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Who's it for
Marketing teams, social media managers, content creators, and small businesses looking to maintain consistent social media presence across multiple platforms. Perfect for organizations that want to automate content creation while maintaining quality and brand consistency.
How it works
This workflow creates a complete social media automation system that generates platform-specific content using AI and schedules posts across Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram based on your content calendar in Google Sheets.
The system runs daily at 9 AM, reading your content calendar to identify scheduled topics for the day. It uses OpenAI's GPT-4 to generate platform-optimized content that follows each platform's best practices - concise engaging posts for Twitter, professional thought leadership for LinkedIn, and visual storytelling for Instagram. DALL-E creates accompanying images that match your brand style and topic themes.
Each piece of content is automatically formatted for optimal engagement, including appropriate hashtags, character limits, and platform-specific calls-to-action. The workflow then schedules posts through Buffer's API at optimal times and updates your spreadsheet with posting status, content previews, and generated image URLs for tracking and approval workflows.
How to set up
Prerequisites:
Google account with Sheets access
OpenAI API key with GPT-4 and DALL-E access
Buffer account with connected social media profiles
Slack workspace (optional for notifications)
Setup steps:
Create your content calendar:
Copy the provided Google Sheets template
Set up columns: Date, Topic, Platforms, Content Type, Keywords, Status, Generated Content, Image URL
Fill in your content schedule with topics and target platforms
Configure credentials in n8n:
Add OpenAI API credential with your API key
Set up Google Sheets OAuth2 for spreadsheet access
Add Buffer API token from your Buffer dashboard
Add Slack API credential for success notifications (optional)
Update Configuration Variables:
Set your Google Sheet ID from the spreadsheet URL
Define your brand voice and company messaging
Specify target audience for content personalization
Set image style preferences for consistent visuals
Configure Buffer integration:
Connect your social media accounts to Buffer
Get profile IDs for Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram
Update the Schedule Post node with your specific profile IDs
Set optimal posting times in Buffer settings
Test the workflow:
Add test content to tomorrow's date in your calendar
Run the workflow manually to verify content generation
Check that posts appear in Buffer's queue correctly
Verify spreadsheet updates and Slack notifications work
Requirements
Google Sheets with template structure and editing permissions
OpenAI API key with GPT-4 and DALL-E access (estimated cost: $0.10-0.30 per day for content generation)
Buffer account (free plan supports up to 3 social accounts, paid plans for more)
Social media accounts connected through Buffer (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram)
n8n instance (cloud subscription or self-hosted)
How to customize the workflow
Adjust content generation:
Modify AI prompts in the OpenAI node to match your industry tone and style
Add custom content types (promotional, educational, behind-the-scenes, user-generated)
Include seasonal or event-based content variations in your prompts
Customize hashtag strategies per platform and content type
Enhance scheduling logic:
Add time zone considerations for global audiences
Implement different posting schedules for weekdays vs weekends
Create urgency-based posting for time-sensitive content
Add approval workflows before scheduling sensitive content
Expand platform support:
Add Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts using their respective APIs
Integrate with Hootsuite or Later as alternative scheduling platforms
Include Pinterest for visual content with optimized descriptions
Add LinkedIn Company Page posting alongside personal profiles
Improve content intelligence:
Integrate trending hashtag research using social media APIs
Add competitor content analysis for inspiration and differentiation
Include sentiment analysis to adjust tone based on current events
Implement A/B testing for different content variations
Advanced automation features:
Add engagement monitoring and response workflows
Create monthly performance reports sent via email
Implement content recycling for evergreen topics
Build user-generated content curation from brand mentions
Add crisis communication protocols for sensitive topics
Integration enhancements:
Connect with your CRM to include customer success stories
Link to email marketing for cross-channel content consistency
Integrate with project management tools for campaign coordination
Add analytics dashboards for content performance tracking