POV Video Creator: Automating TikTok-Style Instagram Video Automation, Approval, and Multi-Platform Posting Using AI, ElevenLabs, Google Sheets, and Social Media APIs

Description

What Problem Does This Solve? 🎥

This workflow automates the creation, rendering, approval, and posting of TikTok-style POV (Point of View) videos to Instagram, with cross-posting to Facebook and YouTube. It eliminates manual video production, approval delays, and inconsistent posting schedules. It ensures high-quality content creation and distribution for social media managers and content creators

Target audience : Social media managers, content creators, small to medium-sized businesses, and n8n users familiar with AI tools, Google Sheets, and social media APIs

What Does It Do? 🌟

• Generates daily POV video ideas using OpenAI
• Create images, videos, and audio with PIAPI.ai and ElevenLabs
• Renders final videos with Creatomate
• Manages approvals via email and Google Sheets
• Posts approved videos to Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
• Tracks progress in a Google Sheet for transparency

Key Features

• AI-driven idea generation and script creation
• Automated media production with image, video, and audio synthesis
• Email-based approval system for quality control
• Cross-platform posting to Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
• Real-time tracking in Google Sheets and Google Drive
• Error handling for rendering and posting failures

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• n8n Instance : Self-hosted or cloud n8n instance
• API Credentials :
  • OpenAI API : API key for idea generation, stored in n8n credentials
  • PIAPI.ai API : API key for image and video generation, stored in n8n credentials
  • ElevenLabs API : API key for audio generation, stored in n8n credentials
  • Creatomate API : API key for video rendering, stored in n8n credentials
  • Google Sheets/Drive API : OAuth2 credentials from Google Cloud Console with Sheets and Drive scopes
  • Gmail API : OAuth2 credentials from Google Cloud Console with Gmail scope
  • Instagram Graph API : User Access Token with instagram_content_publish permission from a Facebook App
  • Facebook Graph API : Access Token from the same Facebook App
  • YouTube API : OAuth2 credentials for YouTube uploads
• Google Sheet : A sheet named "POV Videos" with a tab "Instagram" and columns: Timestamp , ID , Subject , Topic , Caption , POV_Status , Prompt , Publish_Status , Link , Final Video , Approval , row_number
• Creatomate Template : A pre-configured template with video, audio, and text elements

Installation Steps

1. Import the Workflow :
   • Copy the workflow JSON from the “Template Code” section (to be provided)
   • Import it into n8n via “Import from File” or “Import from URL”
2. Configure Credentials :
   • Add API credentials in n8n's Credentials section for OpenAI, PIAPI.ai , ElevenLabs, Creatomate, Google Sheets/Drive, Gmail, Instagram Graph, Facebook Graph, and YouTube
   • Assign credentials to respective nodes. For example:
     • In "Text-to-Image", use PIAPI.ai credentials: {{ $credentials.PIAPI }}
     • In "Render with Creatomate", use Creatomate credentials: {{ $credentials.Creatomate }}
     • In "Send Approval Request", use Gmail credentials
3. Set Up Nodes :
   • Schedule Trigger : Configure to run daily
   • Approval Email (Send Approval Request) : Customize the HTML email template with approval/rejection links
   • Post to Social Media Nodes (Instagram Container, Facebook Posts, YouTube Posts) : Configure with your Instagram Business Account ID, Facebook Page ID, and YouTube channel details
4. Configure Google Sheet and Drive :
   • Create "POV Videos" Google Sheet with "Instagram" tab and specified columns
   • Share the sheet with your Google Sheets credential email
   • Create "Audio" and "Video" folders in Google Drive, noting their IDs
5. Test the Workflow :
   • Run manually to verify idea generation, media creation, and posting
   • Check email notifications, Google Sheet updates, and social media posts
6. Schedule the Workflow :
   • Enable "Schedule Trigger" and "Schedule Trigger1" for daily runs
   • Enable "Get Latest Approved Video" to poll at 7 PM daily

How It Works

High-Level Steps

1. Generate Video Ideas : Creates daily POV video concepts with OpenAI
2. Create Media : Produces images, videos, and audio using AI tools
3. Render Video : Combines media into a final video with Creatomate
4. Manage Approvals : Sends approval emails and processes decisions
5. Post to Platforms : Publishes approved videos to Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Detailed Descriptions

Detailed node descriptions are available in the sticky notes within the workflow (to be provided). Below is a summary of key actions

Node Names and Actions

Video Idea Generation and Script Creation

• Schedule Trigger : Initiates daily workflow
• Get Title : Fetches pending video ideas from Google Sheet
• Generate Topics : Uses OpenAI to create a new video idea
• Format Row : Structures the idea into a Google Sheet row
• Insert new Prompt, Caption and Title/Topic : Adds the idea to Google Sheet
• Generate Ideas : Produces 3 POV sequences
• Generate Script : Expands a sequence into a detailed script
• Set Topics : Stores the script for media creation

Media Creation

• Text-to-Image : Generates an image with PIAPI.ai
• Get Image : Retrieves the generated image
• Generate Video Prompt : Creates a video prompt from the image
• Generate Video : Produce a 5-second video with PIAPI.ai
• Access Videos : Retrieves the video URL
• Store Video : Updates Google Sheet with video URL
• Generate Sound Prompt : Creates an audio prompt
• Text-to-Sound : Generates a 20-second audio clip with ElevenLabs
• Store Sound : Uploads audio to Google Drive
• Allow Access : Sets audio file permissions

Video Rendering

• Merge : Combines script, video, and audio data
• List Elements : Formats data for Creatomate
• Render with Creatomate : Renders the final video
• Check Video Status : Routes based on render success/failure

Storage and Notification

• Google Drive : Uploads the rendered video
• New Render Video Alert : Sends success email
• Failed Render : Sends failure email
• Render Video Link : Updates Google Sheet with final video URL

Approval Process

• Approval Email : Sends approval request email
• Handle Approval/Rejection1 : Processes approval/rejection via webhook
• Video Update1 : Updates Google Sheet with approval status

Social Media Posting

• Get Latest Approved Video : Polls for approved videos
• Check Approval : Routes based on approval status
• Instagram Container : Creates Instagram media container
• Posts to Instagram : Publishes to Instagram
• Facebook Posts : Posts to Facebook
• Download Video : Download videos for YouTube
• Post YouTube : Uploads to YouTube
• Mark Rejected : Updates status for rejected videos
• Update Google Sheet : Updates publish status

Customization Tips

• Expand Platforms : Add nodes to post to other platforms
• Modify Approval Email : Update the Send Approval Request node to customize the HTML template
• Alternative Notifications : Add nodes for Slack or Telegram alerts
• Adjust Video Duration : Modify Generate Video node to change duration (default: 5 seconds)