Build Your Automated Podcast Pipeline with n8n and ElevenLabs in 20 Minutes
Podcasting is booming — but production takes time. Recording, editing, publishing: it all adds up. What if you could automate the entire process from a simple text input to a published audio episode? With n8n and elevenlabs, that's exactly what you can do — in about 20 minutes.
In this guide, we'll walk you through setting up a fully automated podcast pipeline that converts written content into natural-sounding audio using AI voices, then organises and stores your output ready for publishing.
What You'll Need
- n8n — the open-source workflow automation tool (self-hosted or cloud)
- elevenlabs — AI voice generation platform with ultra-realistic voices
- A cloud storage service (Google Drive, Dropbox, or S3)
- Optional: A CMS or RSS feed tool like Podbean or Anchor for publishing
Why This Combination Works So Well
n8n is the automation backbone. It connects your tools, handles logic, and orchestrates every step of the pipeline without you writing complex code. elevenlabs brings the voice — producing remarkably human-sounding narration from plain text. Together, they form a pipeline that can run on a schedule, triggered by a form submission, an RSS item, or even a new row in a Google Sheet.
Step-by-Step: Building the Pipeline
Step 1 — Set Up Your Trigger in n8n
Open your n8n workspace and create a new workflow. Choose a trigger node that fits your use case:
- Schedule Trigger — runs the pipeline daily or weekly automatically
- Webhook Trigger — fires when you submit a form or call an API endpoint
- Google Sheets Trigger — activates when a new row is added to your content spreadsheet
For most podcasters starting out, the Google Sheets Trigger is the most intuitive: just add your episode title and script text to a sheet, and n8n picks it up automatically.
Step 2 — Prepare Your Text Content
Add a Set Node in n8n to map your fields cleanly. You'll want to extract at minimum:
- Episode title
- Full script text
- Voice ID (the ElevenLabs voice you want to use)
You can also add an optional text cleanup step using a Function Node in n8n to strip unwanted characters or format the text for natural speech pacing.
Step 3 — Connect to ElevenLabs API
This is where the magic happens. Add an HTTP Request Node in n8n and configure it to call the elevenlabs Text-to-Speech API:
- Method: POST
- URL:
https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/text-to-speech/{voice_id} - Headers: Add your elevenlabs API key as
xi-api-key - Body: Pass the script text as JSON with your voice settings (stability, similarity boost)
The elevenlabs API returns a binary audio file (MP3). Make sure your n8n HTTP node is set to handle binary response data.
Step 4 — Save the Audio File
Once n8n receives the audio from elevenlabs, route it to a storage node. The most common options:
- Google Drive Node — upload directly to a podcast folder
- AWS S3 Node — ideal for hosting at scale
- Write Binary File Node — save locally on a self-hosted n8n instance
Name the file dynamically using the episode title and timestamp so your library stays organised.
Step 5 — Notify and Publish
Extend your n8n workflow with a notification step. Send yourself a Slack or email message with the audio file link once it's ready. If you use a platform like Podbean or Transistor, check if they offer an API — you can automate the publishing step directly inside n8n as well.
Pro Tips for a Better Pipeline
- Voice cloning: elevenlabs allows you to clone your own voice. Use it to keep your podcast sounding personal even when fully automated.
- Chunking long scripts: elevenlabs has character limits per request. Use a SplitInBatches Node in n8n to break long scripts into segments, then merge the audio files.
- Error handling: Add an Error Trigger node in n8n so you're alerted immediately if the elevenlabs API call fails.
- Multilingual episodes: elevenlabs supports dozens of languages — use a language field in your Google Sheet and let n8n route the content to the right voice automatically.
What This Pipeline Replaces
Before this setup, producing one podcast episode might take hours: writing, recording, editing in Audacity or Adobe Audition, exporting, uploading, writing show notes. The n8n + elevenlabs pipeline compresses that to under five minutes of active work — and potentially zero if you trigger it automatically from a content calendar.
Final Thoughts
This is one of the most practical AI automation workflows you can build today. Whether you're a solo creator, a content marketing team, or an agency producing branded podcasts at scale, n8n and elevenlabs give you the infrastructure to move fast without sacrificing quality.
Start with a simple version — one trigger, one voice, one storage destination. Once that's working, layer in the advanced features: voice cloning, multilingual output, automated publishing. You'll be amazed how much you can ship in 20 minutes of setup time.
Ready to start? Open n8n, grab your elevenlabs API key, and follow the steps above. Your podcast pipeline is waiting.
This post was created with tools we use and recommend: n8n for workflow automation, Turbotic as an AI-native automation alternative, ElevenLabs for AI voiceover, Placid for visual content creation, and Hostinger for reliable VPS hosting. Some links are affiliate links.