Automated Voice-over Workflow for Content Production
Raj Pathak
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Posted Jan 29, 2026
N8N workflow automating Google Docs to voice-over using ElevenLabs TTS. Extracts content, generates audio, uploads to Drive, attaches to Trello automatically
Challenge
The client managed content production through Trello, storing scripts and content in Google Docs attached to cards. Their team needed voice-overs for every piece of content, but the manual process was killing them... download doc, copy text, paste into TTS tool, generate audio, download MP3, upload to Drive, attach to Trello card, update card status. Hours of repetitive work daily across hundreds of cards
They needed complete automation: Trello card with Google Doc attachment goes in, voice-over MP3 comes out and gets attached automatically, card moves to "Completed" list. Zero manual intervention.
Solution
Built a N8N workflow orchestrating the entire pipeline-
Stage 1 - Content Extraction
Monitors Trello board for cards with Google Doc attachments
Extracts Google Doc IDs from attachment URLs
Fetches full document content via Google Docs API
Cleans text removing formatting, special characters, irrelevant content
Stage 2 - Voice Processing
Reads Trello card labels to determine voice preference
Maps labels to specific ElevenLabs/AI33 voice IDs
Splits long content into optimal chunks (TTS has character limits)
Maintains natural breaks at sentence boundaries
Stage 3 - Audio Generation
Sends processed text chunks to ElevenLabs TTS API
Handles batch processing for long documents
Implements wait logic for audio generation completion
Retrieves generated MP3 files
Stage 4 - File Management
Uploads MP3s to designated Google Drive folder
Generates shareable links with proper permissions
Organizes files by project/date structure
Attaches audio files back to original Trello cards
Stage 5 - Workflow Completion
Moves processed cards to "Voice-Over Complete" list
Adds completion timestamp and metadata
Logs successful processing for tracking
Error handling sends failed cards to review queue
Technical Implementation
N8N nodes configured for complex multi-step automation, conditional branching based on card labels and content length, error handling with retry logic and fallback mechanisms, batch processing managing API rate limits, webhook triggers for real-time card monitoring, and comprehensive logging tracking every step
Results
Completely automated voice-over production pipeline processing 100+ cards weekly without human intervention. Reduced processing time from 15 minutes per card to under 2 minutes automated. Eliminated manual errors in file organization and card updates. Scaled content production 5x without adding team members. Client's production team now focuses on creative work instead of file management
Achievements
90% time reduction per content piece
100% accuracy in voice assignment and file attachment
Zero manual file management required
Seamless integration with existing Trello workflow
Error recovery handling edge cases automatically
