How to Automate Daily News Digests in Under a Minute Using n8n
Every morning you face a flood of news. Many headlines appear, and you scan them for key items. You must read, sort, and decide what matters. n8n helps you build a system. This system pulls news, sums it up, and sends a short message to your inbox. You spend under a minute on the setup. No advanced coding is needed.
Here is a full guide to build a system that runs each morning at 7 a.m. This system takes news from several sources, asks an AI to sum up the main points, and sends you a neat email summary.
Why Automate Your News Gathering?
• Save time by not browsing many sites.
• Get summaries that focus on key updates.
• Enjoy a regular flow of news without extra work.
• See clear insights from AI without extra clutter.
What You’ll Need to Build This Automation
• n8n – an open-source tool that helps tie apps with little code.
• RSS feeds – URLs from your favorite news websites.
• An AI service – such as ChatGPT to pick the main points.
• An email service – like Gmail to send your news email.
Step 1: Set Up a Scheduled Trigger
You set a trigger to run at a set time. Use n8n’s “Cron” node to start the flow at 7 a.m. This way, your news digest will come fresh each day. The timing is set in a clear and simple way.
Step 2: Define Your News Sources with JSON
Create a JSON object in n8n. This object holds the URLs for your news RSS feeds. This structure is short and simple. It lets you add or remove a source without touching other parts.
Example JSON:
{
"feeds": [
"https://newswebsite1.com/rss",
"https://newswebsite2.com/rss",
"https://newswebsite3.com/rss"
]
}
Step 3: Split and Fetch Each Feed Individually
Add n8n’s “SplitInBatches” node. This node makes the system handle one URL at a time. Then, attach an RSS feed node. This node fetches the latest posts from each URL. The system works on each feed by keeping their links close together.
Step 4: Aggregate All News Items into One Message
After collecting posts, the system combines them. This merge puts all the news together into one package. The combined news serves to guide the summary.
Step 5: Let AI Summarize Your News
Send the full news list to an AI like ChatGPT. Ask the AI to choose only the main points from the last 24 hours. The output becomes a clear and short summary. This step cuts out extra detail and keeps the focus on key points.
Step 6: Convert the Summary Into HTML Email Format
Often, the AI produces plain text or markdown. Use n8n’s tools to shift the text into HTML. HTML makes the email easier to read. The words stay close so that the meaning is not lost.
Step 7: Send Your Digest via Gmail
Link the Gmail node to the system. The email is set to leave your inbox at 7 a.m. each day. You receive the news in a format that is both neat and ready to read.
The Benefits of This Workflow
• The system runs on its own every day.
• Adjust your news sources as you wish.
• AI keeps the summary short and clear.
• Email delivery meets you in your inbox.
Takeaway: Creating Your Own Daily News Digest
The setup may seem technical but n8n makes it simple. The system keeps you informed without spending much time on news. It saves hours through everyday automation and gives you a simple start each morning.
Next steps:
- Sign up for n8n and try the timer and feed nodes.
- Collect the RSS URLs for your news sites.
- Test different prompts to get the best AI summary.
- Connect your email so your digest arrives automatically.
Imagine the time you save when the system brings your news each morning. The setup is simple and takes less than a minute once you know the process. Start your automation today, and enjoy a smarter way to stay updated!
