, or another WordPress component may affect the generated feed. Compare the actual feed item with the intended post content before changing anything else.
Do not use the appearance of the blog archive as proof of the feed content. WordPress documents feed display settings separately from the site’s front-page and posts-page display settings. The RSS source is the record Mailchimp receives.
Preview the draft before the next scheduled email
After selecting the tag that matches the confirmed feed field, preview the Mailchimp draft with a recent feed item. Check the article title, the opening paragraph, the end of the body, links, and any repeated items.
A preview can reveal a second issue: the full content may include formatting that looks different in an email client. That is a layout question, separate from whether Mailchimp received the full text. Keep the feed diagnosis and email layout review separate, or the cause becomes muddy fast.
Do not send a live test just to confirm the tag. A draft preview can show whether the selected field produces the expected amount of text before the next scheduled email.
Checks before scheduling
- Does the inspected RSS item include both
<description>and<content:encoded>? - Which field contains the text intended for the email?
- Does the template use
*|RSSITEM:CONTENT|*or*|RSSITEM:CONTENT_FULL|*? - Does the draft preview show the expected body before the scheduled send?
The shortest route is also the safest: inspect the actual feed item, match the Mailchimp tag to the field that contains the intended text, then preview the draft.
