Multi-Platform Cross-Post Pipeline 📡#

Automatically distribute your blog content across 7+ platforms with a single command. Built for Hugo blogs but adaptable to any static site generator or CMS.

Problem#

You write a great article. Then you spend 45 minutes manually posting it to LinkedIn, Dev.to, Hashnode, Reddit, Substack, and Twitter. Every. Single. Time.

This skill eliminates that entirely.

What It Does#

1. Takes a blog post slug as input
2. Fetches the full article content from your blog admin API
3. Formats content for each platform (HTML → Markdown, character limits, image handling)
4. Posts automatically to platforms with API access (Dev.to, Hashnode, LinkedIn)
5. Emails formatted content for platforms without API (Twitter, Reddit, Substack)
6. Tracks all cross-posts in Google Sheets (deduplication via slug + source matching)
7. Handles auth, rate limits, and error recovery

Supported Platforms#

PlatformMethodAutomation LevelLinkedInAPI (OAuth)Fully automatedDev.toAPI (token)Fully automatedHashnodeAPI (token)Fully automatedPinterestAPIFully automatedTwitter/XEmail digestContent formatted, manual postRedditEmail digestContent formatted, manual postSubstackEmail digestContent formatted, manual post

Architecture#

text

Blog Post Published
    │
    ▼
Webhook Trigger (n8n)
    │
    ├── Validate auth (_secret)
    ├── Fetch post content from blog-admin API
    ├── Parse frontmatter + body
    │
    ├──► IF LinkedIn enabled → Format + Post via API
    ├──► IF Dev.to enabled → Format + Post via API
    ├──► IF Hashnode enabled → Format + Post via API
    ├──► IF Pinterest enabled → Format + Pin via API
    ├──► IF Twitter enabled → Format + Email to owner
    ├──► IF Reddit enabled → Format + Email to owner
    └──► IF Substack enabled → Format + Email to owner
    │
    ▼
Google Sheets Tracker (appendOrUpdate, no duplicates)

Required n8n Credentials#

You must create these credentials in your n8n instance before importing:

Credential TypeUsed ForPlaceholder in JSONGoogle Sheets OAuth2Cross-post tracking and deduplicationYOUR_GOOGLE_SHEETS_CREDENTIAL_IDSMTP (Gmail or custom)Email digests for manual platformsYOUR_SMTP_CREDENTIAL_IDLinkedIn OAuth2Auto-posting to LinkedInYOUR_LINKEDIN_CREDENTIAL_IDOpenAI (optional)AI-powered content formattingYOUR_OPENAI_CREDENTIAL_ID

Configuration Placeholders#

Replace these placeholders in the workflow JSON before deploying:

PlaceholderDescriptionYOUR_BLOG_ADMIN_API_KEYAPI key for your blog admin panelYOUR_CROSSPOST_SECRETWebhook authentication secretYOUR_TRACKER_SHEET_IDGoogle Sheet ID for cross-post trackingYOUR_GOOGLE_SHEETS_CREDENTIAL_IDn8n Google Sheets credential IDYOUR_SMTP_CREDENTIAL_IDn8n SMTP credential IDYOUR_LINKEDIN_CREDENTIAL_IDn8n LinkedIn OAuth credential IDYOUR_LINKEDIN_PERSON_IDYour LinkedIn profile URNYOUR_OPENAI_CREDENTIAL_IDn8n OpenAI credential IDYOUR_BLOG_DOMAINYour blog's public URLYOUR_FROM_EMAILSender email for digestsYOUR_NOTIFICATION_EMAILWhere to send cross-post summariesYOUR_BLOG_ADMIN_HOST:3000Blog admin hostname (Docker or URL)

Quick Start#

1. Prerequisites#

• n8n instance (v2.4+)
• Blog with an API endpoint that returns post content
• Google Sheets OAuth2 credentials
• Platform API keys (at least one)

2. Configure Platforms#

Set your API credentials in the workflow's Platform Config node:

json

{
  "devto_api_key": "your-dev-to-api-key",
  "hashnode_token": "your-hashnode-token",
  "hashnode_publication_id": "your-pub-id",
  "linkedin_credential_id": "your-linkedin-oauth-id"
}

3. Set Up Tracking Sheet#

Create a Google Sheet with columns:

• slug (text) — Post identifier
• source (text) — Blog name (for multi-blog support)
• date (date) — Cross-post date
• platforms (text) — Comma-separated list of platforms posted to
• status (text) — success/partial/failed

4. Trigger#

bash

# Via webhook
curl -X POST https://your-n8n.com/webhook/blog-crosspost \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"slug": "my-article", "lang": "en", "platforms": "all", "_secret": "your-secret"}'

# Or via blog admin (auto-triggers on first publish)

Platform-Specific Formatting#

Dev.to#

• Converts HTML to Markdown
• Adds canonical URL pointing to original
• Maps categories to Dev.to tags (max 4)
• Prepends cover image

Hashnode#

• Markdown with frontmatter
• Canonical URL backlink
• Tag mapping to Hashnode tags
• Publication-scoped posting

LinkedIn#

• Plain text with line breaks (no markdown)
• Truncated to 3,000 chars
• Includes link to full article
• Hashtag injection from tags

Pinterest#

• Creates pin with featured image
• Title from post title
• Description from meta description
• Link to original article

Deduplication#

The tracker uses Google Sheets appendOrUpdate with matching on slug + source. This means:

• First post → creates new row
• Re-trigger same slug → updates existing row (no duplicates)
• Different blogs with same slug → separate rows (source differentiates)

Multi-Blog Support#

Run multiple blogs through the same pipeline by setting different source values:

• Blog A: source: "my-tech-blog"
• Blog B: source: "my-business-blog"

Each gets tracked separately in the same sheet.

Use Cases#

1. Solo blogger — Write once, distribute everywhere
2. Content agency — Manage cross-posting for multiple client blogs
3. SEO strategy — Build backlink network across 7 platforms automatically
4. Newsletter growth — Each platform drives subscribers to your newsletter

Requirements#

• n8n v2.4+ (self-hosted or cloud)
• At least one platform API key
• Google Sheets API credentials
• Blog admin API or file system access to post content

Tips#

• Start with Dev.to + LinkedIn (highest ROI, easiest setup)
• Add platforms incrementally
• Monitor the tracking sheet for failed posts
• Canonical URLs prevent duplicate content penalties
• Schedule cross-posts 1-2 hours after original publish for better engagement