Research business leads with Perplexity AI & save to Google Sheets using OpenAI

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Important notice

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

1. Workflow Overview

Automatically research new leads in your target area, structure the results with AI, and append them into Google Sheets — all orchestrated in n8n. What this template does Uses Perplexity to resea...

Best for

Lead Generation automation workflows
AI RAG automation workflows
advanced n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmchatopenai, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.outputparserstructured, n8n-nodes-base.stickynote, n8n-nodes-base.manualtrigger, n8n-nodes-base.set, n8n-nodes-base.googlesheets, n8n-nodes-base.aggregate, n8n-nodes-base.perplexity

Source and attribution

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

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title: Research business leads with Perplexity AI & save to Google Sheets using OpenAI
Workflow name: Research business leads with Perplexity AI & save to Google Sheets using OpenAI

Automatically research new leads in your target area, structure the results with AI, and append them into Google Sheets — all orchestrated in n8n.

✅ What this template does

Uses Perplexity to research businesses (coffee shops in this example) with company name + email
Cleans and structures the output into proper JSON using OpenAI
Appends the new leads directly into Google Sheets, skipping duplicates

> Trigger: Manual — “Start Workflow”

👤 Who’s it for

Sales & marketing teams who need to prospect local businesses
Agencies running outreach campaigns
Freelancers and consultants looking to automate lead research

⚙️ How it works

Set Location → define your target area (e.g., Hershey PA)
Get Current Leads → pull existing data from your Google Sheet to avoid duplicates
Research Leads → query Perplexity for 20 businesses, excluding already-scraped ones
Write JSON → OpenAI converts Perplexity output into structured Company/Email arrays
Split & Merge → align Companies with Emails row-by-row
Send Leads to Google Sheets → append or update leads in your sheet

🛠️ Setup instructions

Follow these sticky-note setup steps (already included in the workflow):

1) Connect Google Sheets (OAuth2)

In n8n → Credentials → New → Google Sheets (OAuth2)
Sign in with your Google account and grant access
In the Google Sheets node, select your Spreadsheet and Worksheet

Example sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MnaU8hSi8PleDNVcNnyJ5CgmDYJSUTsr7X5HIwa-MLk/edit#gid=0

2) Connect Perplexity (API Key)

Sign in at https://www.perplexity.ai/account
Generate an API key: https://docs.perplexity.ai/guides/getting-started
In n8n → Credentials → New → Perplexity API, paste your key

3) Connect OpenAI (API Key)

In n8n → Credentials → New → OpenAI API
Paste your OpenAI API key
In the OpenAI Chat Model node, select your credential and a vision-capable model (e.g., gpt-4o-mini, gpt-4o)

🔧 Requirements

A free Google account
An OpenAI API key (https://platform.openai.com)
A Perplexity API key (https://docs.perplexity.ai)
n8n self-hosted or cloud instance

🎨 How to customize

Change the Search Area in the Set Location node
Modify the Perplexity system prompt to target different business types (e.g., gyms, salons, restaurants)
Expand the Google Sheet schema to include more fields (phone, website, etc.)

📬 Contact

Need help customizing this (e.g., filtering by campaign, sending reports by email, or formatting your Google Sheet)?

📧 [email protected]
🔗 Robert Breen
🌐 ynteractive.com

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 - OpenAI Chat Model

Type / Role: @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmChatOpenAi - lmChatOpenAi
Config choices: Version 1.2

Block 2 - Structured Output Parser

Type / Role: @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.outputParserStructured - outputParserStructured
Config choices: Version 1.3

Block 3 - Sticky Note59

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

Block 4 - Sticky Note8

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

Block 5 - Sticky Note71

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

Block 6 - Sticky Note72

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

Block 7 - Sticky Note69

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

Block 8 - Start Workflow

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

Block 9 - Set Location

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.set - set
Config choices: Version 3.4

Block 10 - Get Current Leads

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices: Version 4.7

Block 11 - Combine Into One

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

Block 12 - Set as text

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.set - set
Config choices: Version 3.4

Block 13 - Research Leads

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

Block 14 - Write JSON

Type / Role: @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent - agent
Config choices: Version 2.2

Block 15 - Split Companies

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

Block 16 - Split Emails

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

Block 17 - Merge Rows

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.merge - merge
Config choices: Version 3.2

Block 18 - Send Leads to Google Sheets

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices: Version 4.7

3. Summary Table

Workflow	Research business leads with Perplexity AI & save to Google Sheets using OpenAI
Complexity	advanced
Nodes	18
Categories	Lead Generation, AI RAG
Author	Robert Breen
Published	03 Sept 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

1. Download the workflow JSON

Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/8229/8229.json as the source template for this automation.
2. Import the template into n8n

Open n8n, import the downloaded JSON, and review each node before activating the workflow.
3. Configure credentials and variables

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

Download workflow JSON Original n8n.io source Lead Generation workflows AI RAG workflows

Frequently asked questions

What does Research business leads with Perplexity AI & save to Google Sheets using OpenAI do?

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 Lead Generation, AI RAG use case.

Robert Breen

90 workflows

Nodes

@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmchatopenai @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.outputparserstructured n8n-nodes-base.stickynote n8n-nodes-base.manualtrigger n8n-nodes-base.set n8n-nodes-base.googlesheets n8n-nodes-base.aggregate n8n-nodes-base.perplexity

Complexity

advanced

Published 03 Sept 2025

Likes 0

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Install path: /data/workflows/8229/8229.json

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Research business leads with Perplexity AI & save to Google Sheets using OpenAI

Workflow preview

Important notice

1. Workflow Overview

Best for

Tools used

Source and attribution

1.1 Workflow description

✅ What this template does

👤 Who’s it for

⚙️ How it works

🛠️ Setup instructions

1) Connect Google Sheets (OAuth2)

2) Connect Perplexity (API Key)

3) Connect OpenAI (API Key)

🔧 Requirements

🎨 How to customize

📬 Contact

1.2 Logical Blocks

2. Block-by-Block Analysis

Block 1 - OpenAI Chat Model

Block 2 - Structured Output Parser

Block 3 - Sticky Note59

Block 4 - Sticky Note8

Block 5 - Sticky Note71

Block 6 - Sticky Note72

Block 7 - Sticky Note69

Block 8 - Start Workflow

Block 9 - Set Location

Block 10 - Get Current Leads

Block 11 - Combine Into One

Block 12 - Set as text

Block 13 - Research Leads

Block 14 - Write JSON

Block 15 - Split Companies

Block 16 - Split Emails

Block 17 - Merge Rows

Block 18 - Send Leads to Google Sheets

3. Summary Table

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

1. Download the workflow JSON

2. Import the template into n8n

3. Configure credentials and variables

4. Test with sample data

5. Activate and monitor

5. General Notes & Resources

Frequently asked questions