Building an AI-Powered Lead Gen System with n8n

Building an AI-Powered Lead Gen System with n8n

Spent 2 hours today learning n8n by building an automated lead qualification workflow. Some hard-won lessons:

Technical:

• Output formats matter: Schema vs. Table vs. JSON views. Amazing how much this overlaps with IA work

• Expressions don't always evaluate in JSON context (learned this the hard way - hence the 2 hours)

• Code nodes are your escape hatch when built-in nodes hit limitations. Wish we didn’t have to get there, but we did.

• this.helpers.httpRequest() is how you call APIs from Code nodes

Strategic:

• Chose n8n over easier tools to maximize learning (no regrets)

• Built end-to-end first, optimization later

• Cost control: 10 articles/day = $3-15/month in Claude API calls

The Win: Got Claude API successfully qualifying leads automatically. The workflow runs daily, analyzes funding news, and scores companies 0-10 against an ICP.

The Reality: Took 2 hours to get what "should" have been a 20-minute setup. But I understand exactly how every piece works now.

Next session: Filtering, Google Sheets, and email digests.

#AIAutomation #n8n #LearningInPublic #BuildingInPublic