API_AUTOMATION_WITH_N8N

Complete guide to automating your social media with RobinReach and n8n workflows

WHAT IS THE ROBINREACH N8N NODE?

The RobinReach n8n Node is a community-built integration that connects RobinReach (robinreach.com) with n8n (n8n.io), allowing you to automate your social media posting workflows. With this node, you can:

  • Automate cross-platform posting across 10+ social media platforms
  • Schedule content for optimal engagement times
  • Create dynamic workflows that respond to triggers like RSS feeds, webhooks, or time-based schedules
  • Manage multiple brands and social profiles from one workflow
  • Customize platform-specific settings for each social network

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS:

  • Twitter/X
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
  • Threads
  • Pinterest
  • Bluesky
  • Google My Business

PREREQUISITES

Before you can use the RobinReach n8n Node, you'll need:

  1. ROBINREACH ACCOUNT
    • Sign up at robinreach.com
    • BLOOM OR THRIVE PLAN REQUIRED - API access is not available on free plans
    • Connect your social media accounts to RobinReach
  2. N8N INSTANCE
    • Self-hosted n8n instance or n8n Cloud account
    • Admin access to install community nodes
  3. API ACCESS
    • Generate API keys from your RobinReach dashboard
    • Learn how to get your API keys at: get-your-api-keys

INSTALLATION


  1. Open n8n Settings
    • Navigate to Settings → Community Nodes
  2. Install the Node
    • Click Install
    • Enter: n8n-nodes-robinreach
    • Click Install
  3. Restart n8n
    • Restart your n8n instance
    • The RobinReach node will appear in your node palette under "Social Media"

METHOD 2: MANUAL INSTALLATION

  • Navigate to your n8n installation directory
    • cd ~/.n8n
  • Install the node package
    • npm install n8n-nodes-robinreach
  • Restart n8n
    • n8n start

SETTING UP CREDENTIALS


STEP 1: CREATE ROBINREACH API CREDENTIAL

  1. Add New Credential
    • In n8n, click the "+" to add a new node
    • Search for "RobinReach"
    • Click on the node to add it to your workflow
  2. Configure Credential
    • Click on "Create New Credential"
    • Select "RobinReach API"
  3. Enter API Details
    • API Key: Your RobinReach API key from the dashboard
    • Environment: Select "Production" (or "Development" for testing)
    • Base URL: Leave as default unless using custom endpoint
  4. Test Connection
    • Click "Test" to verify your credentials
    • Save the credential with a descriptive name

STEP 2: CONNECT SOCIAL ACCOUNTS IN ROBINREACH

Before using the n8n node, ensure your social media accounts are connected

in RobinReach:

  1. Log into your RobinReach dashboard (robinreach.com)
  2. Navigate to Social Profiles
  3. Connect your desired social media accounts
  4. Verify all accounts show as "Connected"

AVAILABLE OPERATIONS


The RobinReach node supports three main operations:


  1. LIST BRANDS
    • Purpose: Retrieve all brands/companies in your RobinReach account
  • Use Cases:
    • Get brand IDs for other operations
    • Display available brands in dynamic workflows
    • Validate brand access
  • Output: Array of brand objects with ID, name, email, website, timezone, and country

  1. LIST SOCIAL PROFILES
    • Purpose: Get connected social media accounts for a specific brand
  • Required Input:
    • Brand: Select from your available brands
  • Use Cases:
    • Get profile IDs for posting
    • Check which platforms are connected
    • Validate social account status
  • Output:
    • Array of social profile objects with ID, name, platform, and connection status

  1. CREATE POST
    • Purpose: Create, schedule, or draft social media posts
  • Required Inputs:
    • Brand: Target brand
    • Post Content: Your message text
    • Social Profiles: Select which accounts to post to
    • Action: Publish Now, Schedule, or Save as Draft

  • Optional Advanced Settings:
    • Media attachments
    • Platform-specific customization
    • AI content enhancement
    • Labels for organization
    • Scheduling options

STEP-BY-STEP WORKFLOW EXAMPLE


EXAMPLE 1: DAILY AUTOMATED POST

Scenario: Post daily motivational quotes at 9 AM across all your social platforms


Step 1: Add Schedule Trigger

  1. Add "Schedule Trigger" node
  2. Set to trigger daily at 9:00 AM
  3. Configure your timezone

Step 2: Prepare Content

  1. Add "Set" node after the trigger
  2. Create your content:{ "quote": "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.", "hashtags": "#motivation #success #mondayvibes"}

Step 3: Get Your Brand

  1. Add "RobinReach" node
  2. Select "List Brands" operation
  3. This will fetch your available brands

Step 4: Get Social Profiles

  1. Add another "RobinReach" node
  2. Select "List Social Profiles" operation
  3. Set Brand to: {{ $node["RobinReach"].json["brands"][0]["id"] }}

Step 5: Create the Post

  1. Add final "RobinReach" node
  2. Select "Create Post" operation
  3. Configure:
    • Brand: {{ $node["RobinReach"].json["brands"][0]["id"] }}
    • Post Content: {{ $node["Set"].json["quote"] }} {{ $node["Set"].json["hashtags"] }}
    • Social Profiles: Select all desired profiles
    • Action: "Publish Now"

SCHEDULING AND AUTOMATION


SCHEDULING POSTS

  1. Set Action to "Schedule"
  2. Configure Schedule Time with date and time
  3. Select appropriate Timezone

Example: Schedule for Christmas morning

{"scheduleTime": "2024-12-25T09:00:00", "timezone": "America/New_York"}


POPULAR AUTOMATION TRIGGERS

Time-Based Triggers:

  • Schedule Trigger: Daily, weekly, monthly posting
  • Cron: Advanced scheduling with cron expressions

Content Triggers:

  • RSS Feed: New blog posts
  • Webhook: External system notifications
  • HTTP Request: API-based triggers

Data-Driven Triggers:

  • Google Sheets: Content calendar integration
  • Airtable: Content management workflows
  • Database: Dynamic content from databases

BEST PRACTICES


CONTENT STRATEGY

  1. Plan Your Content
    • Use content calendars
    • Batch create content in advance
    • Maintain consistent posting schedule
  2. Platform Optimization
    • Customize content for each platform
    • Use platform-specific features (hashtags, mentions)
    • Consider optimal posting times per platform
  3. Engagement Focus
    • Include call-to-actions
    • Ask questions to encourage interaction
    • Use relevant hashtags and mentions

WORKFLOW DESIGN

  1. Error Handling
    • Enable "Continue on Fail" for non-critical nodes
    • Add error notification workflows
    • Log failed posts for manual review
  2. Testing
    • Use "Save as Draft" during development
    • Test with single social profile first
    • Verify content formatting across platforms
  3. Monitoring
    • Set up workflow execution notifications
    • Monitor posting success rates
    • Track engagement metrics in RobinReach

SECURITY

  1. API Key Management
    • Use environment variables for sensitive data
    • Regularly rotate API keys
    • Limit API key permissions when possible
  2. Content Validation
    • Validate content length per platform
    • Check for inappropriate content
    • Verify media URLs are accessible

TROUBLESHOOTING

COMMON ISSUES


-"Authentication Failed" Error

Cause: Invalid or expired API key

Solution:

  1. Verify API key in RobinReach dashboard
  2. Check if API key has proper permissions
  3. Regenerate API key if necessary
  4. Update credential in n8n

-"Brand Not Found" Error

Cause: Brand ID doesn't exist or access denied

Solution:

  1. Use "List Brands" operation to get valid brand IDs
  2. Verify brand access in RobinReach dashboard
  3. Check if brand was deleted or access revoked

-"Social Profile Not Connected" Error

Cause: Selected social profile is disconnected in RobinReach

Solution:

  1. Check social profile status in RobinReach dashboard
  2. Reconnect the social media account
  3. Use "List Social Profiles" to verify connection status

-"Post Creation Failed" Error

Cause: Various reasons (content issues, platform limits, etc.)

Solution:

  1. Check error message for specific cause
  2. Verify content meets platform requirements
  3. Check if social account has proper permissions
  4. Ensure media URLs are accessible

-Rate Limiting

Cause: Too many API requests in short time

Solution:

  1. Add delays between requests
  2. Implement retry logic with exponential backoff
  3. Monitor API usage in RobinReach dashboard
  4. Upgrade to higher plan if needed

DEBUGGING TIPS

  1. Use Manual Execution
    • Test workflows manually before scheduling
    • Check each node's output data
    • Verify data transformations
  2. Enable Detailed Logging
    • Turn on execution logging in n8n
    • Monitor workflow execution history
    • Check for patterns in failures
  3. Validate Data Flow
    • Use "Edit Fields" nodes to transform data
    • Add "Set" nodes to debug data structure
    • Check expressions and references

FAQ


GENERAL QUESTIONS

Q: Do I need a paid RobinReach plan to use the n8n node?

A: Yes, API access requires a Bloom or Thrive plan. Free plans don't include API access.


Q: Can I use the node with n8n Cloud?

A: Yes, the node works with both self-hosted n8n and n8n Cloud instances.


Q: How many social profiles can I post to simultaneously?

A: You can post to all connected social profiles in a single operation, limited by your RobinReach plan.


TECHNICAL QUESTIONS

Q: Can I schedule posts for different timezones?

A: Yes, you can specify the timezone for each scheduled post.


Q: What happens if a social account gets disconnected?

A: The post will fail for that specific platform, but succeed for other connected platforms.


Q: Can I edit or delete posts after creation?

A: Currently, the node supports creation only. Use the RobinReach dashboard for editing or deleting posts.


Q: Are there rate limits for the API?

A: Yes, RobinReach enforces rate limits based on your plan. Monitor usage in your dashboard.


CONTENT QUESTIONS

Q: What's the maximum character limit for posts?

A: Limits vary by platform and are enforced by RobinReach. The node will return an error if content exceeds limits.


Q: Can I use emojis and special characters?

A: Yes, full Unicode support is available for all platforms that support it.


Q: How do I handle platform-specific content length limits?

A: Use conditional logic in n8n to create different content versions for different platforms.

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