How to Automate LinkedIn Posts with Make.com, ChatGPT & Google Sheets
Most professionals know they should post consistently on LinkedIn - but between content creation, image sourcing, and actually posting, it eats up hours each week. This Make.com automation solves all three problems: it generates posts from simple ideas, creates matching AI images, and publishes them automatically - all controlled from a Google Sheet.
The Problem With Manual Posting
Creating consistent LinkedIn content is a universal struggle for professionals. Between brainstorming ideas, writing posts, finding or creating images, adding hashtags, and actually posting - what should take 30 minutes often stretches into hours. Even worse, this time investment rarely translates to daily posting because the process is so cumbersome.
The automation we built solves all these friction points. At 2:15 in the video, you'll see how a single idea in a Google Sheet transforms into a complete LinkedIn post with image - without any manual intervention beyond initial approval.
Key stat: Professionals who post daily get 2x more profile views and 30% more connection requests - but less than 3% actually maintain this frequency due to the time commitment.
How the Automation Works
This system combines three powerful tools: Make.com for workflow automation, ChatGPT for content generation, and Google Sheets as the control panel. The magic happens in the routing logic that connects these platforms.
As shown at 1:30 in the video, the automation has two main paths: one for generating content (using AI) and another for publishing to LinkedIn. The entire process is controlled through dropdown selections in a Google Sheet, making it accessible even for non-technical users.
Google Sheets Control Hub
Your Google Sheet becomes mission control with just four key columns (shown at 2:45 in the demo):
- Column A - Idea: Where you input raw content ideas (e.g., "AI works best with humans")
- Column B - LinkedIn Post Content: Auto-populated by ChatGPT with the complete post
- Column C - Image Link Path: Contains URL to the AI-generated image
- Column D - Control: Dropdown with workflow states (Pending → Generate Content → Ready for Review → Approved)
The entire automation triggers based on changes to the Control column. When you select "Generate Content," ChatGPT creates the post and image. When you change to "Approved," it publishes to LinkedIn.
Make.com Workflow Breakdown
The Make.com automation (visible at 3:20) has two parallel routes triggered by the Google Sheet status:
Route 1 - Generate Content: When Control column = "Generate Content", it triggers ChatGPT to create both the post text and matching image, then updates the sheet to "Ready for Review"
Route 2 - Publish Post: When Control column = "Approved", it takes the generated content and image, formats them for LinkedIn, and publishes automatically
This two-path structure ensures you always have human oversight before anything goes live, while still automating 90% of the work.
AI Content Generation
The content generation module (detailed at 4:50) uses ChatGPT with carefully crafted persona prompts that:
- Define your professional voice and expertise area
- Specify post length and structure preferences
- Include instructions for relevant hashtag generation
- Guide the AI to avoid common pitfalls like over-promotion
At 5:15, you'll see how these prompts transform a simple idea into a complete, on-brand LinkedIn post complete with hashtags - all while maintaining your authentic voice.
Image Creation Process
The system generates custom images using DALL-E 3 through ChatGPT (shown at 6:30). Key features:
- Images are created based on your post content for perfect relevance
- Style guidelines ensure visual consistency across posts
- Automatic text avoidance prevents awkward AI-generated words in images
- Images are hosted and linked automatically - no manual uploads
At 7:10, you can see the exact image prompt structure that produces professional-looking visuals without any graphic design skills.
LinkedIn Publishing
The publishing module (demonstrated at 8:45) handles all the technical details:
- Downloads the AI-generated image from its hosted URL
- Formats the post content with proper line breaks and spacing
- Connects to LinkedIn via Make.com's native integration
- Sets visibility preferences (typically "Public")
- Posts and confirms success by updating the Google Sheet status
The entire publishing process happens in under 30 seconds once approved, and you can verify the live post at 9:30 in the video.
Cost Analysis
At 10:15, the video breaks down the surprisingly low costs:
- Text generation: ~700 tokens per post ($0.0014 at GPT-4 rates)
- Image generation: ~$0.02 per DALL-E 3 image
- Make.com operations: Free tier covers several posts daily
Total cost: Less than $5/month for daily posting - compared to hours of saved time each week.
Watch the Full Tutorial
See the entire automation in action from start to finish, including real-time LinkedIn posting at 9:30. The 12-minute video walks through each component with detailed explanations.
Key Takeaways
This automation solves the three biggest LinkedIn posting challenges: content creation, visual assets, and consistent publishing. By combining Make.com, ChatGPT, and Google Sheets, you get:
In summary: Daily LinkedIn posts generated from simple ideas, automatically formatted with images and hashtags, published with one-click approval - all for less than $5/month in AI costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about LinkedIn post automation
The cost is surprisingly low. Each AI-generated post uses about 700 tokens (414 prompt + 278 completion tokens) which costs less than $0.001 per post.
Image generation adds slightly more cost through DALL-E 3, but the entire system can run for under $5/month even with daily posting. Compare this to the hours of time saved each week.
- Text generation: ~$0.0014 per post
- Image generation: ~$0.02 per image
- Make.com operations: Free tier covers several posts daily
Yes, human review is built into the workflow. After AI generates the content and image, the Google Sheet status changes to "ready for review".
You can review both the text and image directly in the sheet. Only when you change the dropdown to "approved and create post" does the system publish to LinkedIn. This gives you complete control.
- Review post content in Column B
- Preview image by clicking the URL in Column C
- Only publishes when you manually change to "approved"
The system includes detailed persona prompts that guide ChatGPT's output to match your professional brand. These instructions help avoid inappropriate or off-brand content.
Additionally, the mandatory review step ensures you can catch and modify any content before it goes live. If something doesn't meet your standards, you can simply edit the text directly in the Google Sheet before approving.
- Persona prompts define acceptable content boundaries
- Human review catches any edge cases
- Direct editing in Google Sheet allows quick fixes
Make.com can run this workflow on any schedule you set - daily, weekly, or whenever you add new ideas to your Google Sheet.
LinkedIn's own posting limits still apply (about 1 post every 3 hours recommended to avoid being flagged as spam). The automation respects these limits while ensuring you maintain optimal posting frequency.
- Schedule through Make.com's timer module
- Or trigger manually by adding ideas to your sheet
- Respects LinkedIn's recommended posting limits
Absolutely. The same core workflow can be adapted for Twitter (X), Facebook, or Instagram by modifying just the final posting module.
The AI content generation and review process remains identical. We've implemented versions of this system for all major platforms - the only difference is the final publishing step.
- Same Google Sheet control panel
- Same AI content generation
- Different publishing module for each platform
No coding required. The entire system is built using Make.com's visual workflow builder where you connect modules by dragging and dropping.
You just need to connect your Google Sheets and ChatGPT API accounts following the step-by-step setup. The most technical part is copying your API keys - no programming knowledge needed.
- Visual interface - no code writing
- Step-by-step connection guides
- Most complex task is copying API keys
The workflow uses DALL-E 3 through ChatGPT to create custom images based on your post content. The AI analyzes your text and generates a relevant visual.
You can specify image style guidelines in your persona prompt to maintain consistent branding - for example, "professional illustrations with muted colors" or "minimalist office photography."
- DALL-E 3 creates images from your post content
- Automatic text avoidance prevents awkward AI words
- Style guidelines ensure visual consistency
GrowwStacks specializes in building custom social media automation systems like this one. We can implement this exact LinkedIn automation for you within 3 business days.
Our implementation includes setting up your Google Sheet control panel, configuring the Make.com workflow with your brand's persona prompts, and training your team on how to use and modify the system. We also provide ongoing support for any adjustments.
- Complete setup in 3 business days
- Customized to your brand voice and guidelines
- Training and ongoing support included
Get Your LinkedIn Posting on Autopilot
Stop wasting hours each week on manual LinkedIn posting. Let us build this exact automation for your business so you can focus on higher-value work while maintaining a strong professional presence.