How to Display Announcements to Social Media Automatically Using Pabbly Connect

Learn how to automatically share announcements on social media using Pabbly Connect with Google Sheets and Switchboard Canvas in this detailed tutorial. Explore systematic approaches to creating efficient automation solutions that convert technical concepts into practical, implementable instructions.

Watch Step By Step Video Tutorial Below

1. Setting Up Pabbly Connect for Automation

To start displaying announcements on social media automatically, you need to set up Pabbly Connect. This powerful automation tool allows you to connect various applications seamlessly. First, create an account on the Pabbly Connect website, which provides free automation tasks every month for testing.

Once signed in, navigate to your dashboard and click on the ‘Create Workflow’ button. Give your workflow a suitable name, such as ‘Social Media Announcements.’ After naming your workflow, click on the ‘Create’ button to proceed. This will take you to the workflow page where you can set up triggers and actions.

2. Connecting Google Sheets to Pabbly Connect

In this section, you will connect Google Sheets to Pabbly Connect. The trigger for this automation will be a new row added to your Google Sheets. To do this, select Google Sheets as the trigger application and choose the ‘New Row’ event. This action will initiate the workflow whenever a new announcement is added.

• Select Google Sheets as the trigger application.
• Choose ‘New Row’ as the trigger event.
• Copy the webhook URL provided by Pabbly Connect.

Next, open your Google Sheets in an incognito window to avoid account conflicts. Click on ‘Extensions’, then ‘Add-ons’, and select ‘Get Add-ons’. Search for the ‘Pabbly Connect Webhooks’ add-on and install it. After installation, refresh your spreadsheet and go back to the ‘Extensions’ menu. You will now see the ‘Pabbly Connect Webhooks’ option available.

3. Initial Setup in Google Sheets

After installing the Pabbly Connect Webhooks add-on, you need to perform the initial setup. Click on ‘Extensions’ again, select ‘Pabbly Connect Webhooks’, and then ‘Initial Setup’. In the setup window, paste the webhook URL you copied earlier into the Webhook URL field. Specify the trigger column where you will enter the announcement details.

• Paste the webhook URL into the Webhook URL field.
• Set the trigger column to the final data entry column.
• Click ‘Send Test’ to verify the connection.

Once your test data is sent successfully, you will see the captured data in your Pabbly Connect workflow. This confirms that your Google Sheets is correctly connected to Pabbly Connect.

4. Creating an Image with Switchboard Canvas

Now, you will use Pabbly Connect to create an image for your announcement using Switchboard Canvas. Select Switchboard Canvas as the action application and choose the ‘Create Image’ event. You will need to connect your Switchboard Canvas account by providing the API key found in the templates section of Switchboard Canvas.

After connecting, select the template you created for announcements. Ensure you map the employee’s name, designation, and image URL from Google Sheets to the respective fields in the Switchboard Canvas template. Remember to append ‘?raw=1’ to the Dropbox image URL to ensure it displays correctly.

5. Sharing Announcements on Social Media

The final step is to share the created image on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram using Pabbly Connect. For Facebook, select ‘Create Page Photo’ as your action event and connect your Facebook account. Map the photo URL generated by Switchboard Canvas and provide a description for the post.

Similarly, for Instagram, choose ‘Publish Photo’ as the action event and connect your Instagram for Business account. Map the same photo URL and description. Once you save and send the test request, your announcement will be posted automatically on both platforms.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can automate the process of sharing announcements on social media using Pabbly Connect. This integration between Google Sheets and Switchboard Canvas simplifies the workflow, allowing you to focus on creating content rather than manual posting. Start using Pabbly Connect today to streamline your social media announcements!