How to Display FeedBurner Subscriber Count as Custom Text in WordPress

Many WordPress blogs display FeedBurner subscriber counts as clean, customizable text rather than the default chicklet button. This method provides full styling control and perfect integration with your theme's design. As experienced WordPress developers, we'll guide you through implementing this feature reliably.

Add the following PHP code to your chosen template file, like sidebar.php. Replace YOUR_FEED_ID with your FeedBurner ID (e.g., 'wpbeginner' for WPBeginner.com, found in your feed URL).

<?php
$feedburner_id = 'YOUR_FEED_ID';
$contents = file_get_contents('https://feedburner.google.com/api/awz/feed/' . $feedburner_id . '/totalCirc/total?format=js');
$current_count = (int)substr($contents, 17, -2);
echo $current_count;
// Fetches fresh FeedBurner subscriber count
?>

Wrap it in HTML and CSS to match your design perfectly—for example, <span class="subscriber-count"><?php echo $current_count; ?> subscribers</span>.

This streamlined one-step approach is adapted from a tutorial originally shared on Balkhis (source link no longer active). We've tested and simplified it for modern WordPress sites.