Newsletter Automation

A complete newsletter management system built on n8n and Google Sheets. Handles subscriber signups with double opt-in, automated welcome drip emails, broadcast sending, and daily analytics reports.

Problem

Running a newsletter manually means juggling signup forms, confirmation emails, welcome sequences, and broadcast sends across multiple tools. Most newsletter platforms charge per subscriber, and you lose control of your data.

This system gives you a free, self-hosted newsletter pipeline using n8n and Google Sheets.

What It Does

1. Double Opt-In Signup — Webhook receives signups, validates email, sends confirmation link, stores in Sheets
2. Welcome Drip Sequence — Automatically sends Day 0 (welcome), Day 3 (tips), Day 7 (resources) emails
3. Broadcast Sender — API-triggered broadcast to all confirmed subscribers with unsubscribe links
4. Daily Analytics — Subscriber counts, growth metrics, confirmation rates, top sources

Included Workflows

Architecture

Signup Form (website)
    |
    v
Workflow 01: Subscriber Signup
    |
    +-> Validate email
    +-> Save to Google Sheets (status: pending)
    +-> Send confirmation email (double opt-in)
    +-> Return success response

User clicks confirmation link
    |
    v
Update Sheets (status: confirmed)

Scheduled (every 6 hours):
    |
    v
Workflow 02: Welcome Drip Sequence
    +-> Read confirmed subscribers
    +-> Check drip schedule (Day 0/3/7)
    +-> Send appropriate email
    +-> Update last_drip_day in Sheets

API Trigger:
    |
    v
Workflow 03: Broadcast Sender
    +-> Validate request + auth
    +-> Fetch confirmed subscribers
    +-> Send broadcast email to each
    +-> Include unsubscribe link

Daily Schedule:
    |
    v
Workflow 04: Subscriber Analytics
    +-> Read all subscribers
    +-> Calculate metrics (total, growth, rates)
    +-> Email report to admin

Required n8n Credentials

Environment Variables

# Required
NEWSLETTER_ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@yourbusiness.com
NEWSLETTER_BASE_URL=https://yourdomain.com
NEWSLETTER_SECRET=your-broadcast-api-secret

Configuration Placeholders

Google Sheets Schema (Subscribers)

Quick Start

1. Prerequisites

• n8n v2.4+ (self-hosted)
• Google Sheets OAuth2 credentials
• SMTP email credentials

2. Create Subscriber Sheet

Create a Google Sheet with the columns above. Name the sheet tab "Subscribers".

3. Import Workflows

Import all 4 JSON files into n8n. Replace all YOUR_* placeholders.

4. Test Signup

curl -X POST https://your-n8n.com/webhook/newsletter/signup \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email": "test@example.com", "name": "Test User", "source": "api-test"}'

5. Test Broadcast

curl -X POST https://your-n8n.com/webhook/newsletter/broadcast \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "_secret": "your-newsletter-secret",
    "subject": "Test Broadcast",
    "content": "<p>This is a test broadcast.</p>"
  }'

Use Cases

1. Personal newsletters — Self-hosted alternative to Substack or ConvertKit
2. Business newsletters — Weekly updates to customers with zero per-subscriber cost
3. Product updates — Notify users about new features and releases
4. Community newsletters — Manage subscriber lists for communities or organizations
5. Content creators — Build an audience with automated drip sequences

Requirements

• n8n v2.4+ (self-hosted recommended)
• Google Sheets OAuth2 credentials
• SMTP email credentials (Gmail, SES, or custom)