How I Automated My Newsletter with 6 Sources Using N8n

How I Automated My Newsletter with 6 Sources Using N8n

Introduction: I Automated My Newsletter with 6 Sources Using N8n

Newsletters are a powerful way to engage with an audience, share insights, and build a community. However, manually curating content from multiple sources can be time-consuming. That’s why I decided to automate my newsletter using n8n, a powerful workflow automation tool.

In this blog post, I’ll walk you through how I set up an automated newsletter system that pulls content from six different sources, processes the data, formats it, and sends it out, all without manual intervention.

Why Automate a Newsletter?

Before diving into the technical details, let’s discuss why automation is beneficial:

1. Saves Time – No more copying and pasting links or formatting emails manually.
2. Ensures Consistency – The newsletter goes out on schedule, every time.
3. Reduces Errors – Automation minimizes human mistakes in data collection.
4. Scalability – Easily add new sources or modify the workflow as needed.

n8n (pronounced “n-eight-n”) is an open-source workflow automation tool similar to Zapier or Make (formerly Integromat), but with more flexibility and self-hosting options.

The 6 Sources I Used

To make my newsletter valuable, I wanted to pull content from diverse sources:

1. RSS Feeds (Blogs & News Sites)
2. Twitter/X (Trending Threads)
3. Reddit (Top Posts from Relevant Subreddits)
4. Hacker News (Top Tech Stories)
5. YouTube (Latest Videos from Selected Channels)
6. Dev.to (Popular Developer Articles)

By combining these, I ensured my newsletter had a mix of articles, discussions, and videos.

Step 1: Setting Up n8n

First, I needed to deploy n8n. Since it’s open-source, I had two options:

1. Self-hosted (using Docker, npm, or a cloud server)
2. Cloud version (n8n.cloud for managed hosting)

I chose self-hosting on a cheap VPS (like Linode or DigitalOcean) for full control. Installation was straightforward using Docker:

docker run -d --name n8n -p 5678:5678 -v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n n8nio/n8n

Once running, I accessed the n8n editor at http://my-server-ip:5678.

Step 2: Building the Workflow

The automation consists of multiple steps:

1. Fetching data from each source
2. Filtering and processing content
3. Formatting into a newsletter template
4. Sending via email (or another platform)

Here’s how I set it up:

1. Fetching RSS Feeds

I used the RSS Feed Read node to pull the latest articles from my favorite blogs.

• Input: RSS feed URLs (e.g., TechCrunch, Medium blogs)
• Filter: Only include posts from the last 7 days.
• Output: Title, URL, and summary.

2. Scraping Twitter/X

Since Twitter’s API is restrictive, I used the n8n HTTP Request node with a third-party API (like TwitFix or ScraperAPI) to fetch trending threads.

• Input: Hashtags or keywords relevant to my audience.
• Filter: Only threads with 100+ likes.
• Output: Thread text, author, and link.

3. Pulling Reddit Posts

Reddit has a public API, so I used the Reddit node (or HTTP Request) to fetch top posts.

• Input: Subreddits like r/programming, r/technology.
• Filter: Posts with 500+ upvotes.
• Output: Title, URL, and upvote count.

4. Getting Hacker News Stories

Hacker News provides an API. I used the HTTP Request node to fetch top stories.

• Endpoint: https://hacker-news.firebaseio.com/v0/topstories.json
• Filter: Only stories with 100+ points.
• Output: Title, URL, and score.

5. Extracting YouTube Videos

Using the YouTube node, I fetched the latest videos from selected channels.

• Input: Channel IDs or search queries.
• Filter: Videos published in the last week.
• Output: Title, URL, and thumbnail.

6. Fetching Dev.to Articles

Dev.to has an API, so I used the HTTP Request node to get trending posts.

• Endpoint: https://dev.to/api/articles?top=7
• Filter: Articles with high engagement.
• Output: Title, URL, and tags.

Step 3: Processing and Formatting Data

Now that I had all the data, I needed to:

1. Remove duplicates (same link across sources).
2. Sort by relevance (upvotes, likes, recency).
3. Format into HTML for the newsletter.

I used:

• Function nodes (for custom JavaScript filtering).
• Merge nodes (to combine similar data).
• HTML node (to structure the email).

Example of a simple HTML template:

<h1>Weekly Tech Digest</h1>
<p>Here are the best links from the past week:</p>

<h2>📰 Top Articles</h2>
<ul>
  {{#each articles}}
    <li><a href="{{url}}">{{title}}</a></li>
  {{/each}}
</ul>

<h2>🐦 Trending Twitter Threads</h2>
<ul>
  {{#each tweets}}
    <li><a href="{{url}}">{{text}} (by @{{author}})</a></li>
  {{/each}}
</ul>
<!-- More sections for Reddit, YouTube, etc. -->

Step 4: Sending the Newsletter

Finally, I needed to send the formatted content. I used SendGrid (but other options like Mailchimp, Gmail, or SMTP work too).

1. Configured SendGrid API in n8n.
2. Set up email list (either static or dynamic from a database).
3. Scheduled the workflow (weekly at 9 AM every Monday).

Step 5: Error Handling & Monitoring

Automation can fail, so I added:

• Error triggers (Slack notifications if a step fails).
• Logging (saving processed data for debugging).
• Manual review option (a final step where I could approve before sending).

Final Workflow Structure

Here’s a simplified version of my n8n workflow:

1. Trigger: Time-based (weekly).

2. Data Collection:

• RSS → Twitter → Reddit → Hacker News → YouTube → Dev.to

3. Data Processing:

• Merge → Filter → Sort → Format HTML

4. Delivery:

• SendGrid (or alternative).

5. Fallback:

• Slack alert if something fails.

Conclusion

Automating my newsletter with N8n using six different sources has saved me hours of manual work and ensured consistent content delivery. By integrating tools like RSS feeds, Google Sheets, and email services, I created a seamless workflow that gathers, curates, and distributes valuable updates efficiently. This automation not only boosts productivity but also keeps my audience engaged with timely content. Whether you’re a creator or a business, N8n offers a powerful, no-code solution to simplify your newsletter process.