How to create viral shorts using AI automation (N8N + ChatGPT + FFmpeg)

Learn how to automatically generate hundreds of viral short-form videos for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts using AI and automation. This complete workflow uses N8N for orchestration, ChatGPT for content generation, and FFmpeg Micro for video processing.

📥

Download N8N Automation

Get the complete workflow JSON, setup guide, and prompt templates — absolutely free!

Sign Up to Download

Already have an account? Log in

What You'll Learn

  • ✅ Why 5-Second Videos Go Viral - Understanding the psychology and structure of viral short-form content
  • ✅ Building the N8N Automation - Set up a complete workflow from content generation to publishing
  • ✅ AI Text Generation - Use ChatGPT to create engaging overlay text automatically
  • ✅ Video Processing with FFmpeg - Add text overlays using the @text-overlay feature
  • ✅ Multi-Platform Publishing - Automatically post to Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts
  • ✅ Content at Scale - Generate dozens of videos in minutes with human approval gates

The Automation Workflow

Here's how the complete automation works:

  1. Generate Text - ChatGPT creates candidate overlay text in the N8N chat interface
  2. Human Approval - Review and approve content or request regeneration
  3. Select B-Roll - Pull random 5-second clips from your Google Drive folder
  4. Get Presigned URL - Request upload URL from FFmpeg Micro
  5. Upload Video - Send your b-roll clip to FFmpeg Micro storage
  6. Process Video - Add text overlay using the @text-overlay option
  7. Poll for Completion - Wait for video processing to finish
  8. Download Result - Retrieve the final video with text overlay
  9. Publish Everywhere - Auto-post to YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok

Tools You'll Need

  • 🔧 N8N - Free, open-source workflow automation (self-hosted or cloud)
  • 🤖 ChatGPT API - For AI-generated text content (free tier available)
  • 🎬 FFmpeg Micro - Video processing API with 20 minutes free per month (200+ videos)
  • 📁 Google Drive - For storing your b-roll footage library
  • 📱 Social Media APIs - Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube access (free to set up)

Cost Breakdown

This automation is incredibly cost-effective:

  • • N8N: Free (self-hosted) or low-cost cloud
  • • ChatGPT API: ~$0.001 per text generation
  • • FFmpeg Micro: 20 minutes free/month = 200+ videos, then $5/month for 100 minutes
  • • Total: Essentially free for experimentation, under $10/month for serious scale

Key Benefits

  • 🚀 Scale Content Creation - Generate dozens of videos in minutes
  • ✅ Maintain Quality Control - Human approval gate ensures editorial oversight
  • 📢 Multi-Platform Distribution - Post once, publish everywhere
  • 🎨 Fully Customizable - Modify text styles, timing, and publishing schedules
  • 💰 Cost-Effective - Free to start, cheap to scale

Prerequisites

  • • Basic understanding of workflow automation concepts
  • • Access to social media accounts (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube)
  • • A library of 5-second b-roll clips (record yourself or use stock footage)
  • • No coding required! Just configuration

Ready to Automate?

Process videos at scale with FFmpeg Micro's API. No servers to manage.

Start Free Trial