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). 3. Configure query or body parameters. 4. 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. 5. 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!