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AI Automation 101: Build This 0-$10k Content System (Step By Step)

Jeff Bullas

AI automation simplifies complex tasks, allowing anyone, regardless of technical genius, to leverage artificial intelligence to create income.

This skill is one of the most valuable you can acquire right now, enabling you to make money in three primary ways: using systems for your own content creation, selling automation services to clients, or packaging your built systems as products. The goal is to remove complexity and empower you to build scalable businesses, even if you’re starting from scratch.

Here’s how to approach building your first AI automation system:

Step 1: Understand Automation Fundamentals

Before diving in, grasp the three core building blocks of automation:

  • APIs (Application Programming Interfaces): These are like “waiters” that allow different applications to talk to each other, sending and receiving information. You connect tools by copying an API key from one and pasting it into another.
  • Webhooks: These act as notification systems or triggers that initiate an automation workflow the moment something happens. They listen at a special URL, and when that URL is pinged (e.g., a sale occurs), the app instantly sends data, kicking off your automation.
  • JSON (JavaScript Object Notation): This is a structured way to organise data so that different tools can understand and use it. Think of it like labelling boxes when moving house; it helps keep data organised with “keys” (labels) and “values”. Both humans and machines can easily read JSON, and tools like ChatGPT can even generate it for you.

Step 2: Choose Your Automation Platform

Several platforms can help you build automations, catering to different skill levels:

  • Gum Loop: A simple automation tool for beginners, offering pre-built workflows for tasks like converting YouTube videos to blog posts. It’s less customisable than other options but great for getting started.
  • Make.com: Often considered the most popular and powerful option for beginners after Gum Loop. It’s a drag-and-drop tool that acts as a control centre for your apps and AI tools to communicate. While powerful, it can still be intimidating for a true beginner.
  • N8N: An advanced automation platform for developers, allowing you to build almost anything. Recommended for those with a technical background interested in complex automations.

Step 3: Build Your First Automation Scenario (Make.com Example: Blog Post to YouTube Script)

A “scenario” in Make.com is your main workflow, composed of individual “modules” (building blocks) that run in sequential order. Here’s a basic example:

  1. Initiate a New Scenario: In Make.com, create a new scenario to begin building your workflow.
  2. Set Up the Webhook Trigger:
    • Add a Webhook module.
    • Choose “Custom webhook” and give it a name. Save it to get a unique URL (your trigger).
    • Troubleshooting tip: sometimes the webhook needs to be told what data to expect. You may need to manually trigger the URL with a test call (e.g., webhook_URL?URL=https://your-blog-article.com).
  3. Make an HTTP Request for Web Scraping:
    • Add an HTTP module and select “Make a request”.
    • Set Method to POST.
    • Input the URL for your web crawler (e.g., Firecrawl).
    • Add headers: Content-Type: application/json and Authorization: Bearer [Your_API_KEY].
    • Set Body type to “Raw” and Content type to “JSON”.
    • Specify the URL you want to scrape by pulling it from the Webhook module.
  4. Parse the Data with JSON:
    • Add a JSON Parse module between your HTTP request and the next step.
    • This organises scraped data for easier use by subsequent modules.
  5. Generate Content with OpenAI/ChatGPT:
    • Add an OpenAI module and select “Create a completion”.
    • Choose a model (e.g., GPT-4 for advanced tasks).
    • Craft a prompt (e.g., “Turn the following blog article into a 10-minute YouTube video script…”).
    • Pull in the parsed article text.
    • Adjust temperature in advanced settings to control creativity.
  6. Store Output in Google Sheets:
    • Add a Google Sheets module and select “Add a row”.
    • Connect your account and select your sheet.
    • Map the values: Blog Post URL (from webhook) and YouTube Script (from OpenAI).

Step 4: Automate the Trigger (Google Sheets App Script)

To make the automation run automatically when you add a URL to a Google Sheet:

  1. In your Google Sheet, go to Tools > Extensions > App Script.
  2. Use ChatGPT to generate code that runs the automation anytime you paste a URL.
  3. The code will typically include your Make.com webhook URL and encode the sheet’s URL into the request.
  4. Save and run the script. Now, pasting a URL into the sheet cell will trigger the automation.

Step 5: Test, Troubleshoot, and Continuously Learn

  • Run your scenario: Hit “Run once” in Make.com, then trigger your webhook manually or through your sheet.
  • Expect errors: Automations often break at first. Use ChatGPT to diagnose and fix issues.
  • Practice makes perfect: The only way to get proficient is to start building, testing, and experimenting. Don’t be afraid to fail and learn as you go.

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