The n8n Income Automation Playbook: 7 Workflows That Run Your Business While You Sleep

1. Sign up for n8n Cloud free tier (or self-host on Railway for $5/mo).
2. Add credentials for OpenAI, Anthropic, Gmail (OAuth), and Stripe (secret key).
3. Create a workspace-level environment variable for your ESP API key so you can reuse it across workflows.
4. Turn on the built-in error workflow to email you when any workflow fails.

1. Trigger: Webhook (POST from your form provider).
2. Function node: normalize email, name, source.
3. Gmail / Resend: send email with PDF link.
4. HTTP request: tag subscriber in ESP as prospect.
5. Google Sheets: append row (email, source, timestamp).

1. Trigger: Stripe trigger on checkout.session.completed.
2. Function node: extract email, product_id, amount.
3. Switch node: route by product_id to the right delivery email template.
4. Gmail / Resend: send product access email.
5. HTTP request: tag buyer in ESP as buyer_[product].
6. HTTP request: remove buyer from prospect sequence.
7. Add to buyer follow-up sequence.

1. Trigger: RSS on your newsletter or blog.
2. Claude node: rewrite as one LinkedIn post.
3. OpenAI node: rewrite as a Twitter/X thread.
4. OpenAI node: generate 3 Pinterest descriptions.
5. OpenAI node: write a 60-second Shorts script.
6. OpenAI node: write an Instagram caption.
7. Google Sheets: append all versions in a single row for scheduling.

Rewrite the article below as a single LinkedIn post. Constraints: hook in first 2 lines that stops the scroll, 5-8 short paragraphs, one specific insight per paragraph, no emojis, one soft CTA at the end. Do not summarize — teach the same idea in LinkedIn's native rhythm. Article: {{ $json.contentSnippet }}

1. Trigger: Cron, Monday 7am.
2. Stripe node: get last 7 days of charges.
3. HTTP request: get last 7 days of new subscribers from ESP.
4. Function node: compute totals + week-over-week deltas.
5. Claude node: write a plain-English summary and flag anything unusual.
6. Gmail: email the summary to you.

You are the analyst for a solo AI-income business. Given this week's numbers vs last week's, write a 6-8 sentence summary: what happened, what changed, and one honest observation. Avoid corporate speak. Flag anything that looks unusual and suggest one small experiment to try this week. Data: {{ JSON.stringify($json) }}

1. Trigger: ESP webhook (subscriber added).
2. Wait: 48 hours.
3. HTTP request: check if the subscriber has opened Email 1.
4. IF node: if not opened, send re-engagement email with a different subject line.
5. Tag as re-engaged or cold based on the response.

1. Trigger: Purchase workflow tags buyer.
2. Wait: 5 minutes — send welcome email with what to do first.
3. Wait: 24 hours — send quick-start guide.
4. Wait: 72 hours — send check-in with one question.
5. Wait: 7 days — send upsell to the natural next product.

1. Trigger: Gmail on new email to support@.
2. Claude node: read the email and draft a response using your knowledge base as context.
3. Gmail draft node: create a draft in your inbox for one-click approval.
4. Optional: after 3 hours of no action, send the draft automatically.

You are the support agent for [PRODUCT]. Read the customer email below and write a friendly, direct reply. Use the knowledge base excerpts provided. If the answer requires action from a human (refund, billing change, custom request), draft a short reply that acknowledges the request and says a human will follow up within 24 hours — do not attempt to resolve those yourself. Email: {{ $json.snippet }}. Knowledge base: {{ $json.kb }}

If this guide gave you clarity, the full AI Income Systems Lab curriculum takes you from playbook to shipped business — courses, live builds, prompt library, workflow templates, and a private community of builders.