Track new forum posts by keyword, save them in Google Sheets, and alert your team in Slack and email when new rows appear. Great for marketing teams that want to watch brand mentions, content ideas, or competitor topics without manual checks.

A schedule calls a search endpoint with your keyword, pulls the latest topics, and splits the list into single items. Each item is written to a Google Sheet with id, date, title, url, and has_solution fields using append or update, which helps avoid duplicates. A Google Sheets Trigger watches the same sheet every minute and sends a short Slack message and a simple email when new data lands. This creates a live tracker that your team can filter, sort, and share easily.

You will need access to a Google Sheet, a Slack connection, and an SMTP email account. Add the required columns, set your keyword in the HTTP Request node, and choose your schedule interval. Expect faster response times, less manual scanning, and a central list you can use for reporting. Use it to monitor brand mentions, spot unanswered questions, or find topics for blog content and outreach.

• Scheduled keyword search pulls the latest topics at set intervals
• HTTP Request node queries a search endpoint with q and order parameters
• Split Out node turns the topics array into single rows for clean inserts
• Google Sheets append or update writes id, date, title, url, and has_solution
• Google Sheets Trigger checks the sheet every minute for new or changed rows
• Slack message posts a quick team alert when the sheet updates
• Send Email node sends a plain text notification for inbox tracking

• Reduce manual monitoring from 60 minutes to 5 minutes per day
• Automate 90% of repetitive forum checks with scheduled runs
• Eliminate copy paste errors by writing data directly to Sheets
• Connect Google Sheets, Slack, and email in one simple flow
• Handle 10 times more topics without adding team workload

1. Import the template into n8n: Create a new workflow in n8n > Click the three dots menu > Select 'Import from File' > Choose the downloaded JSON file.
2. You'll need accounts with Google Sheets, Slack and SMTP. See the Tools Required section above for links to create accounts with these services.
3. Create a Google Sheet and add columns exactly named id, date, title, url, has_solution on the first sheet.
4. Open the HTTP Request node Get latest topics and change the q parameter to the keyword you want to monitor. Keep order set to latest.
5. Set the Schedule Trigger to run as often as you need, for example every few hours. Save your changes.
6. Double click the Google Sheets node and in Credential to connect with choose Create new credential, then follow the on screen steps to connect your Google account. Pick your document and the first sheet.
7. Confirm the Google Sheets node maps id, date, title, url, and has_solution to the matching columns. Keep the operation as append or update.
8. Open the Google Sheets Trigger node and select the same document and sheet. Create or choose your Google Sheets Trigger credential if asked. Leave the default every minute poll to start.
9. Open the Slack node. In Credential to connect with click Create new credential and follow the on screen instructions. If using an incoming webhook, paste the webhook URL. If using OAuth, allow the app in your workspace.
10. Open the Send Email node. Create a new SMTP credential with your SMTP host, port, username, and password. Set the From and To fields to valid email addresses.
11. Run the workflow once to test. Check that new rows appear in your Google Sheet and that Slack and email alerts arrive after the sheet updates.
12. If no rows appear, verify the keyword returns results in the source site, check the q parameter, and confirm your Google Sheets document and sheet name are selected correctly.
13. If alerts do not arrive, confirm the Google Sheets Trigger uses the same document, the Slack credential is valid, and your SMTP settings are correct. Review the n8n execution log for errors.