Link Roundups Plugin
Link Roundups is a WordPress plugin that makes it possible to:
- collect links from around the web and save them in WordPress as Saved Links
- turn them into Link Roundup posts
- display Saved Links and Link Roundups in WordPress widgets on your site
- streamline the production of daily/weekly roundup newsletters using MailChimp
The plugin is built and maintained by the INN Nerds.
If you're an INN member making use of INN's Largo Project hosting, the Link Roundups plugin is already installed. Just contact us through the Largo help desk to have it activated on your site. Otherwise, you can install the Link Roundups in your WordPress Plugins, or download the plugin here.
Saved Links in Link Roundups Posts
A Link Roundup is a type of post with many of the same options as regular posts. The main difference is a Link Roundup post uses Saved Links for its content. So you need to have some Saved Links to create a Link Roundups post. See the Saved Links page for complete details on adding Saved Links.
Creating Link Roundups
Assuming you have some Saved Links, you're ready to create your first Link Roundup.
1) Go to Link Roundups and click Add Link Roundup from your WordPress Dashboard.
The new Link Roundup post will resemble a regular WordPress post in many ways... but there is one important difference: the Recent Saved Links Panel below the Editor.
Recent Saved Links lets you sort through Saved Links based on the date they were created.
2) Select one or more links to add to your roundup by clicking the Send to Editor button.
The Recent Saved Links section shows a maximum of 15 links at one time. Use the pagination to view more pages of Saved Links, but bear in mind you must send links to the editor before switching pages -- the box won't remember links you checked on other pages, only links currently displayed.
Once you have the links that make up your roundup in the editor window, you can edit the links, change the description and make any adjustments that you'd normally make to a post. If you'd like to add a description to the post, go to the first line of the roundup and add a new line.
You can also add Categories and Tags to the Link Roundup, like any other post. Adding one or more Categories allows filtering display of Link Roundups by Category.
How Link Roundups are Displayed On Your Site
Once you publish the Link Roundup post, it displays in your homepage content stream like any other post:
Each Link Roundup also has its own single-post page which displays its Saved Links which link to the original source:
Using the Link Roundups Widget
After creating one or more Link Roundups, you can use the Link Roundups Widget to create links to your Link Roundups.
Widget options include filtering the display of Link Roundups by Category, changing the default Title of "Recent Link Roundups," and adding a link and URL at the bottom of the widget.
Link Roundups Mailchimp Integration
The Link Roundups plugin has one more trick up its sleeve: You can create MailChimp email campaigns directly from a Link Roundups post in WordPress.
To enable Mailchimp integration you'll need a MailChimp API key. Once you have that you can enter it in Link Roundups > Options > MailChimp Integration:
You'll also need to go to your MailChimp dashboard and set up a MailChimp template to use for your Link Roundups campaigns. Complete details on this are available in the Link Roundups plugin docs.
Once you add the MailChimp API Key to your Link Roundups options, in the Link Roundups editor, above the standard WordPress "Publish" button you'll find a button to "Create MailChimp Campaign."
When you click "Create a MailChimp Campaign" you will be asked to confirm the action. The Link Roundups plugin will contact MailChimp to create the campaign and, upon success, present you with a link to finish editing the campaign in the MailChimp dashboard.
Other Link Roundups Options
Link Roundups Options in Link Roundups > Options also include the following:
- You can rename Link Roundups to whatever you like. You might call it a Daily Digest, Recap, Team Newsletter, etc.
- You can enter a custom URL slug for your Link Roundups (defaults to "roundup").
- You can customize the HTML used to display Saved Links in your Link Roundups.
Complete Documentation on the Link Roundups Plugin
The Link Roundups plugin has its own full documentation at Link Roundups plugin docs.