Convert YouTube Videos into SEO Blog Posts with n8n Automation

1. Opening Problem Statement

Meet Sarah, a digital marketer who frequently relies on YouTube videos to generate content for her SEO blog. Every week, she spends hours extracting key points from videos, manually transcribing or hunting down transcripts, then painstakingly converting these insights into engaging blog posts optimized for Google search. This process eats up her time and energy, introducing delays that affect her content calendar and costs her potential traffic and revenue.

Sarah’s situation is not unique. Many content creators and marketers struggle to efficiently repurpose valuable video content into written SEO assets due to the tedious manual steps involved. Time lost in transcription and rewriting reduces productivity and increases the risk of errors or missed SEO opportunities.

2. What This Automation Does

This n8n workflow is a game-changer for anyone like Sarah looking to convert YouTube videos into polished SEO blog posts automatically. When you run this workflow, it:

• Retrieves the YouTube video transcript using Dumpling AI’s API, eliminating the need for manual transcription.
• Analyzes the transcript with OpenAI’s GPT-4o model to generate a detailed, SEO-optimized blog post with a catchy title, relevant keywords, and structured content.
• Generates a custom AI image related to the blog content via Dumpling AI’s FLUX.1-dev model to enrich the post visually.
• Converts the blog content from markdown to HTML for seamless email formatting and publishing.
• Downloads the AI-generated image to attach it properly in the outgoing email.
• Sends the complete blog post and image via Gmail to a specified email address for easy review, editing, and publication.

By automating these steps, you can save several hours per blog post, reduce errors, and maintain a consistent flow of SEO-friendly content derived from your favorite YouTube videos.

3. Prerequisites ⚙️

• n8n account (cloud or self-hosted) with permissions to add credentials and run workflows 🔑
• Dumpling AI API credentials for YouTube transcript retrieval and AI image generation
• OpenAI API key configured with GPT-4o or preferred GPT model for blog content creation
• Gmail account with OAuth2 setup for sending emails 📧
• YouTube video with captions/subtitles enabled (essential for transcript extraction)
• Basic familiarity with n8n node setup and connections

4. Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Trigger the Workflow Manually

From the n8n dashboard, click ‘New Workflow’ and then add a Manual Trigger node named When clicking ‘Test workflow’. This lets you kick off the entire process manually for testing or routine blog creation.

Expected outcome: The workflow waits for your manual input to start.

Common mistake: Forgetting to save the workflow before test run. Always save before executing.

Step 2: Set Your Variables

Add a Set node named Set Variables. Here, define two key variables:

• YouTube Video Url (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpie2Cd4iB4)
• Recipient Email Address (e.g., [email protected])

You can input these directly for testing or later modify to accept dynamic inputs.

Visual: The node shows these variables in fields ready for editing.

Common mistake: Using an invalid YouTube URL or forgetting to set recipient email.

Step 3: Retrieve YouTube Video Transcript

Use an HTTP Request node named Get YouTube Transcript to request the transcript from Dumpling AI’s API.

Configuration details:

• Method: POST
• URL: https://app.dumplingai.com/api/v1/get-youtube-transcript
• Body (JSON): { “videoUrl”: “={{ $json[‘YouTube Video Url’] }}”, “includeTimestamps”: false }
• Authentication: HTTP Header Auth with your Dumpling AI API token

Expected outcome: API returns a raw transcript text without timestamps.

Common mistake: Using videos without captions will lead to empty or error responses.

Step 4: Generate the SEO Blog Post using AI

Add a Langchain OpenAI node named Generate Blog Post. This node uses GPT-4o to process the transcript and produce an SEO-friendly blog post including title, description, and full content.

Key prompt details: The prompt asks the AI to:

• Analyze the transcript to identify main topics and key points
• Research SEO keywords and integrate them naturally
• Structure the blog with headings, subheadings, and paragraphs
• Return a JSON with title, blogImagePrompt, description, and content fields

Expected outcome: A detailed blog post draft suitable for publishing.

Common mistake: Insufficient prompt detail causes poor content or missing sections.

Step 5: Generate an AI Blog Image

Use an HTTP Request node called Generate AI Image to send the blogImagePrompt to Dumpling AI’s FLUX.1-dev model and generate a unique blog cover image.

Configuration:

• Method: POST
• URL: https://app.dumplingai.com/api/v1/generate-ai-image
• Body: JSON { “model”: “FLUX.1-dev”, “input”: { “prompt”: “{{ $json.message.content.blogImagePrompt }}” } }
• Authentication: HTTP Header Auth

Expected outcome: An image URL is returned for the generated AI image.

Common mistake: Using an expired or invalid API key results in failed requests.

Step 6: Convert Markdown Blog Content to HTML

Add a Markdown node named Markdown to convert the markdown-formatted blog content into HTML. This is vital for email formatting compatibility.

Expected outcome: The output will be HTML code suitable for Gmail.

Common mistake: Feeding non-markdown text here causes errors or unintended output.

Step 7: Download the AI-Generated Image

Use another HTTP Request node named Download Image to download the blog image via the URL returned by the image generation step.

Expected outcome: Image binary data is fetched, ready to be attached to emails.

Common mistake: Attempting to download an expired URL or not configuring the request to binary mode.

Step 8: Send the Blog Post via Gmail

Finally, insert a Gmail node called Gmail. Configure this node to send an email to the Recipient Email Address with:

• Subject: Blog post title from AI output
• Body: The HTML content of the blog post along with the description
• Attachment: The downloaded blog image

Expected outcome: The recipient receives a polished SEO blog post with a visually appealing cover image, ready for publication or review.

Common mistake: Misconfigured Gmail OAuth2 credentials or invalid recipient address will cause email failures.

5. Customizations ✏️

• Changing AI Model: In the Generate Blog Post node, switch the modelId from gpt-4o to another from OpenAI like gpt-3.5-turbo to balance cost vs. output quality.
• Adding Language Support: Edit the Get YouTube Transcript node’s body parameters to include a language code if you want transcripts in a specific language (provided Dumpling AI supports it).
• Scheduling Automatic Runs: Replace the manual trigger node with a time trigger node to automatically process new videos daily or weekly.
• Include Video Metadata: Enhance the workflow by fetching video metadata such as title, description from YouTube API and including it in the blog post.
• Alternate Email Provider: Swap the Gmail node with another email provider node available in n8n, like SMTP or SendGrid, to suit your email infrastructure.

6. Troubleshooting 🔧

Problem: “No transcript returned or empty API response from Dumpling AI”
Cause: The YouTube video lacks captions or the URL is incorrect.
Solution: Double-check the video URL, ensure captions are enabled on YouTube, or choose a different video.

Problem: “GPT-4o node returns incomplete or irrelevant blog content”
Cause: Prompt instructions are insufficient or transcript data is corrupted.
Solution: Refine the system prompt or verify the transcript node output. Also, try running the workflow with a simpler video.

Problem: “Email sending fails with Gmail node”
Cause: OAuth2 credentials expired or recipient email invalid.
Solution: Reauthorize Gmail credentials in n8n and verify recipient email accuracy.

7. Pre-Production Checklist ✅

• Confirm valid YouTube video URL with captions.
• Verify Dumpling AI API and OpenAI API credentials are working.
• Test manual trigger starts the workflow correctly.
• Check Gmail OAuth2 credentials and test sending a simple email.
• Validate each node outputs expected data (transcript, AI blog content, image URL).
• Backup your workflow JSON before major edits.

8. Deployment Guide

Once your workflow is configured and tested, activate it in n8n. You can start with manual runs for each YouTube video you want to convert, or set a scheduled trigger to automate regular content conversion.

Keep an eye on execution logs within n8n to catch any failures early. Store output blog posts and images securely for future reference or publishing.

9. FAQs

Q: Can I use this workflow with videos that don’t have subtitles?
A: Unfortunately no. The transcript retrieval relies on captions being available in the video.

Q: Does generating blog posts with GPT-4o consume a lot of API credits?
A: Yes, GPT-4o is more powerful but more costly. Consider using GPT-3.5-turbo for less frequent or less detailed blogging.

Q: Is the email content secure?
A: Emails are sent via OAuth2 Gmail with encrypted transfer, but always use secure recipient addresses.

Q: Can I add videos from other platforms?
A: This workflow is tailored to YouTube transcripts from Dumpling AI but can be extended with different APIs.

10. Conclusion

By following this guide, you’ve automated turning YouTube video content into rich, SEO-optimized blog posts featuring AI-crafted images. This workflow saves hours per post, improves content quality, and streamlines your editorial process.

Next, consider expanding this workflow to include social media snippets, automate blog publishing, or integrate SEO analytics for performance tracking.

Keep experimenting and enjoy the power of AI-driven content automation! ⚙️