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Generate AI-powered competitor analysis reports with GPT-4, Apify & Google Docs

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Generate AI-powered competitor analysis reports with GPT-4, Apify & Google Docs preview
Open on n8n.io

Important notice

This workflow is provided as-is. Please review and test before using in production.

1. Workflow Overview

How it Works ️ This workflow is your agency’s secret weapon. It’s a multi AI agent system that automates the entire process of competitor and market research, providing you with a complete strateg...

Best for

  • Market Research automation workflows
  • AI Summarization automation workflows
  • intermediate n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.manualtrigger, n8n-nodes-base.httprequest, n8n-nodes-base.code, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.openai, n8n-nodes-base.slack, n8n-nodes-base.googledocs, n8n-nodes-base.stickynote

Source and attribution

This workflow is cataloged by N8N Workflows and links back to its original n8n.io source page by Marth.

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Generate AI-powered competitor analysis reports with GPT-4, Apify & Google Docs
Workflow name
Generate AI-powered competitor analysis reports with GPT-4, Apify & Google Docs

How it Works ⚙️

This workflow is your agency’s secret weapon. It’s a multi-AI-agent system that automates the entire process of competitor and market research, providing you with a complete strategic analysis in minutes.

  1. Digital Reconnaissance (Agent 1): The workflow is triggered with a client's business name and industry. The first AI agent, powered by Apify, immediately begins a deep dive into the market to identify and scrape data on the client’s top competitors.
  2. Strategic Analysis (Agent 2): All the raw data from Agent 1 is sent to the second AI agent, powered by OpenAI (GPT-4). This agent performs a sophisticated analysis to summarize competitor messaging, identify their audience, and generate a full SWOT analysis for your client.
  3. Report & Strategy Generation (Agent 3): A third AI agent, also using OpenAI, takes the strategic analysis and writes a professional, persuasive report. This report is then automatically populated into a pre-designed Google Docs template, ready for review.
  4. Instant Delivery: The final report is automatically sent to your internal team via Slack, allowing you to start your strategy meeting almost instantly after the workflow is triggered.

Setup Steps 🛠️

  1. Get Your Apify Actor:

    • Log in to Apify and find a suitable Actor for web scraping (e.g., Google Search Results Scraper).
    • Copy the Actor ID to use in the n8n workflow.
  2. Prepare Your Report Template:

    • Create a new Google Doc to serve as your report template.
    • Use placeholders like {{ client_name }}, {{ report_content }}, and {{ client_industry }} to define where the AI-generated text will go.
    • Copy the document ID from the Google Doc URL and save it for later.
  3. Import the Workflow:

    • Copy the provided workflow JSON and import it into your n8n instance.
  4. Configure Credentials:

    • Apify: Add your Apify API Key.
    • OpenAI: Add your OpenAI API Key.
    • Google Docs: Add your OAuth2 credential.
    • Slack: Add your Bot Token credential.
  5. Customize Workflow Nodes:

    • Node 2 (Apify): Paste your Actor ID here. You can also customize the search queries in the Input JSON to be more specific.
    • Node 6 (Google Docs): Paste your template's Document ID here. Ensure the Values match the placeholders you created in your template.
    • Node 7 (Slack): Replace [YOUR MARKETING TEAM SLACK CHANNEL ID] with the correct channel ID where you want the report delivered.
  6. Activate & Test:

    • Once all settings are configured, save the workflow.
    • Click the "Inactive" toggle to make it live.
    • Run a test by manually entering a client's name and industry to ensure the data flows correctly and the report is delivered.

1.2 Logical Blocks

This catalog entry is organized from the workflow JSON. The node-level section below shows the executable blocks available for review before importing the template.

2. Block-by-Block Analysis

Block 1 - When clicking ‘Execute workflow’

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger - manualTrigger
Config choices
Version 1

Block 2 - Apify

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices
Version 4.2

Block 3 - Data Aggregation

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.code - code
Config choices
Version 2

Block 4 - The Report Generator

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.openAi - openAi
Config choices
Version 1.8

Block 5 - The Strategic Analyst

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.openAi - openAi
Config choices
Version 1.8

Block 6 - Deliver Report to Team

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.slack - slack
Config choices
Version 2.3

Block 7 - Create Report

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleDocs - googleDocs
Config choices
Version 2

Block 8 - Sticky Note

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 9 - Sticky Note1

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 10 - Sticky Note2

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 11 - Sticky Note3

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

3. Summary Table

Workflow Generate AI-powered competitor analysis reports with GPT-4, Apify & Google Docs
Complexity intermediate
Nodes 11
Categories Market Research, AI Summarization
Author Marth
Published 28 Jul 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/6580/6580.json as the source template for this automation.

  2. 2. Import the template into n8n

    Open n8n, import the downloaded JSON, and review each node before activating the workflow.

  3. 3. Configure credentials and variables

    Replace placeholder credentials, API keys, webhook URLs, account IDs, and environment-specific values with your own settings.

  4. 4. Test with sample data

    Run the workflow manually or in a staging workspace, inspect node output, and confirm downstream systems receive the expected data.

  5. 5. Activate and monitor

    Enable the workflow only after testing, then monitor executions, errors, and rate limits during the first production runs.

5. General Notes & Resources

Review imported nodes carefully before activation. This catalog entry is intended to help you inspect the workflow structure, understand required services, and find related templates faster.

Node names, credentials, schedules, webhook paths, and external service limits may need adjustment for your workspace.

Frequently asked questions

What does Generate AI-powered competitor analysis reports with GPT-4, Apify & Google Docs do?

How it Works ️ This workflow is your agency’s secret weapon. It’s a multi AI agent system that automates the entire process of competitor and market research, providing you with a complete strateg...

What do I need before importing this workflow?

Review the workflow JSON, configure any required credentials in n8n, and test the automation in a safe workspace before using it in production.

Can I customize this workflow?

Yes. Use the block-by-block analysis and the downloadable JSON to inspect each node, then adjust credentials, prompts, schedules, filters, or destinations for your Market Research, AI Summarization use case.