Managing a WordPress site eats up hours you’d rather spend elsewhere. You publish posts, share links on social media, add tags, organize categories…the list never ends.
Here’s a better approach: automate the repetitive stuff. That’s what n8n WordPress workflows do. n8n connects your WordPress site to hundreds of other services – AI tools, social platforms, email services, databases, and more. Build a workflow once, and it runs automatically whenever you need it.
This guide shows you exactly how to set up automation that gets things done. We’ll walk through generating API credentials, building your first workflow, and creating practical automations you can deploy today.
Prerequisites for n8n WordPress Integration
You’ll need a few things ready before connecting n8n integrations to WordPress. None of this is complicated, but skipping steps can lead to frustration later.
First, admin access to a WordPress site. The WordPress REST API needs to be enabled, which it is by default in any WordPress version from 4.7 onward. If your site launched after 2016, you’re fine.
Next, you need n8n running somewhere. You’ve got two options: use n8n’s cloud service, or go the n8n self hosted route. Cloud is faster to set up. Self-hosted gives you complete control and no monthly fees after the initial setup.
If you choose self-hosting, you’ll need a server. A Contabo n8n VPS works great for this. Even a mid-tier plan handles multiple n8n workflows without breaking a sweat. n8n runs on Linux, installs via npm, and doesn’t demand much in terms of resources.
You’ll also want API access to any external services you plan to integrate. Planning to generate content with AI? Get an OpenAI API key. Want to post to Twitter automatically? Register for Twitter API credentials. Most services offer free tiers that work fine for testing.
Finally, basic familiarity with how APIs work helps, though you don’t need to be a developer. The WordPress API integration process is visual in n8n – you’re clicking buttons and filling forms, not writing code.
How to Set Up WordPress n8n Integration
Getting n8n WordPress connected involves a few clear steps. Once everything’s up and running, building any WordPress integration becomes straightforward. The WordPress automation setup takes maybe 20 minutes if you know where to click.
Generate WordPress REST API Credentials
WordPress uses application passwords for API authentication. This keeps your main admin password secure while letting external tools like n8n interact with your site.
Log into your WordPress dashboard and click Users in the left sidebar, then Profile. Scroll all the way down past your bio and email settings. Near the bottom, you’ll find Application Passwords.
Type a name for this credential like “n8n Automation” so you remember what it’s for six months from now. Click Add New Application Password.
WordPress generates a long password string that looks like abcd 1234 efgh 5678 ijkl 9012. Copy this immediately. WordPress only shows it once, and if you navigate away without copying, you’ll need to generate a new one.
This is your WordPress application password. You’ll also need your WordPress username. Together, these create your WordPress API authentication credentials. Store them somewhere secure – a password manager works best.
The WordPress REST API is now ready to accept requests from n8n. No plugins or complex server configuration required.
Create Your WordPress Workflow in n8n
Open your n8n instance and click the plus icon to create a new workflow. Workflows in n8n are visual – you drag nodes onto a canvas and connect them like building blocks.
Every n8n workflow needs a trigger to start. An n8n trigger is the “when” part of your automation – when should this workflow run? Schedule triggers run at specific times (every day at 9 AM, every Monday morning). Webhook triggers run when another service sends data to a specific URL. An n8n Gmail integration trigger fires when you receive an email matching certain criteria.
For this example, use a schedule trigger since it’s easiest to test. Search for “Schedule Trigger” in the node menu on the left. Click it or drag it onto the canvas. A panel opens where you configure how often it runs. Set it to “Days” with an interval of 1, and pick a time like 10:00 AM.
Triggers don’t do anything by themselves. They just say “start now.” You need action nodes to make things happen. This is where n8n automation examples start getting interesting. You can chain as many nodes as you want – pull data from a spreadsheet, format it, check for duplicates, generate AI content, publish to WordPress, share on social media, and so on.
Add and Configure the WordPress Node
Time to connect WordPress. Search for “WordPress” in the node panel and drag it onto your canvas. Click the little dot on your trigger node and drag a line to the WordPress node. This creates the flow – the trigger fires, the WordPress node executes.
Click the WordPress node to open its configuration. You’ll see a credential dropdown. Click it and choose Create New Credential.
A credential form appears asking for three things: your WordPress site URL, your username, and your password. For the URL, enter your full site address including https:// (like https://yourblog.com). Don’t add /wp-admin/ or anything else.
Enter your WordPress username. In the password field, paste that WordPress application password you generated earlier. Click Test at the bottom. n8n sends a test request to your WordPress site’s API. If everything works, you’ll see “Credentials tested successfully.”
Save your n8n credentials once testing succeeds. Give them a name like “My WordPress Site” so you can reuse them in other workflows later.
Back in the WordPress node configuration, choose what you want to do. The “Resource” dropdown lists all the things n8n can interact with in WordPress – posts, pages, users, categories, tags. Select Post. The “Operation” dropdown appears next. Choose Create to publish new posts.
For testing, keep it simple. Type “Test Post from n8n” in the Title field. Add “This post was created automatically” in the Content field. Set Status to “draft” so it doesn’t go live immediately.
This demonstrates basic WordPress integration. Later you’ll populate these fields dynamically with data from previous nodes – that’s when n8n integrations become truly powerful.
Test the Full Workflow
Never activate a workflow without testing it first. Click the Execute Workflow button in the top right. This runs the entire workflow manually, letting you watch each step execute in real time.
Green means success. Red means something broke. If you see red, click the failed node to read the error message. Common issues include wrong credentials, URL mistakes, or missing required fields.
After your test run completes successfully, check your WordPress dashboard. Go to Posts → All Posts and look for your test post. If you see it, your n8n workflow works correctly.
Delete the test post, then go back to n8n. Activate the workflow by toggling the switch in the top right from “Inactive” to “Active.” The workflow will run automatically based on your trigger schedule. This basic setup provides the foundation for practical n8n use cases and more complex n8n automation examples you’ll build next.
WordPress n8n Automation Use Cases
Basic workflows are nice, but the real value shows up when you chain multiple actions together. Here are four practical n8n use cases that transform how you handle wordpress automation and automate content creation without touching your keyboard.
Generating Blog Posts with AI
An AI blog writer creates first drafts faster than typing yourself. Connect OpenAI’s GPT model to WordPress through n8n, and you’ve built an AI blog post generator that runs on its own.
Add a node before your WordPress node – search for “OpenAI” and drag it onto the canvas. You’ll need an n8n OpenAI API key from OpenAI’s website. Configure the OpenAI node with a prompt like “Write a 500-word blog post about [topic].”
The AI content writer node generates text and outputs it. Connect that output to your WordPress node’s content field using n8n’s expression editor. Click the Content field in your WordPress node, then click the little table icon to open the expression panel. Navigate to the OpenAI node output and select the generated text.
Want to get more sophisticated? Add a Google Sheets node at the start of your workflow. Keep a spreadsheet of blog topics you want to cover. The workflow reads the next unused topic from your sheet, generates a post using the OpenAI node, publishes to WordPress, then marks that topic as “used” in your spreadsheet. This creates a ChatGPT WordPress integration that works through your content calendar automatically.
You review and edit later, of course. But this eliminates the blank page problem and gives you something to work with instead of starting from nothing.
Publishing Posts to Social Media
Creating content is half the battle. Getting anyone to see it is the other half. Automate WordPress social media sharing so every new post reaches your audience the moment it goes live.
Add social media nodes after your WordPress node. n8n supports Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, and others. Each social media auto post node pulls data from the WordPress node – post title, URL, excerpt – and shares it with a message you template.
Here’s an example workflow: WordPress node creates post → Twitter node shares it with “New post: [title] [URL]” → wait 2 hours (use a Wait node) → LinkedIn node shares with different copy → wait 4 more hours → Facebook node posts with yet another variation.
Why the waits? Because blasting all platforms simultaneously looks robotic. Stagger your sharing throughout the day for better WordPress social media automation that feels natural.
For teams managing multiple sites, this approach saves hours weekly. The automate blog posts workflow handles distribution while you work on what’s next.
Tagging Blog Posts with AI
Manually tagging every post gets tedious fast. Let AI handle WordPress tagging based on content analysis.
Add an OpenAI node configured with a prompt like: “Read this blog post and suggest 5-8 relevant tags. Return only the tags as a comma-separated list.” Feed your post content into the prompt.
The AI content automation node analyzes your text, identifies themes, and outputs tags. Connect that output to your WordPress node’s tags field. Now every post gets properly tagged without you thinking about it.
Why does this matter? Search engines use tags to understand content. Readers use tags to find related posts. And your WordPress automation tools keep tagging consistent instead of ending up with “WordPress,” “wordpress,” “Word Press,” and “WP” as four separate tags.
Categorizing Blog Posts with AI
Similar concept, different application. Organizing WordPress categories manually becomes tedious when you publish multiple posts weekly.
Add another OpenAI node configured to identify the main topic of your post. Give it a prompt like: “Read this blog post and determine which of these categories it belongs in: [Tutorials, News, Reviews, Opinion]. Return only the category name.”
The AI content automation determines whether your post belongs in “Tutorials” or “News.” Connect that output to your WordPress node’s category field. The WordPress workflow automation assigns the correct category when creating the post.
Your site stays organized, category pages stay populated with relevant content, and you save mental energy for actual decision-making instead of filing tasks.
Other n8n Automation Possibilities
The n8n integrations catalog includes over 400 services. Once you understand workflow logic, you can find an n8n use case for almost anything.
Connect Google Sheets to WordPress and turn spreadsheet rows into blog posts. Monitor RSS feeds from competitor blogs and create roundup posts when interesting articles appear. Set up workflows that alert you via Slack when posts get high traffic.
For teams, n8n automation examples include approval workflows. Someone drafts content in Google Docs, a workflow detects it and sends a Slack message to the editor, editor reviews and replies “approved,” and the workflow publishes to WordPress automatically.
If you’re running self hosted automation on your own infrastructure, you control everything. No monthly SaaS fees after your server is paid for. No artificial limits on workflow executions. Just reliable automation running 24/7 on hardware you control.
The best part about automation is the time investment curve. You spend hours upfront building and testing a workflow. Then it runs forever until you turn it off. Start with one simple workflow. Get it working. Then add another. Before long, you’ve got a network of automated processes handling the boring parts while you focus on the creative work that actually matters – writing, strategizing, and connecting with your audience.
