Automated LinkedIn Profile Following from Google Sheets - n8n Workflow

• Growth Hackers and Marketers: Those needing to scale their LinkedIn following strategy efficiently.


• Sales Development Representatives (SDRs): Users looking to automate initial outreach steps without manual clicking.


• n8n Automation Engineers: Users interested in advanced social media automation using custom n8n node integrations.


• Compliance-Focused Users: Individuals who require platform-compliant automation methods facilitated by specialized services.

Scaling professional network engagement on LinkedIn typically involves repetitive manual tasks. This n8n workflow solves this by providing a hands-off, compliant method for following target profiles.

This robust n8n workflow allows users to manage thousands of target LinkedIn URLs within a familiar Google Sheets environment. Once triggered, the automation processes these links one by one, ensuring the action is executed using the ConnectSafely API, which specializes in platform-compliant interaction. This removes manual effort, saves time, and significantly increases the capacity for network growth. If you are looking for reliable n8n templates for social media growth, this solution provides a solid, scalable foundation.

This automation is initiated manually and follows a strict four-step linear process:

1. Trigger Initiation: The process starts with a manual n8n trigger, allowing the user to control exactly when the bulk operation begins.


2. Data Retrieval: The workflow utilizes the Google Sheets n8n node to retrieve all rows (profiles) from the specified sheet. Crucially, it retrieves the LinkedIn Url and the rownumber to facilitate later status updates.


3. Execute Follow Action: The core action is handled by the specialized ConnectSafely LinkedIn n8n node. For each retrieved profile, the n8n workflow dynamically maps the LinkedIn Url column value to the profileId parameter, executing the followUser operation via the external API.


4. Status Update: Finally, a second Google Sheets n8n node updates the row corresponding to the processed profile. It uses the previously retrieved rownumber to locate the row and sets the Status column to "done", ensuring that profiles are not processed multiple times in subsequent runs. This completes one iteration of the n8n workflow.

To deploy and utilize this powerful n8n workflow, follow these steps:

1. Import the n8n Workflow: Copy the provided JSON data and paste it directly into your n8n instance via the 'New' menu and 'Import from JSON'.


2. Install Community Node: This workflow relies on a custom community n8n node. Navigate to Settings > Community Nodes and install n8n-nodes-connectsafely.ai. Restart your n8n instance after installation.


3. Configure Credentials:

1. Prepare Google Sheet: Create a sheet with required columns: LinkedIn Url, Status, and ensure you have unique identifiers or utilize the row_number for accurate status tracking.


2. Review Node Configuration: Ensure that the Document ID and Sheet Name in both Google Sheets n8n nodes match your target spreadsheet. The ConnectSafely LinkedIn n8n node must be correctly mapped to the LinkedIn Url column name.

This n8n workflow leverages four critical nodes to achieve automation:

When clicking 'Execute workflow' (Manual Trigger n8n Trigger):
Function: Serves as the starting point, manually initiating the execution of the entire n8n workflow.
Key Configuration: Standard manual trigger setup.

Get row(s) in sheet (Google Sheets n8n Node):
Function: Retrieves the list of target profiles (LinkedIn URLs) that need to be followed from the specified Google Sheet.
Key Configuration: Operation set to 'Get rows'. Sheet ID and Document ID are hardcoded to the source spreadsheet.

ConnectSafely LinkedIn (Custom Community n8n Node):
Function: Executes the primary action—following the specified LinkedIn profile—via the ConnectSafely external API, ensuring compliance.
Key Configuration: Operation is set to followUser. The profileId parameter uses the expression ={{ $json['LinkedIn Url'] }} to dynamically pass the URL from the previous Google Sheets n8n node output.

Update row in sheet (Google Sheets n8n Node):
Function: Marks the row corresponding to the successfully processed profile as 'done'.
Key Configuration: Operation set to 'Update row'. Matches the row using the row_number field from the incoming item and sets the Status column to 'done'.