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YouTube to Blog Automation: Complete n8n Workflow Setup (2025 Guide)

Discover how to automate your content creation with this beginner-friendly n8n workflow that converts YouTube videos into SEO-optimized blog posts. Learn how to set up, customize, and scale the workflow using OpenAI, Dumpling AI, and Gmail integrations—no coding required. Step-by-step instructions, troubleshooting tips, and cost breakdown included.

Author

Solan Sync
August 05, 2025

[How to Convert YouTube Videos to SEO Blog Posts] Complete n8n Workflow Setup Guide

Overview: Ready-to-Use Workflow Template

This comprehensive guide shows you exactly how to implement a complete YouTube-to-blog automation system using the provided n8n workflow JSON template. The template includes 8 pre-configured nodes that automatically:

  • Extract YouTube video transcripts

  • Generate SEO-optimized blog posts with GPT-4o

  • Create AI-generated images

  • Convert content to HTML and email delivery

Time to setup: 30 minutes
Technical skill required: Beginner (no coding needed)
Cost per article: ~$0.21–0.36

0776-youtube-seo-blog-generator.json

drive.google.com/file/d/1_VNKcEz8sbbyHJ1_ftsqY--0OBGCaOYM/view

Step 1: Prerequisites Setup

Required Accounts and API Keys

Before importing the workflow, you’ll need:

  1. n8n Account — Sign up at n8n.cloud

  2. OpenAI API Key — Get from OpenAI Platform

  3. Dumpling AI API Key — Register at Dumpling AI

  4. Google Account — Access Google Cloud Console

How to Get Each API Key

OpenAI API Key Setup

  1. Go to OpenAI Platform

  2. Click “API keys” in the left menu

  3. Click “Create new secret key”

  4. Copy the key (starts with sk-proj-)

  5. Add billing information at OpenAI Billing

Dumpling AI API Key Setup

  1. Visit Dumpling AI

  2. Create an account and verify email

  3. Navigate to “API” section in dashboard

  4. Click “Generate New Key”

  5. Save the Bearer token for later use

Google Cloud OAuth Setup

  1. Go to Google Cloud Console

  2. Create a new project or select existing one

  3. Enable Gmail API

  4. Go to “Credentials” → “Create Credentials” → “OAuth 2.0 Client IDs”

  5. Configure OAuth consent screen

  6. Download the credentials JSON file

n8n Account Setup

  1. Visit n8n.cloud

  2. Click “Start for free”

  3. Complete email verification

  4. Choose cloud plan (free tier available)

Alternative: Self-hosted option

# Using Docker
docker run -it --rm --name n8n -p 5678:5678 n8nio/n8n
# Using npm
npm install n8n -g
n8n start

Step 2: Import the Workflow Template

How to Import the JSON File

  1. Login to your n8n dashboard at n8n.cloud or your self-hosted instance

  2. Click “Import from File” (or “+ New” → “Import from File”)

  3. Upload the provided JSON file named “Convert YouTube Videos into SEO Blog Posts”

  4. Confirm import — you’ll see 8 nodes automatically appear:

  • Manual Trigger

  • Set Variables

  • Get YouTube Transcript

  • Generate Blog Post

  • Generate AI Image

  • Markdown

  • Download Image

  • Gmail

  1. Verify the workflow structure matches this flow: 

Manual Trigger → Set Variables → Get YouTube Transcript 
→ Generate Blog Post → Generate AI Image → Markdown 
→ Download Image → Gmail

Understanding the Pre-configured Template

The JSON template includes these exact specifications: 

{
  "id": "A0xnegTHL43LL3eP",
  "name": "Convert YouTube Videos into SEO Blog Posts",
  "nodes": [8 pre-configured nodes],
  "connections": {automatic node connections},
  "credentials": {
    "openAiApi": "fdhWALG84tBLgSZT",
    "httpBearerAuth": "0pq31j7wKqOIHFaR", 
    "gmailOAuth2": "g5pJ3U0ehy2NiEiI"
  }
}

Step 3: Configure Authentication Credentials

How to Set Up OpenAI Authentication

  1. Click on the “Generate Blog Post” node

  2. Scroll to “Credentials” section

  3. Click the gear icon next to “OpenAi account”

  4. Enter your API key (the sk-proj- key from Step 1)

  5. Test connection to verify it works

  6. Save credentials

How to Set Up Dumpling AI Authentication

The template requires two Dumpling AI authentications:

Bearer Auth Setup:

  1. Click on “Get YouTube Transcript” node

  2. Find “HTTP Bearer Auth” in credentials

  3. Enter your Dumpling AI token

  4. Save

Header Auth Setup:

  1. Stay on same node

  2. Find “HTTP Header Auth” credential

  3. Set Header Name: Authorization

  4. Set Header Value: Bearer YOUR_DUMPLING_TOKEN

  5. Save

How to Set Up Gmail OAuth2

  1. Click on the “Gmail” node

  2. Click credentials gear icon

  3. Select “OAuth2”

  4. Upload your Google credentials JSON from Step 1

  5. Complete OAuth flow by authorizing in browser

  6. Verify connection shows green checkmark

Step 4: Customize Variables and Settings

How to Edit Default Variables

  1. Click on “Set Variables” node

  2. Replace default values: 

// Change these default values:
{
  "YouTube Video Url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpie2Cd4iB4",
  "Recipient Email Address": "[email protected]"
}
// To your actual values:
{
  "YouTube Video Url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOUR_VIDEO_ID",
  "Recipient Email Address": "[email protected]"
}

Click “Execute Node” to test the variables are set correctly

How to Customize the Blog Generation Prompt

The template includes a comprehensive system prompt. To customize it:

  1. Click on “Generate Blog Post” node

  2. Find the “Messages” section

  3. Edit the system message to match your needs: 

Current prompt: "Write a detailed SEO-optimized blog post..."
Customize for your niche:
"Write a detailed SEO-optimized blog post about [YOUR TOPIC]
Focus on [YOUR AUDIENCE]
Include keywords related to [YOUR KEYWORDS]
Use a [TONE - professional/casual/technical] tone
Target length: [WORD COUNT] words"

How to Modify AI Image Generation

  1. Click on “Generate AI Image” node

  2. Modify the model if needed: 

Current setting:
"model": "FLUX.1-dev"
Alternatives:
"model": "DALL-E-3"
"model": "stable-diffusion-xl"

Adjust image prompt template in the JSON body if needed

Step 5: Test Your Workflow

How to Run Your First Test

  1. Ensure all credentials show green checkmarks

  2. Verify your YouTube URL has captions/subtitles

  3. Click “Execute Workflow” button (play icon)

  4. Watch each node execute in sequence:

  • Manual Trigger ✓

  • Set Variables ✓

  • Get YouTube Transcript ✓

  • Generate Blog Post ✓

  • Generate AI Image ✓

  • Markdown ✓

  • Download Image ✓

  • Gmail ✓

How to Monitor Execution Progress

  1. Green checkmarks = successful execution

  2. Red X marks = errors (see troubleshooting below)

  3. Click on any node to see input/output data

  4. Check your email for the final blog post

Expected Output Format

When successful, you’ll receive an email with: 

Subject: [Generated SEO Title]
Body: Complete HTML blog post with:
- SEO-optimized headline
- Structured content with H2/H3 headings
- Professional formatting
- Meta description
Attachment: AI-generated image for the blog post

Step 6: Troubleshooting Common Issues

How to Fix Authentication Errors

Error: “Credentials not found” Solution:

  1. Go to Settings → Credentials

  2. Verify all 4 credentials are properly configured

  3. Test each connection individually

  4. Re-enter API keys if test fails

How to Fix YouTube Transcript Errors

Error: “Transcript not available” Solution:

  1. Verify video has captions: Look for CC button on YouTube

  2. Check video is public: Private videos won’t work

  3. Try different video: Some creators disable captions

  4. Test with auto-generated captions: Often works better

Error: “Invalid video URL” Solution:

  1. Use full YouTube URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

  2. Avoid shortened URLs: Don’t use youtu.be/VIDEO_ID

  3. Remove extra parameters: Clean URL works best

How to Fix OpenAI API Errors

Error: “Rate limit exceeded” Solution:

  1. Check usage: Visit OpenAI Usage

  2. Upgrade plan: Add more credits or higher tier

  3. Wait: Rate limits reset over time

Error: “Invalid API key” Solution:

  1. Generate new key: At OpenAI API Keys

  2. Add billing: Ensure payment method is active

  3. Check key format: Should start with sk-proj-

How to Fix Gmail Sending Errors

Error: “Invalid grant” Solution:

  1. Re-authorize OAuth: Click credentials and re-authenticate

  2. Check scopes: Ensure Gmail send permissions are granted

  3. Verify project: Confirm correct Google Cloud project

Error: “Quota exceeded” Solution:

  1. Check Gmail API quota: In Google Cloud Console

  2. Request quota increase: If sending many emails

  3. Use different account: As temporary workaround

Step 7: Advanced Customization

How to Process Multiple Videos (Batch Mode)

  1. Modify “Set Variables” node: 

{
  "YouTube Video URLs": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_1",
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_2", 
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_3"
  ]
}

  1. Add “Split In Batches” node after Set Variables

  2. Configure batch size: Process 1–3 videos at a time

  3. Connect to rest of workflow

How to Add Content Quality Control

  1. Add new OpenAI node after “Generate Blog Post”

  2. Name it: “Content Quality Check”

  3. Set prompt: 

"Analyze this blog post and rate it 1-10 on:
- SEO optimization
- Readability  
- Content quality
- Grammar accuracy
Provide specific improvement suggestions."

How to Add WordPress Auto-Publishing

  1. Add HTTP Request node at the end

  2. Configure WordPress REST API:

json 

{
  "url": "https://yoursite.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts",
  "method": "POST",
  "authentication": "basicAuth",
  "body": {
    "title": "{{ $('Generate Blog Post').item.json.message.content.title }}",
    "content": "{{ $('Markdown').item.json.htmlContent }}",
    "status": "draft"
  }
}

How to Schedule Automatic Execution

  1. Replace “Manual Trigger” with “Cron Trigger”

  2. Set schedule: Daily, weekly, or custom timing

  3. Create video queue: CSV file with YouTube URLs

  4. Configure batch processing: Process queue automatically

Step 8: Cost Management and Optimization

How to Monitor Costs

Expected costs per article:

  • YouTube transcript extraction: ~$0.01

  • GPT-4o blog generation: ~$0.15–0.30

  • FLUX image generation: ~$0.05

  • Gmail sending: Free (within quotas)

  • Total per article: ~$0.21–0.36

How to Optimize for Cost

  1. Use shorter prompts: Reduce GPT-4o token usage

  2. Batch process: Generate multiple articles together

  3. Cache transcripts: Save for reuse if processing same video

  4. Monitor usage: Check API dashboards regularly

How to Set Up Usage Alerts

OpenAI Alerts:

  1. Go to OpenAI Usage

  2. Set spending limits

  3. Configure email notifications

Google Cloud Alerts:

  1. Visit Google Cloud Billing

  2. Create budget alerts

  3. Set thresholds for Gmail API usage

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