Build a Social Content Planner Agent

Build an AI agent that researches and saves social drafts to Google Sheets.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

A good social idea can quickly disappear into scattered notes or half-finished drafts. Keeping each version organized becomes harder when every platform needs a different format.

In this project, you will build a no-code Social Content Planner Agent with Zapier Agents. Each run turns one brief into three researched drafts stored in a human-reviewed content calendar in Google Sheets.

What You'll Build

Give your agent one topic, audience, and goal to see three platform-specific drafts appear as organized review items in your content calendar.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A reusable content planning agent that turns one brief into an Instagram caption, a LinkedIn post, and a short-video hook with a 30-second script.
A source-aware research process that includes the URL behind its chosen angle for you to verify.
An organized human review queue with one Google Sheets row per platform. Each row includes its hook, draft, call to action, source, and Review status.
Secret Mission: Repurpose one public article into three new platform-specific drafts that retain the supplied source URL.

Are there any prerequisites?

You need a Windows computer with Google Chrome plus a personal Google account. No coding experience is required.

Before We Start

Before the hands-on work begins, this step locks in the topic or niche your social content assistant supports. You are building a human-reviewed workflow so every draft stays under your control.

Set Up Your Content Workspace

Your social content assistant eventually produces several drafts from one brief. Those drafts need a predictable destination before an agent can organize them reliably.

First, you will create a Free-plan account for Zapier Agents. Then you will build an empty content queue in Google Sheets.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a Zapier account on the Free plan.
Prepare a structured content queue in Google Sheets.

Create your Zapier account

Zapier Agents provides the workspace where you create your content assistant. The Free plan supports everything you need for this project.

Press the Windows key to open Windows search.
Type Google Chrome into the search field.
Press Enter to open Google Chrome.
Click the address bar at the top of Google Chrome.
Enter agents.zapier.com in the address bar.
Press Enter to visit Zapier Agents.

Stay on the Free Plan

The Free plan includes access to Zapier Agents for this project. A trial or paid upgrade is unnecessary for the workflow you are building.

Create your Zapier account using the sign-up options shown on the page.
Authenticate with your personal Google account if prompted.
Continue on the Free plan if a trial or paid-plan option appears.
Complete the remaining account prompts.

Good start. You are now signed in on the Zapier Agents home page without committing to a paid plan.

Can't Reach the Home Page?

Confirm that the address bar shows agents.zapier.com.
Retry the sign-up flow with your personal Google account.
Ask for help with the sign-up problem you can see.

Create the content calendar

A structured spreadsheet gives each draft a consistent place to land. The first row defines the information that every future content item must include.

Open a new tab in Google Chrome.
Click the address bar in the new tab.
Search for Google Sheets.
Press Enter to view the search results.
Open the official Google Sheets result.
Sign in with your personal Google account if prompted.
Create a blank spreadsheet from the Google Sheets home page.

Why Start With a Blank Sheet?

A blank sheet lets you define a predictable structure for the agent. Each draft can follow the same column layout when you connect the sheet later.

Click the spreadsheet title area in the upper-left corner.
Enter Social Content Calendar as the spreadsheet name.
Press Enter to save the spreadsheet name.
Double-click the first worksheet tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet.
Enter Content Queue as the worksheet name.
Press Enter to save the worksheet name.

How the Queue Stays Organized

The Platform column identifies the intended social channel.
The Topic column preserves the subject of the brief.
The Audience column records who the draft is written for.
The Hook column stores the opening line.
The Draft column stores the main content.
The CTA column stores the call to action.
The Source URL column preserves the evidence used during research.
The Status column keeps every new item in human review.

Enter Platform in cell A1.
Enter Topic in cell B1.
Enter Audience in cell C1.
Enter Hook in cell D1.
Enter Draft in cell E1.
Enter CTA in cell F1.
Enter Source URL in cell G1.
Enter Status in cell H1.

Before you check both tabs, which visible details should prove that your workspace is ready?

Read row 1 of the Content Queue worksheet from left to right.

You should see Platform, Topic, Audience, Hook, Draft, CTA, Source URL, and Status in that exact order. Every row below the headers should be empty.

Switch back to the Zapier Agents tab in Google Chrome.

You should see the Zapier Agents home page while signed in to your Free-plan account.

Return to the Social Content Calendar tab in Google Chrome.

You should see the Content Queue worksheet with all eight headers in row 1. This confirms that the agent has a clean destination for future drafts.

Do the Headers Look Different?

Check that the first header begins in cell A1.
Remove any blank columns between the eight headers.
Compare each header with the required spelling shown above.
Ask for help checking the sheet structure.

Your workspace is ready. Next, you will build the first version of your Social Content Planner Agent.

Build Your First Content Agent

Your content calendar now has a clear structure for future drafts. Your next goal is a small content agent that turns one brief into three platform-specific drafts.

You will build this first version in Zapier Agents. A visible test run proves that its core generation loop works.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a custom agent with a focused content role.
Add an On Demand trigger for manual runs.
Test one sample brief to inspect what changes.

Create a custom content agent

Agent instructions define the inputs the agent receives. They also define the shape of every response.

Click + New agent in the left sidebar.
Choose the option to start with a custom agent.
Enter Social Content Planner as the agent's name.
In the instructions field, tell the agent to accept a content brief containing a topic, audience, and goal.
Add a requirement for one labeled Instagram caption.
Add a requirement for one labeled LinkedIn post.
Add a requirement for one labeled short-video hook with a 30-second script.

The three output shapes are now defined. Two final constraints make each result easy to review.

Require every output to have a clear format label.
Require every output to contain exactly one call to action.
Click Create agent.
Continue through Connect your apps without selecting an app connection.
Leave Google Sheets disconnected from this first version.
Click Create to reach the Configure screen.

That is the agent's foundation in place. You should see Social Content Planner on the Configure screen with your instructions saved.

Agent setup not reaching Configure?

Check that the agent name contains Social Content Planner.
Return to the creation flow if the instructions did not save.

Help me troubleshoot why my custom agent setup is not reaching the Configure screen.

Choose the On Demand trigger

A trigger determines when an agent starts working. On Demand keeps each run under your direct control.

Why On Demand?

On Demand waits until you manually run the agent or chat with it. An automatic schedule could create drafts without a fresh request.

Manual control keeps every content brief intentional. It also supports human review before any draft moves forward.

Find the Trigger section on the Configure screen from earlier.
Click + Add trigger.
Select On Demand.
Click Add trigger.
Leave Publish untouched while you test this version.

You should see On Demand in the Trigger section. The agent remains Not published.

Still Missing the Trigger?

Return to the Trigger section.
Confirm that On Demand is the selected trigger.

Help me fix the missing On Demand trigger.

Run the baby version

The test experience shows how the current instructions behave with a real brief. This first run checks whether the agent can produce three distinct content formats.

Select the message field in the Configure screen's test experience.
Enter the three-part brief in one message. Use Topic: time management for students, Audience: university students, and Goal: help them save the post and try one habit.

Before you send the brief, do you expect the three drafts to sound like separate platform formats?

Send the brief by pressing Enter.

When the run finishes, you should see three labeled drafts in the test experience. Each draft should use a different format.

Confirm that the response includes one labeled Instagram caption.
Confirm that the response includes one labeled LinkedIn post.
Confirm that the response includes one labeled short-video hook with a 30-second script.
Check that each draft contains exactly one call to action.

That is your first agent run complete. One content brief now produces three distinct social drafts.

The drafts are visible inside the agent. The final check asks whether this run changed the destination you prepared earlier.

Before you check the sheet, do you expect the test run to have created any content rows?

Switch back to the Social Content Calendar spreadsheet from earlier.
Select the Content Queue worksheet.
Check below row 1 for content rows.

You will still see the eight headers in row 1. No content rows appear below them.

Why Is the Content Queue Empty?

The agent currently returns its work only in the test experience. No Google Sheets tool is connected to carry those drafts into the worksheet.

The empty queue is the intended limit of this first version. It shows that generation alone does not organize the result.

The generation loop works, but consistency still depends on stronger operating rules. Next, you will add focused research, a clear voice, and a human-review quality gate.

Add Research and Review Rules

Your baby version in Zapier Agents already turns one brief into three social formats. Its results can still drift because the operating rules are loose.

Precise agent instructions create a repeatable workflow. Research limits keep the agent focused on one defensible source.

Voice rules keep its drafts consistent. A human-review quality gate keeps every result at Review.

In this step, get ready to:

Define a bounded research workflow for every content brief.
Add voice rules plus a quality gate for all three drafts.
Verify the improved drafts while confirming Google Sheets still has no content rows.

Define the research workflow

An agent follows instructions in the order you give them. A numbered workflow makes its research sequence explicit.

Return to the Configure screen for the Social Content Planner from earlier.
Place your cursor at the end of the existing instructions.
Add the ordered workflow by pasting this text below the existing instructions:

Follow this workflow for every request:
1. Confirm that the request includes a topic, audience, and goal.
2. If any one of those values is missing, ask one clarifying question before continuing.
3. Use Web search exactly once to find one current, relevant angle.
4. Use Visit site on no more than two public pages.
5. Retain the single best source URL.
6. Return the retained source URL with the drafts.
7. Create one Instagram caption, one LinkedIn post, and one short-video hook with a 30-second script.
8. Review all three drafts.
9. Revise any weak draft before returning the result.
10. Set every draft's status to Review.

What Does This Workflow Control?

The topic, audience, and goal give the agent the minimum context required to create relevant drafts.
The Web search limit keeps each request focused on one current angle.
The Visit site limit bounds how many public pages the agent checks.
The retained source URL gives you a page to inspect before approving a factual claim.
The Review status keeps human approval visible in every result.

Wait for the Configure screen to finish saving the updated instructions.
Confirm the saved instructions still contain the original requirements for all three social formats.

You have given the agent a clear path from a brief to source-backed drafts at Review.

Did the Original Rules Disappear?

Undo the paste if it replaced the original instructions. Add the workflow below the existing three-format rules.

Help me merge my agent instructions.

Add voice and quality rules

A quality gate gives the agent a checklist for judging its own work. Voice rules make the three formats sound like parts of the same content system.

Return your cursor to the end of the saved instructions.
Add the voice and review rules by pasting this text below the workflow:

Use these voice and review rules:
- Use a helpful, clear, non-hype voice.
- Use short sentences.
- Do not use fake urgency.
- Make every hook name a clear reader problem or benefit.
- Fit the wording to the stated audience and platform.
- Support every numerical or factual claim with the retained source.
- Include exactly one call to action in each draft.
- Show the self-review result for each draft.
- Never claim that the content was published.
- Never describe a draft as ready without human review.
- Keep every draft at Review.

What Do These Rules Control?

The voice rules remove hype plus fake urgency from the drafts.
The hook check gives every format a clear reason for the audience to keep reading.
The source check ties factual claims to the retained public page.
The call-to-action rule prevents competing requests inside one draft.
The human-review rules prevent the agent from presenting generated content as published or approved.

Wait for the Configure screen to finish saving the new rules.
Confirm the saved instructions contain the voice rules plus the human-review requirements.

Are the New Rules Missing?

Check that you pasted the rules inside the main instructions field. Make sure the text appears after the workflow you added.

Help me check my quality gate.

Test the improved decisions

The original student brief gives you a direct comparison with the baby version. This run tests the research rules plus the quality gate together.

Switch to the Configure screen's test experience.
Prepare the comparison by entering this brief:

Topic: time management for students
Audience: university students
Goal: help them save the post and try one habit.

What Does This Brief Provide?

The topic defines the subject for all three drafts.
The audience tells the agent who should find the advice useful.
The goal shapes the hook plus the single call to action.

Before you submit the brief, do you expect the tighter rules to change only the wording or also the evidence and status?

Submit the brief to run the agent.

You should see three voice-consistent drafts plus one retained source URL. Each draft should show a self-review result with the status Review.

Check each hook for a clear reader problem or benefit.
Count the calls to action in each draft.
Compare any factual claims with the retained source.
Compare the improved result with the baby-version response from earlier.
Tighten any missed rule in the instructions field.
Retest the same brief once if you changed a rule.
Switch back to the Content Queue worksheet in Social Content Calendar.
Confirm row 1 remains the only populated row in the worksheet.

You should see all eight headers with no content rows below them. This confirms that research plus review now work inside the agent while external storage remains unchanged.

Did the Test Miss a Rule?

Strengthen only the missed requirement in the instructions. Keep the research limits plus the original three-format requirements intact.

Help me diagnose the missed instruction.

That is the control layer working. Your agent now researches within limits while keeping every draft under human review.

Your drafts are stronger, but they still live only in the agent test. Next up, you will give the agent a constrained Google Sheets action that creates the review queue.

Save Drafts to Google Sheets

Your refined Social Content Planner in Zapier Agents now creates sourced drafts with a human-review gate. Those drafts still stay trapped inside the test experience.

Google Sheets gives each platform draft a permanent place in your content queue. This step connects the sheet to your agent through a controlled row-creation tool.

In this step, get ready to:

Connect your personal Google account to Zapier.
Configure a tool that saves drafts to your existing content calendar.
Prove that one brief creates exactly three review rows.

Connect Google Sheets to Zapier

An app connection gives Zapier permission to create rows through your personal Google account. The row-creation tool depends on this connection.

Switch back to the Zapier Agents tab from earlier.
Click Apps in the left sidebar.
Click + Add connection.
Search for Google Sheets.
Select Google Sheets from the results.
Click Add connection.

This permission screen can feel sensitive. You are granting Zapier the access required to write to the calendar you chose.

Select your personal Google account in the authorization window.
Grant the requested access.
Confirm that Google Sheets appears in your Zapier app connections.

Good progress. Zapier can now use your personal Google Sheets account for the tool you configure next.

Connection not appearing?

Allow pop-ups for Zapier if the Google authorization window did not open.
Confirm that you selected the personal Google account that owns the spreadsheet.
Repeat the connection flow if you closed the authorization window before granting access.

Help me troubleshoot my Google Sheets connection to Zapier. You can also compare account-specific fixes in the Zapier Community.

Configure the row-creation tool

A row-creation tool turns each reviewed draft into a structured sheet row. Fixed destination settings keep every action pointed at your existing content calendar.

Return to the Configure screen for your existing Social Content Planner agent.
Click + Add Tool in Tools this agent can use.
Select Google Sheets.
Open Take action.
Choose Create Spreadsheet Row.
Select the personal Google Sheets connection you just created.

The row action is now selected. Next, you control where every generated row lands.

Choose Set a specific value for this field for the spreadsheet destination.
Select Social Content Calendar as the spreadsheet.
Choose Set a specific value for this field for the worksheet destination.
Select Content Queue as the worksheet.

Why lock the destination?

The fixed spreadsheet value sends every row to Social Content Calendar. The fixed worksheet value keeps every row in Content Queue.

The eight columns remain flexible because their values change with each brief. This creates useful variation without giving the agent control over the destination.

The column controls are the fiddly part of this setup. Each column needs the same agent-selected setting.

Choose Let your agent select a value for this field for Platform.
Choose Let your agent select a value for this field for Topic.
Choose Let your agent select a value for this field for Audience.
Choose Let your agent select a value for this field for Hook.

The brief details now flow into the first half of each row. The remaining fields carry the finished content plus its review information.

Choose Let your agent select a value for this field for Draft.
Choose Let your agent select a value for this field for CTA.
Choose Let your agent select a value for this field for Source URL.
Choose Let your agent select a value for this field for Status.
Click Save.

You should now see Google Sheets with Create Spreadsheet Row in the agent's tool list. Its destination should show Social Content Calendar with Content Queue.

Missing a sheet or column?

Confirm that the connected Google account has editor access to the spreadsheet.
Confirm that row 1 of Content Queue still contains all eight headers.
Reselect the spreadsheet if the worksheet or columns do not load.

Help me fix my Google Sheets row tool.

Store each draft as one row

The configured tool can now create a row. Your agent instructions decide how often that tool runs plus what each column receives.

How should each row map?

The generated format name belongs in Platform.
The brief topic belongs in Topic.
The brief audience belongs in Audience.
The opening line belongs in Hook.
The full platform copy or short-video script belongs in Draft.
The single call to action belongs in CTA.
The retained research link belongs in Source URL.
The literal value Review belongs in Status.

Return to the existing instructions for Social Content Planner.
Add a final rule that calls Create Spreadsheet Row exactly once for each reviewed platform draft.
Add the eight column mappings from the callout to that same final rule.

Use a fresh test brief

For this test, the topic is meal planning for busy parents.

The audience is working parents.

The goal is help them save the post and plan three weeknight meals.

Before you start the test, how many new sheet rows should one brief create?

Enter the fresh brief from the callout into the Configure screen's test experience.
Start the test run.

The test experience should finish with three reviewed drafts. The agent should also complete its three row-creation actions.

Switch back to the Social Content Calendar spreadsheet from earlier.
Select the Content Queue worksheet.
Count the content rows below the header.
Inspect the values in the Platform column.
Inspect the values in the Source URL column.
Inspect the values in the Status column.

You should see exactly three content rows. One row is for Instagram. One row is for LinkedIn. One row is for short video.

Each row should contain generated brief details plus draft content. Every row should retain a source URL. Every Status cell should read Review.

That is the storage gap closed. Your drafts now arrive as an organized review queue after every successful test.

Rows missing or duplicated?

Confirm that the row-creation tool was saved to the agent.
Check that the final instruction says exactly one row action per reviewed platform draft.
Confirm that the fixed destination still points to Social Content Calendar with Content Queue.

Help me troubleshoot my content rows.

Your agent now turns one brief into an organized content queue. Next up, you will publish it for reusable on-demand runs.

Publish and Run Your Agent

Your Social Content Planner in Zapier Agents already researches a brief. It saves three review rows in Google Sheets.

The remaining gap is activation. Publishing makes the tested version available for real on-demand runs.

The On Demand trigger keeps each run under your control. A fresh run now needs to prove the published workflow still respects every safety limit.

In this step, get ready to:

Complete the pre-publish safety check.
Publish the current On Demand version.
Verify a fresh published run in Activity and Google Sheets.

Check the agent before publishing

Publishing activates the current version, so its boundaries need one last check. This protects your human-review workflow.

Tests count toward your Free plan activity allowance. Every action run uses one activity.

Return to the Configure screen for the Social Content Planner from earlier.
Confirm the instructions call Web search once per brief.
Confirm the instructions limit public-page visits to no more than two per brief.
Confirm the instructions call Create Spreadsheet Row exactly three times per brief.
Confirm each saved row receives Review in the Status column.
Confirm no instruction authorizes publishing to a social platform.

Duplicate test rows would make your live run hard to count. The calendar needs a clean starting point.

Removing accidental copies is safe here. Every intended test row stays in the calendar.

Switch back to the Content Queue worksheet in Social Content Calendar from earlier.
Compare the existing rows by topic to spot accidental copies.
Select each accidental copy by clicking its row number.
Remove each selected copy from the row's context menu.
Keep one Instagram row for each intended test.
Keep one LinkedIn row for each intended test.
Keep one short-video row for each intended test.

You should now see only intended test rows. Every remaining test set has three distinct platform rows.

Publish the on-demand agent

An unpublished version can run only during testing. Publishing activates the current version for on-demand use.

Return to the Configure screen for the Social Content Planner.
Click Publish in the upper-right corner.
Confirm the agent status changes to Published.
Confirm the Trigger section still shows On Demand.

That is the key transition complete. Your tested agent is now active.

Each run still starts only when you request it.

How future edits work

Future instruction changes start with Create new draft. The new draft goes through testing before the next Publish.

Run a fresh brief

A published status proves activation. A fresh New chat run proves the full workflow still works outside testing.

Click New chat for the Social Content Planner.
Type a fresh topic into Chat.
Add a different audience on the next line.
Add a clear goal on the final line.

Before you press Enter, do you expect the published agent to stop after drafting or carry the work into the calendar?

Press Enter to start the published run.

The chat should return a labeled Instagram draft. It should return a labeled LinkedIn draft.

It should return a labeled short-video draft. The agent should use its sheet tool three times.

The response proves that content was generated. The activity record shows how the agent interpreted the brief.

Click Activity for the Social Content Planner.
Select the newest run.
Use the down-arrow control to inspect how the agent carried out its instructions.
Confirm the run status displays Completed.

The completed record proves the published agent finished its assigned workflow.

Before you check the calendar, how many new rows should appear for the fresh topic?

Switch back to the Content Queue worksheet from earlier.
Find the newest rows that match your fresh topic.
Count the matching rows.
Confirm the Platform column contains one Instagram row, one LinkedIn row, and one short-video row.
Confirm the content columns contain generated values for each platform.
Confirm every new row retains a value in Source URL.
Confirm every new row contains Review in the Status column.

You should see exactly three new rows for the fresh topic. Each row contains its platform-specific content and retained source URL.

No social platform receives a post because the agent has no publishing instruction.

That is your published workflow proven from start to finish. A fresh brief now becomes three source-backed review items under your control.

Secret mission

Repurpose a Public Article

Turn one trusted public article into three platform-specific drafts without losing the source. Your upgraded agent keeps every claim grounded in the supplied page before filing the drafts for review.

Clean Up Your Resources

Your Zapier Agents agent and Google Sheets calendar remain at $0 on the Free plan. Choose whether to keep the workflow, pause new runs, or remove the project resources.

Cost warning

The Free plan includes 400 agent activities per month. Tests count toward this allowance.

Open Activities from the left sidebar to check your current monthly usage.
Avoid unnecessary repeat tests that consume more activities.

Resources you used:

The published Social Content Planner agent with its On Demand trigger.
The Social Content Calendar spreadsheet with its Content Queue worksheet.

Keep everything running

No action is needed. Choose this option if you plan to keep generating review-ready drafts.

Start a New chat when you want the agent to create three new review rows.
Review saved drafts in Content Queue before using them.
Check Activities in the left sidebar to monitor your monthly usage.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

The On Demand trigger has no schedule. Pausing means leaving the agent alone until you are ready to return.

Avoid clicking Run for Social Content Planner.
Avoid starting a New chat with Social Content Planner.
Continue reviewing existing rows in Content Queue without starting another agent run.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Deleting the agent is permanent. The cleanup targets only Social Content Planner and Social Content Calendar.

Return to All agents in Zapier Agents.
Open the menu for Social Content Planner.
Click Delete agent.
Confirm the deletion with Delete agent.
Move Social Content Calendar to Google Drive trash.

Agent deletion is permanent

A deleted agent cannot be recovered. Activities already used still count toward your current limit.

Nice Work!

You did it! Your Social Content Planner is now a published no-code AI agent in Zapier Agents.

Each run finds a source-supported angle. Google Sheets receives three review-ready rows for your approval.

What you can now do:

Built a published no-code agent that turns one complete brief into three platform-specific drafts under an On Demand trigger.
Used bounded web research to retain one source URL. Applied a human-review quality gate that keeps every draft at Review.
Configured Create Spreadsheet Row to save exactly three organized rows per brief. Verified the finished workflow through a Completed run in Activity.
Secret Mission: Repurposed one supplied public article with Visit site. Each source-faithful draft retains the supplied URL. Every row remains at Review.

Ready to quiz yourself?