11 Build Your First AI Automation

Give this n8n workflow to your AI agent: extract content, generate a visual, review the result, then publish to a selected social account. For Make, follow the Make setup guide and the async API contract.

What You'll Learn

1. Extract content with Source > Create and Source > Get.

2. Render a visual with Visual > Create and Visual > Get.

3. Confirm publication with Post > Publish and Post > Get.

Video Tutorial

For a recorded workflow, see 1 Post Everywhere. Use the completion checks below when adapting a tutorial.

Prerequisites

1. Install the Blotato n8n node and verify its credential.

2. Connect your social accounts.

3. Select the destination account and any required Page or board ID.

4. Agree on the content, destination, and any generation credit use before running the workflow.

Workflow Overview

Each Create or Publish operation starts work. Its response is not proof of completion.

Operation	Save this response field	Check with	Proceed when
Source > Create	id	Source > Get	status is completed. Use content.
Visual > Create	item.id	Visual > Get	item.status is done, item.error is absent, and output URLs exist.
Post > Publish	postSubmissionId	Post > Get	status is published. Read publicUrl when returned.

Set a waiting limit. If a status request fails or the limit expires, preserve the operation ID and report the unfinished stage. Resume with Get. Do not repeat Create or Publish to recover from an uncertain result.

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Add Create Source Node

1. Select Source > Create.

2. Select URL for a supported source URL, Text for supplied content, or AI Research for a query.

3. Submit the source.

4. Save the returned id.

Step 2: Add Wait Node

1. Add a Wait node before Source > Get.

2. Set a 5-second interval between status checks.

This interval is a polling recommendation, not a promised processing time. Account for other workflows sharing the rate limit.

Step 3: Add Get Source Node

1. Select Source > Get using the saved source id.

2. Inspect status.

3. Route queued or processing back through Wait, within the waiting limit.

4. Stop on failed and report message.

5. Pass content forward only after completed.

Step 4: Add Create Visual Node

1. Select Visual > Create.

2. Choose a template from the template catalog.

3. Use the extracted content in the prompt or map it to the selected template's input fields.

4. Submit once and save item.id.

5. Add a Wait > Visual > Get loop using the saved visual ID.

6. Stop on item.error, creation-from-template-failed, or insufficient-credits.

7. Continue only after item.status is done and output URLs exist.

8. Review item.mediaUrl for a video or item.imageUrls for a carousel before publishing.

A draft is not a rendered output. Follow visual generation if no publishable output is returned. Template input names differ. Image Slideshow with Text Overlays uses inputs.slides. AI Story Video uses inputs.scenes.

Step 5: Add Publish Node

1. Confirm the reviewed content and destination are approved for publishing.

2. Select Post > Publish for the selected platform and account.

3. Map the completed visual's output URL or URLs to the media field.

4. Submit once and save postSubmissionId.

5. Add a Wait > Post > Get loop using the saved submission ID.

6. Report published as success or failed with errorMessage.

For in-progress, continue Get checks within the waiting limit. For scheduled, stop immediate polling and report the scheduled result, not a published post. Follow publication verification.

Tips

1. Inspect status and error fields rather than relying on a node's _hint text.

2. Keep each operation ID separate from account IDs and template IDs.

3. Follow publishing diagnosis after a failed publication.

Source Types You Can Use

The n8n node offers URL, Text, and AI Research. URL mode infers the source type. Supported formats and extraction restrictions are listed in Create Source. Supply Text if your source does not provide a usable transcript.

Next Steps

1. Review async workflows for request and response examples.

2. Follow publishing for destination and media checks.

3. Follow scheduling for a future publication.