lupka

This plugin allows you to create a widget that will display the title/date/excerpt from random posts in a specified(or open-ended) date range. It can also be used outside of a widget to create custom loops of random posts within a date range. The following can be specified:
<ul>
<li>Number of posts to display</li>
<li>Whether or not to show dates</li>
<li>Whether or not to show excerpts</li>
<li>Excerpt length (number of words)</li>
<li>Start date and End date of posts to randomize</li>
<li>Whether or not to always use current date as end. (Allows you to include new posts without editing settings every day)</li>
<li>Option to use relative time instead (To chose from random posts from last week, year, etc.)</li>
<li>Category to choose posts from. (Example: Random posts from sports category in the past week. This is the original reason I needed a plugin like this. Comes in handy for the newspaper site I run.)</li>
</ul>
Please contact me if you run into any issues, either via email (lupka31@gmail.com) or Twitter (http://twitter.com/lupka) 
For latest FAQs/info visit: http://alexchalupka.com/projects/wordpress/random-posts-widget/

Random Posts Within Date Range Widget

Widget that displays the title(w/ link), date(optional), and excerpt(optional) of random posts within a selected date range.

Jeremy Green

Random Content is the easiest way to keep your WordPress site feeling fresh and dynamic. Create content groups, add as many items as you want, and display a random selection anywhere on your site with a single shortcode or widget.
Every time a visitor loads the page, they see something different. That means higher engagement, more clicks, and a site that never feels stale.
<h4>What can you do with it?</h4>
<ul>
<li>Rotate testimonials — Show a different customer quote on every page load</li>
<li>Randomize banners — Keep sidebar and header promotions fresh without manual updates</li>
<li>Cycle CTAs — Test different calls-to-action to see what gets clicks</li>
<li>Display tips or quotes — Add variety to any page, post, or widget area</li>
<li>Shuffle FAQs — Surface different questions each visit</li>
</ul>
<h4>Free features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Display random content anywhere with the <code>[random_content]</code> shortcode</li>
<li>Use in posts, pages, sidebars, or widget areas</li>
<li>Organize content into groups for separate rotation sets</li>
<li>Control how many items display at once</li>
<li>Full WordPress editor support — text, images, HTML, shortcodes, embeds</li>
<li>Lightweight and fast with built-in caching</li>
<li>No coding required</li>
</ul>
<h4>Getting started</h4>
<ol>
<li>Create entries under the Random Content post type</li>
<li>Organize them into Groups (works like categories)</li>
<li>Add <code>[random_content group_id="123"]</code> wherever you want random content to appear</li>
</ol>
That’s it. Your content rotates automatically on every page load.
<h4>Need more control?</h4>
<a href="https://randomcontentpro.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">Random Content Pro</a> gives you complete control over what visitors see and when they see it:
<ul>
<li>Scheduling — Set start and end dates so content appears and disappears automatically. Run time-limited campaigns without touching your site.</li>
<li>Visitor targeting — Show different content based on user role, login status, UTM parameters, referrer, or page type.</li>
<li>Frequency controls — Prevent the same item from showing twice in a row. Set cooldown periods between displays.</li>
<li>Weighted selection — Assign weights (1–10) to each item. Higher weight = shown more often. Perfect for A/B testing.</li>
<li>Display rules — Control visibility per group: logged-in only, specific roles, specific page types.</li>
<li>Fallback content — Define what shows when all items are filtered out. Never display an empty space.</li>
<li>Automatic updates — Get new features and fixes delivered directly to your WordPress dashboard.</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://randomcontentpro.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">Learn more about Random Content Pro →</a>
<h4>Shortcode usage</h4>
Display a random item from all entries: 
 [random_content]
Display from a specific group: 
 [random_content group_id=”64″]
Display multiple items at once: 
 [random_content group_id=”13″ num_posts=”3″]
Load content via AJAX (useful for sites with page caching): 
 [random_content group_id=”64″ ajax=”yes”]
<h4>Widget usage</h4>
Navigate to Appearance → Widgets, add the Random Content widget to any sidebar, and select a group from the dropdown. Leave the group empty to pull from all entries.

Random Content

Display random content anywhere on your WordPress site. Rotate testimonials, banners, CTAs, and more with a simple shortcode or widget.

Random Posts Within Date Range Widget vs Random Content