n8n Workflow Examples: 12 Real Automations You Can Copy

12 real n8n workflow examples for lead capture, invoice processing, Slack alerts, CRM updates and content pipelines. With JSON templates.

12 n8n workflow examples from real client builds. Trigger, key nodes, what it replaces. Pair with our workflow templates guide for importable JSON.

1. lead capture → crm + slack alert

trigger: webhook from site form. nodes: Webhook → Set → CRM → Slack.

Form submissions land in the CRM with an owner assigned, sales gets pinged in seconds. Full build in the crm integration guide.

2. invoice processing, inbox → accounting

trigger: email with pdf. nodes: IMAP → extract text → AI parse → Sheets/Xero → Slack approval.

Minutes per invoice down to seconds. Human approval above a set amount.

3. daily metrics → slack

trigger: cron 8am weekdays. nodes: Schedule → HTTP (Stripe, GA4, DB) → Code → Slack.

Revenue, signups, traffic in one message. No dashboard-hopping before standup.

4. contact enrichment

trigger: new crm contact. nodes: CRM Trigger → Clearbit/Apollo → Merge → CRM update.

Company size, industry, LinkedIn filled automatically.

5. abandoned cart recovery

trigger: shopify abandoned checkout. nodes: Shopify Trigger → Wait 1h → IF unpaid → email with code.

Recovers lost checkouts on autopilot.

6. content pipeline: rss → social drafts

trigger: new rss item. nodes: RSS → AI summarise → Airtable queue → approve → post.

Steady social queue, human review stays in the loop.

7. support triage with ai

trigger: new support email. nodes: IMAP → AI classify → Switch → route or auto-reply.

Production build documented in the support bot guide.

8. meeting notes → crm

trigger: calendar event ends. nodes: Calendar → transcript → AI summary → CRM log → recap email.

Every call logged with action items, zero manual notes.

9. nightly database sync

trigger: cron 2am. nodes: Postgres → Compare Datasets → Airtable/Sheets.

Ops gets an always-current spreadsheet view. Nobody exports CSVs.

10. error alerts → telegram

trigger: app webhook or Error Trigger. nodes: Error Trigger → Filter dedupe → Telegram.

Know about failures before customers do.

11. client onboarding sequence

trigger: deal won. nodes: CRM → Drive folders → DocuSign → welcome emails → Slack channel.

Consistent first week for every new client.

12. social scheduler from airtable

trigger: cron checks queue. nodes: Schedule → Airtable (ready) → LinkedIn/X → mark posted.

Free replacement for paid scheduling tools.

which platform

All 12 run on n8n cloud or self-hosted. Choosing a platform first? Read n8n vs zapier. Self-hosting slashes cost at volume.

key takeaways

start with revenue-touching workflows: leads, carts

every workflow needs an error path

keep humans in the loop for approvals and content

build one, prove it, copy the pattern

Need this implemented? we build these workflows for clients →