Workflow: Zapier + ChatGPT to auto-publish blog posts

Recommendation (one-line)
Use Zapier to detect a new AI draft, call ChatGPT/OpenAI to run SEO edits and generate post metadata, then push a sanitized post to WordPress as either a draft (recommended) or published post depending on your risk tolerance.

High-level Zap blueprint (practical)
1) Trigger: New record/file
- Use “New Row in Google Sheets” or “New Record in Airtable” (store raw AI draft + source URL + primary keyword), or “New File in Google Drive” if you drop draft files. These are reliable and easy to trigger.

2) Action: Call ChatGPT/OpenAI for SEO editing
- Use Zapier’s OpenAI app or Webhooks → call the OpenAI/ChatGPT API. Send the raw draft plus a prompt (template below) and request structured JSON output: title, slug, meta_description, cleaned_html_body, headings list, suggested tags, featured_image_url, seo_checks (readability, keyword density, internal link suggestions), and schema (JSON-LD snippet).

3) Action: (optional) Upload featured image
- If ChatGPT returns a featured_image_url, use “Upload Media to WordPress” or a webhook to fetch and attach it; capture attachment ID for the post.

4) Action: Create Post in WordPress
- Use Zapier WordPress action “Create Post”. Map fields: post_title, post_content (cleaned_html_body), post_status = draft (or publish), categories, tags, excerpt = meta_description, slug, featured_media = attachment ID, custom fields = schema JSON-LD or SEO score.

5) Action: Notify / Approval (recommended)
- Send Slack/email to editor with post link and SEO checklist. If approved, trigger a second Zap to change post_status to publish.

ChatGPT prompt template (copy/paste)
"You are an SEO editor. Input: {draft_text} and primary keyword: {keyword}. Output a JSON object with these keys: title, slug (url-friendly), meta_description (max 155 chars), cleaned_html_body (H1 only, H2/H3 headings, no tracking scripts), suggested_tags (array), featured_image_alt, seo_checks (readability score, keyword_density %, word_count, internal_links: list of 3 suggested internal URLs), and schema (JSON-LD Article). Make the content natural, not keyword-stuffed, keep readability grade between 8–10, and return only valid JSON."
- Settings: model=gpt-4 or gpt-4o (if available), temperature=0.0–0.3 for deterministic edits, max_tokens enough for full output (2–4k). Request explicit JSON to make mapping in Zapier easy.

Post-formatting and SEO checks (practical steps)
- Ensure a single H1 (WordPress will map title). Use H2/H3s for structure. Remove inline editor comments and unsafe HTML. Include 1–2 internal links and 2–3 external authoritative links. Add alt text and caption to images. Attach JSON-LD to a custom field or Yoast/RankMath API if supported.

Decision criteria (when to auto-publish vs draft)
- Auto-publish if posts are low-risk, evergreen, formulaic, and you accept occasional small errors. Keep as draft if brand risk, regulated topics, or you need editorial QA.
- Budget: OpenAI API costs scale with volume — drafts + edits + metadata increase tokens. Zapier plan must support required zaps and Webhooks or OpenAI actions.
- Skill level: No-code possible with Zapier + OpenAI app. If you need complex transformations, add a small serverless function (AWS Lambda) instead.

Best-for / Avoid-if
- Best for: small teams needing fast, consistent SEO-first posts; blogs with high volume and repeatable structure.
- Avoid if: legal/regulatory content, medical/financial advice, or if you require high-end investigative journalism.

Practical checklist before publish
- [ ] Draft passed safety/legal review
- [ ] Title, slug, meta filled
- [ ] H1/H2/H3 structure correct
- [ ] Yoast/RankMath fields populated (or custom SEO score)
- [ ] Featured image uploaded + alt text
- [ ] 1–3 internal links added
- [ ] Schema JSON-LD attached
- [ ] Final human approval (if required)

If you want, I can provide a ready-to-copy Zapier step mapping and the exact JSON parsing rules for the ChatGPT response to wire into WordPress automatically.

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