Create & track LinkedIn posts with Google Sheets, GPT-5.1, Unsplash, and Sona

Automate LinkedIn content creation by managing ideas in Google Sheets, generating professional AI-written posts, intelligently selecting relevant Unsplash images, sending drafts for email approval, and publishing directly to LinkedIn. How it works Step 1: Scheduled Sheet Check - Workflow runs daily at midnight (customizable to hourly/weekly) - Fetches posts from Google Sheet marked with Status = "Ready" - Processes one post per run, updates status to "In Progress" Step 2: AI Content Generation - GPT-5.1 creates engaging LinkedIn post based on your inputs - Generates content with proper hashtags, formatting, and tone - Follows your specified content type (tip, story, announcement, etc.) Step 3: Quality Validation - Automatically checks character limits (3000 max) - Validates minimum hashtag requirements (3+) - Loops back to regenerate if quality checks fail Step 4: Email Approval Workflow - Formats post as HTML email with professional styling - Sends preview to your Gmail for review - Waits for your approval response before proceeding - Nothing posts without explicit confirmation Step 5: Smart Image Handling - If you provided image URL: Downloads from Google Drive, Dropbox, or direct links - If no URL is provided: Fetch 10 images from Unsplash and use AI to select the best one. - If "Include Image?" is "No": Posts text-only content - Automatically converts share links to downloadable formats Step 6: LinkedIn Publishing & Tracking - Posts approved content directly to your LinkedIn profile - Uses appropriate API endpoint based on whether image is included - Updates Google Sheet status to "Posted" for successful posts - Marks "Rejected" posts in sheet for review and editing What you'll get - Batch content planning: Queue multiple posts in advance via Google Sheets - Consistent posting schedule: Automated daily publishing without manual work - Professional AI content: GPT-5.1 generates engaging, platform-optimized posts - Full approval control: Review every post before it goes live - Flexible image options: Your images, AI-generated, or text-only - Quality assurance: Built-in checks prevent poorly formatted posts - Status tracking: Monitor what's ready, in progress, rejected, or posted - Smart link conversion: Automatically handles Google Drive and Dropbox share links Requirements Accounts & credentials: - OpenAI API key (requires paid plan for GPT-5.1) - Gmail account (for approval workflow) - Google account (for Sheets integration) - LinkedIn account (for publishing) - Unsplash API key (for getting images) Google Sheet setup: Create a sheet with these columns: - Topic/Subject (required) - Main idea for the post - Content Type (required) - e.g., "Tip", "Story", "Announcement" - Tone (required) - e.g., "Professional", "Casual", "Inspirational" - Target Audience (optional) - Who you're writing for - Additional Notes (optional) - Specific points to include - Image link for your post (optional) - URL to your image - Include Image? (required) - "Yes" or "No" - Status (required) - "Ready" to trigger workflow Setup steps 1. Import workflow - Click "Use workflow" to add to your n8n instance 2. Connect credentials: - Google Sheets: Authenticate and select your sheet from dropdown - OpenAI: Add your API key in both AI nodes - Gmail: Authenticate and update recipient email in approval node - LinkedIn: Authenticate (your profile auto-populates) 3. Create your content sheet - Add the required columns and fill with post ideas 4. Test the workflow: - Add one test row with Status = "Ready" - Run workflow manually - Check email for approval - Verify post appears on LinkedIn 5. Configure schedule - Default is daily at midnight; adjust Schedule Trigger node for different frequency 6. Start batching - Add multiple ideas to your sheet and let automation handle the rest Tips for best results - Be specific in Topic/Subject: "5 ways to improve team productivity" beats "productivity tips" - Mix content types and tones to keep your feed engaging - Use Additional Notes for data points, statistics, or specific examples. You can also include links that the AI can use for the posts. - Start with text-only posts to validate content quality before adding images - Review rejected posts carefully and refine your inputs - Batch 10-20 ideas at once for weeks of automated content