AI Avatar Posts VIRAL News Videos!

n8n workflow automation uses Perplexity, Heygen, and Blotato to streamline AI avatar video research, creation, and publishing.

Sep 06, 2025

This fully automated AI Avatar Viral News system researches the latest trending news in your niche or industry, then generates talking head AI clone videos, WITHOUT having to film or edit yourself.

It combines ChatGPT, Perplexity, HeyGen, and Blotato to research, create, and auto-post talking head AI avatar videos to every social media platform, every single day.

Overview

Here’s how it works:

1. Trigger: Schedule

Configured to run once daily at 10am

2. AI Researcher

Call Perplexity to research the top 10 latest news in your industry
Select news story most likely to go viral
Compile detailed factual report on selected news story

3. AI Writer

AI writes monologue script, video caption, and short title

4. Create Avatar Video

Call Heygen API (requires paid API plan), specifying your avatar ID and voice ID
Create avatar video, optionally passing in an image/video background if you have a green screen avatar

5. Get Video

Wait awhile, then fetch completed avatar video
Upload video to Blotato

6. Publish to Social Media via Blotato

Connect your Blotato account
Choose your social accounts
Either post immediately or schedule for later

Prerequisites

Setup your API Billing.

Generate your API Key: https://www.perplexity.ai/account/api/keys

Create your avatar.

Paste your Heygen API key.

Paste your Heygen avatar ID.

Paste your Heygen voice ID.

If you want a background image/video behind your avatar: (1) ensure you have an avatar with background removed which requires a higher tier plan; (2) open SETUP HEYGEN node and set parameter 'has_background_video' to `true`; (3) open SETUP HEYGEN node and replace video URL in parameter 'background_video_url'. I only recommend doing this AFTER the full workflow is operational.

Generate Blotato API Key by going to Settings > API > Generate API Key (paid feature only).

If you're using n8n, ensure you have "Verified Community Nodes" enabled in your n8n Admin Panel. Then, install "Blotato" verified community node.

Tips & Tricks

While testing: enable only 1 social platform, and deactivate the rest for testing purposes. Update the AI writer’s prompt to return a 5-second script, rather than 30 seconds, to reduce processing duration. Update the “Wait” node to wait for 2 minutes, rather than 5 minutes, since you’re testing with a super short script.

Go to Heygen and check that your avatar video is being processed.

After the workflow finishes, check your social media account for the final post.

If successful, then enable another social media node, and continue testing.

If you need help troubleshooting your automation:

The API Dashboard is your best friend!

How to Use This Successfully

One common misconception is that using AI avatars will guarantee success on social media.

The reality in 2025 is that AI avatars make the life of content creators easier and more scalable by eliminating tedious work, traditionally involved in video filming and editing.

HOWEVER - the burden and responsibility of creating high-quality content that serves people, via entertainment or education, does not go away.

It's still your responsibility and purpose as a creator to make really, really, really awesome content that people want to watch. I think of my AI avatar as just another medium I can use (e.g. when I’m out sick or on vacation). But it definitely does not guarantee success in any way.

I recommend beginner creators to add a human-in-the-loop step to verify and improve the AI-generated scripts before the video creation step. When you're just starting out, you'll have to experiment A LOT on topics, hooks, scripts, visuals, etc. A LOT.

Again, don't outsource your creativity to AI.

The purpose of your AI avatar is to reduce filming and editing, particularly if you don't enjoy that process. Ideally, use the additional time saved on creative strategy and experimenting with how to make your content actually GOOD, worth watching.

Need More Help? 👋

1/ Free AI courses & playbooks here

2/ Free AI prompts & AI automations

3/ I built Blotato to grow 1M+ followers in 1 year

Sabrina Ramonov 🍄