Make (Integromat) Automation Guide: 10 Workflows That Save Hours Every Week

The Bottom Line

Quick verdict:

• Best for: Solopreneurs, agencies, and small teams automating complex workflows

• Biggest strength: Visual builder with branching logic, error handling, and AI modules

• Why it beats competitors: 10,000 operations/month for $9 vs Zapier's 750 tasks for $20

Why Make Over Zapier in 2026?

Let's get this out of the way. Zapier is great for simple "if this, then that" automations. But the moment you need:

• Branching logic (if condition A, do X; if condition B, do Y)

• Error handling with automatic retries and fallback paths

• Data transformation between steps

• Multiple operations in a single workflow without paying per task

Make is the better choice. And it's significantly cheaper at scale.

Here's the real-world math:

10 Make Workflows You Can Build Today

1. Lead Capture to CRM Pipeline

The problem: Leads come from multiple sources—forms, emails, social media—and fall through the cracks.

The workflow: 1. Trigger: New form submission (Typeform, Tally, Google Forms) 2. Enrich: Pull company data from Clearbit or Apollo 3. Score: Use GPT module to score lead quality (1-10) based on criteria 4. Route: High-score leads → Slack notification + CRM. Low-score → email nurture sequence 5. Log: Add to Google Sheets for reporting

Time saved: ~5 hours/week on manual lead processing

2. Content Publishing Autopilot

The problem: Publishing content across platforms is tedious and error-prone.

The workflow: 1. Trigger: New blog post published (WordPress webhook or RSS) 2. Transform: Use AI module to create platform-specific versions 3. Schedule: Post to Twitter/X, LinkedIn, and Facebook 4. Create: Generate email newsletter draft in Mailchimp 5. Notify: Send Slack summary with all published links

Time saved: ~3 hours per blog post

3. Invoice Processing & Bookkeeping

The problem: Manually entering invoices into accounting software is mind-numbing.

The workflow: 1. Trigger: New email with PDF attachment (Gmail/Outlook) 2. Extract: Use AI module to parse invoice data (vendor, amount, date, line items) 3. Match: Cross-reference with purchase orders in your system 4. Create: Generate entry in QuickBooks or Xero 5. Archive: Save PDF to Google Drive with standardized naming 6. Alert: Flag discrepancies for human review

Time saved: ~8 hours/week for businesses processing 50+ invoices

4. Customer Onboarding Sequence

The problem: New customers need welcome emails, account setup, and follow-ups—all manual.

The workflow: 1. Trigger: New payment in Stripe 2. Create: Set up account in your app (API call) 3. Send: Welcome email with login credentials 4. Schedule: Day 3 check-in email, Day 7 tips email, Day 14 feedback request 5. Add: Customer to appropriate segments in your email tool 6. Notify: Assign account manager in Slack

Time saved: ~30 minutes per new customer

5. Social Media Monitoring & Response

The problem: Brand mentions and customer questions go unanswered across platforms.

The workflow: 1. Trigger: Brand mention detected (via social listening API) 2. Analyze: AI module classifies sentiment (positive, neutral, negative) 3. Route: Negative → urgent Slack alert. Positive → queue for repost. Question → draft response 4. Draft: GPT module creates contextual response 5. Queue: Add to approval queue in Notion or Trello

Time saved: ~4 hours/week on social monitoring

6. Meeting Notes to Action Items

The problem: Meeting notes sit in documents and action items never get assigned.

The workflow: 1. Trigger: New transcript from Fireflies.ai or Otter.ai 2. Process: AI module extracts action items, decisions, and deadlines 3. Create: Generate tasks in ClickUp, Asana, or Notion 4. Assign: Route tasks to team members based on keywords 5. Summary: Send formatted meeting recap to all attendees

Time saved: ~2 hours/week on meeting follow-ups

7. E-commerce Order Fulfillment

The problem: Orders need inventory checks, shipping labels, and customer notifications.

The workflow: 1. Trigger: New order in Shopify/WooCommerce 2. Check: Verify inventory levels 3. Route: In-stock → generate shipping label. Out-of-stock → notify customer + purchasing team 4. Update: Sync tracking number to order 5. Send: Shipping confirmation email with tracking link 6. Log: Update inventory spreadsheet

Time saved: ~6 hours/week for stores processing 100+ orders

8. Competitive Intelligence Dashboard

The problem: Tracking competitor moves manually is impossible to sustain.

The workflow: 1. Trigger: Scheduled (daily at 9 AM) 2. Scrape: Monitor competitor websites for pricing changes (HTTP module) 3. Search: Check for new competitor blog posts or product launches 4. Analyze: AI module summarizes changes and assesses impact 5. Update: Push to Google Sheets dashboard 6. Alert: Slack notification for significant changes

Time saved: ~3 hours/week on competitive research

9. Recruitment Pipeline Automation

The problem: Sorting applications, scheduling interviews, and sending updates is a full-time job.

The workflow: 1. Trigger: New application received (email or ATS webhook) 2. Screen: AI module scores resume against job requirements 3. Route: High-score → schedule interview (Calendly). Low-score → polite rejection email 4. Notify: Hiring manager receives summary of top candidates 5. Track: Update candidate status in Airtable or Notion

Time saved: ~10 hours/week for active hiring

10. Financial Reporting Rollup

The problem: Monthly reports require pulling data from 5+ sources.

The workflow: 1. Trigger: Scheduled (1st of each month) 2. Pull: Revenue from Stripe, expenses from QuickBooks, traffic from Google Analytics 3. Calculate: Aggregate KPIs (MRR, churn, CAC, LTV) 4. Generate: AI module writes executive summary 5. Create: Build report in Google Slides or Notion 6. Send: Email to stakeholders with PDF attachment

Time saved: ~8 hours/month on reporting

Getting Started with Make: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Create Your Free Account

Sign up for Make and explore the interface. The visual builder is intuitive—modules are drag-and-drop, and connections between them are drawn as lines.

Step 2: Start with a Template

Don't build from scratch. Make has 1,000+ templates for common workflows. Search for your use case and customize from there.

Best starter templates:

• Gmail to Slack notification

• Google Sheets to CRM sync

• Social media cross-posting

• Invoice email to accounting

Step 3: Master the Key Modules

These modules power 80% of all automations:

• HTTP module: Connect to any API, even without a native integration

• JSON module: Parse and create structured data

• Text Aggregator: Combine multiple data points

• Router: Split workflows into conditional branches

• Iterator: Loop through arrays of data

• AI modules: GPT and Claude for intelligent decision-making

Step 4: Add Error Handling

This is where Make truly shines. Every module can have:

• Error handler: What to do when something fails

• Break: Stop the workflow and alert you

• Resume: Retry the failed operation

• Ignore: Skip the error and continue

• Rollback: Undo previous successful operations

Step 5: Monitor and Optimize

Make's execution log shows every step of every run. Use it to:

• Identify bottlenecks (slow modules)

• Spot frequent errors

• Optimize data usage (stay within your plan)

• Track success rates

Make Pricing Breakdown (2026)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-Automating Too Fast

Start with one workflow. Master it. Then add another. Building 10 automations at once leads to a maintenance nightmare.

2. Ignoring Data Mapping

Make's data mapping is powerful but can be confusing. Take time to understand how data flows between modules—it'll save hours of debugging later.

3. Not Using Filters

Filters between modules prevent unnecessary operations from running. Every filtered operation is an operation saved—and that means staying within your plan limits.

4. Forgetting About Webhooks

Custom webhooks are Make's secret weapon. Almost any service can send a webhook, letting you trigger automations from virtually anywhere—even services without native Make integrations.

Final Verdict

Make is the best automation platform for anyone who's outgrown simple Zapier workflows. The visual builder makes complex logic accessible, the AI modules add intelligence to your automations, and the pricing is unbeatable.

Start with the free plan, build your first workflow today, and watch the hours melt away.