Generate Podcast from Daily Newsletter
Automate your daily podcast creation from newsletters. Connect Gmail to index newsletters, transform content into engaging scripts with AI, and convert to podcast episodes using your cloned ElevenLabs voice. Perfect for creating a daily knowledge podcast from curated newsletter content.
Last updated
January 24, 2025
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Video Tutorial
Key Takeaways
- Newsletter to podcast conversion - Automatically transforms email newsletters into podcast episodes using AI script generation and voice cloning
- Voice cloning via ElevenLabs - Uses your cloned voice so episodes sound like you recorded them
- Daily scheduled automation - Runs on a cron schedule (default: daily at 3 PM) with no manual recording required
- End-to-end pipeline - From Gmail inbox to Google Drive MP3 file with Slack notification on completion
What This Workflow Does
This workflow takes newsletters captured via Gmail, generates a conversational podcast script using AI, converts it to speech with your cloned voice through ElevenLabs, and uploads the finished episode to Google Drive.
Use cases:
- Knowledge podcasters who want daily episodes from curated newsletters
- Content creators repurposing written content into audio
- Teams who want consistent audio content from industry newsletters
- Anyone who wants to publish podcast episodes without recording
How It Works
| Step | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Scheduled trigger | Runs daily at 3 PM (configurable via cron) |
| 2. Gmail connector | Auto-indexes newsletters to your Needle collection |
| 3. Transform filter | Selects which newsletter to process for today's episode |
| 4. Extract text | Pulls text content from the selected newsletter |
| 5. AI script generation | GPT-4o creates a conversational podcast script (can search web for additional context) |
| 6. Text-to-speech | ElevenLabs converts the script to audio using your cloned voice |
| 7. Generate title | AI creates a title for the episode |
| 8. Upload to Google Drive | Stores the finished MP3 file |
| 9. Slack notification | Alerts your team that a new episode is ready |
Setup Instructions
- Create a Needle collection in your Needle Dashboard (Workspaces, Projects, Collections)
- Add a Gmail connector to auto-index newsletters around your topic
- Clone your voice in ElevenLabs Voice Lab (upload clear audio samples)
- Connect integrations: ElevenLabs, Google Drive, and Slack
- Configure the collection ID in the List Files and Get File Contents nodes
- Set your voice ID in the ElevenLabs text-to-speech node
- Set the Google Drive folder for podcast storage
- Configure the Slack channel for notifications
- Adjust the schedule in the trigger node (default: daily 3 PM Berlin time, cron:
0 15 * * *) - Test the workflow to generate your first episode
Customization
| What You Can Change | How |
|---|---|
| Schedule | Edit the cron expression in the trigger node (default: 0 15 * * *) |
| Episode length | Adjust the character limit (default: 4900 characters) |
| Voice settings | Fine-tune ElevenLabs stability (default: 0.6) and similarity (default: 0.6) |
| Podcast style and tone | Edit the system prompt in the AI script node |
| Newsletter source | Configure the Gmail connector to capture specific senders or labels |
| Storage location | Change the Google Drive folder for finished episodes |
| Notification channel | Update the Slack channel for episode-ready alerts |
FAQ
Q: What newsletters work best? A: Industry newsletters with substantive content work well. The Gmail connector can index specific senders or labels.
Q: Can I customize the podcast style? A: Yes. Edit the system prompt in the AI script node to change tone, personality, structure, and style.
Q: Can I manually approve before publishing? A: Yes. The workflow uploads to Google Drive and sends a Slack notification. You manually upload to your podcast platform for final approval.
Q: What about podcast platforms? A: The workflow creates the MP3 file. You upload to Spotify for Podcasters, Apple Podcasts, or use their APIs for full automation.
Q: Can I change the schedule?
A: Yes. The trigger node uses cron syntax. Default is 0 15 * * * (3 PM daily).
Q: How does voice cloning work? A: Upload clear voice samples to ElevenLabs Voice Lab. ElevenLabs creates a voice model that is used for text-to-speech conversion in each episode.
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