Auto-generate Instagram content schedule with GPT-4, Apify, and Google Sheets

Try It Out!

This n8n template creates a fully automated Instagram content schedule using AI and Google Sheets. It is perfect for content creators, marketing teams, or local businesses looking to organize and scale their social media posting.

How it works

The workflow starts by reading two sets of inputs from a Google Sheet:

• Your content strategy inputs (Pillar, Objective, Frequency, Format, Structure, Examples).
• A list of scraped blog posts with title, URL, and description (fetched from your website).
• Blog posts are scraped using Apify and parsed to extract key fields, which are stored in a tab labeled "Input (blog month)".
• You can assign a preferred posting month for each blog (e.g. fall blog posts get tagged for September).
• The workflow then merges both inputs and extracts the relevant information for further information added by ChatGPT.

AI Scheduling & Personalization

Once merged, the workflow loops through each content item and:

• Identifies if the scheduled post falls on or near a holiday (like Mother’s Day) and adjusts the content accordingly.
• A reference tool is attached to guide structure and tone, based on a library of post examples.
• Sends the content to an AI Agent (using GPT-4, but customizable) that generates:

1. A compelling Instagram caption
2. A visual description
3. Hashtags
4. Suggested post date, day, content pillar, and format (carousel, reel, image, etc.)

Output

• All generated content including captions, structure, dates, hashtags, and pillar is exported into a tab titled Output in your Google Sheet.
• The final schedule is ready for manual review, editing, or publishing to social media.

How to use

• The workflow uses a manual trigger to start, but you can replace it with a Webhook, cron job, or form submission.
• Add/edit your content strategy in Google Sheets.

How to Set-Up

Initial Input Tab

• Define your content pillars and structure
• Create a tab named "Input" or "Strategy" Include these columns:
• Pillar: e.g., Family images
• Objective: e.g., Showcase images
• Frequency: e.g., Bi-weekly
• Content Form: e.g., Images, Reels
• Structure: brief description of expected layout (e.g., carousel Q&A, singular photo)
• Examples: prompts or questions to guide AI (e.g., Why do you think families should do a session?)

Input (blog month) Tab – Store scraped blog content

Include these columns:

• URL: direct link to blog post
• Title: blog post title
• Description: short summary of the post
• Preferred Month: month you want it posted (e.g., August, September)
• This sheet is partially auto-filled by the workflow (except for Preferred Month)

Output Tab – Final scheduled content

Include these columns:

• Date: scheduled posting date (YYYY-MM-DD)
• Day: day of the week
• Pillar: content category assigned
• Format: e.g., Images, Reels, Carousel
• Description: visual summary
• Caption: Instagram-ready caption
• Hashtags: complete hashtag block

To use the Apify HTTP Request node:

1. Drag in an HTTP Request node into your n8n workflow.
2. Set the Method and URL based on how you're using Apify:

• Use POST if you want to run an actor live with dynamic input (e.g. scrape blog posts in real time).
• Use GET if you want to retrieve results from a completed or static dataset run (faster and cheaper if you're reusing previous data).

1. Configure query or body parameters:
2. Include your Apify API token for authentication (e.g. token=YOUR_API_KEY)

• For POST: include an input object with any required actor settings (e.g., blog URL to scrape).
• For GET: specify the dataset ID in the URL

1. Test the node to ensure you're retrieving the blog titles, descriptions, and URLs as expected.

Requirements

• Apify account for scraping blog posts
• OpenAI key (e.g. GPT-4) or another model of your choice
• Google Sheets Credentials

Example Use Cases

• A photographer repurposing blogs into Instagram carousels
• A nonprofit automatically generating seasonal posts
• A small team managing multi-pillar content across weeks or months

Need Help?

Join the n8n Discord or ask in the n8n Forum! Happy Content Making ! 📅✨