# n8n for Marketers: Free Course (2026)

> A free n8n course for marketers: automations for leads, AI content, AI visibility monitoring, GA4 and Ads reporting, MCP and self-hosting.

Source: https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-for-marketers  
Author: Dipuck Jones, founder of MentionX  
Updated: 4 November 2026  
Level: Practitioner

**n8n for Marketers is a free, practical 20-lesson track on building marketing automations with n8n: lead enrichment and routing, AI content pipelines with human review, AI visibility and competitor monitoring, GA4 and Google Ads reporting, MCP connections to Claude and ChatGPT, and running it all reliably.**

> **Key takeaways**
>
> - 20 lessons, from first workflow to self-hosted operations.
> - Real workflows marketers can build, each with a walkthrough.
> - AI steps always keep a person in the loop for customer-facing output.
> - Plans, limits and features checked against n8n docs in November 2026.

*Checked 4 November 2026 (CET) against n8n documentation and the n8n pricing page. n8n ships updates often and node options, plan limits and prices change, so confirm in your own instance and on the pricing page. "Our view" marks MentionX opinion. Ledgerline is a fictional company used for illustration.*

## What will you learn?

| Lesson | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | [How n8n works for marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-how-it-works-marketers) |
| 2 | [n8n Cloud vs self-hosted: plans, editions and licence](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-cloud-vs-self-hosted) |
| 3 | [Your first workflow: triggers, items and publishing](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-first-workflow-basics) |
| 4 | [Data, expressions and the Code node](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-data-expressions-code-node) |
| 5 | [Google Sheets and Slack workflows](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-google-sheets-slack) |
| 6 | [CRM workflows with HubSpot](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-crm-hubspot-workflows) |
| 7 | [A lead enrichment and routing workflow](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-lead-enrichment-workflow) |
| 8 | [AI nodes, models and structured output](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-ai-nodes-models) |
| 9 | [The AI Agent node, tools and memory](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-ai-agent-node-tools) |
| 10 | [An AI content pipeline with human review](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-ai-content-pipeline) |
| 11 | [Content repurposing and social drafts](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-content-repurposing-social) |
| 12 | [AI visibility monitoring with n8n](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-ai-visibility-monitoring) |
| 13 | [Competitor and market monitoring](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-competitor-monitoring) |
| 14 | [Reporting automations for GA4 and Google Ads](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-reporting-ga4-google-ads) |
| 15 | [MCP: connecting n8n to Claude and ChatGPT](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-mcp-claude-chatgpt) |
| 16 | [Error handling, retries and rate limits](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-error-handling-retries) |
| 17 | [Testing, debugging and AI evaluations](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-testing-evaluations) |
| 18 | [Security, credentials and governance](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-security-governance) |
| 19 | [Costs: executions, AI usage and storage](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-costs-executions) |
| 20 | [Self-hosting and running n8n in production](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-self-hosting-operations) |

## Which lesson answers my question?

| Question | Go to |
|---|---|
| How much does n8n cost, and should we self-host? | [Lesson 2](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-cloud-vs-self-hosted), [Lesson 19](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-costs-executions), [Lesson 20](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-self-hosting-operations) |
| How do I build my first workflow? | [Lesson 3](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-first-workflow-basics), [Lesson 4](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-data-expressions-code-node) |
| How do I connect Sheets, Slack and HubSpot? | [Lesson 5](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-google-sheets-slack), [Lesson 6](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-crm-hubspot-workflows) |
| How do I enrich and route leads? | [Lesson 7](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-lead-enrichment-workflow) |
| How do I add AI to a workflow safely? | [Lesson 8](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-ai-nodes-models), [Lesson 9](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-ai-agent-node-tools), [Lesson 10](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-ai-content-pipeline) |
| How do I repurpose content automatically? | [Lesson 11](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-content-repurposing-social) |
| How do I track brand mentions in AI answers? | [Lesson 12](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-ai-visibility-monitoring) |
| How do I watch competitors? | [Lesson 13](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-competitor-monitoring) |
| How do I automate weekly reports? | [Lesson 14](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-reporting-ga4-google-ads) |
| How do I use my workflows from Claude or ChatGPT? | [Lesson 15](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-mcp-claude-chatgpt) |
| How do I stop workflows failing silently? | [Lesson 16](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-error-handling-retries), [Lesson 17](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-testing-evaluations) |
| How do I keep data and credentials safe? | [Lesson 18](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-security-governance) |

## How is the track organised?

**Foundations (lessons 1-4).** How n8n works, Cloud versus self-hosted and the licence, building and publishing a first workflow, and working with data and expressions.

**Everyday marketing workflows (lessons 5-7).** Google Sheets and Slack, HubSpot CRM workflows, and a lead enrichment and routing build with Slack approvals.

**AI workflows (lessons 8-12).** AI nodes and structured output, the AI Agent node with tools, memory and human review, a content pipeline, repurposing and an AI visibility monitor.

**Monitoring and reporting (lessons 13-15).** Competitor monitoring with dedupe and data tables, GA4 and Google Ads reporting, and connecting workflows to Claude and ChatGPT through MCP.

**Running it well (lessons 16-20).** Error handling, testing and evaluations, governance, costs, and self-hosting operations.

## Who is this track for?

Marketers and marketing ops people who want to automate repeatable work without waiting on engineering. You don't need to code. A few lessons use small Code node snippets, explained line by line, and you can skip them.

Each lesson has a Ledgerline worked example (a fictional accounts-payable software company), a walkthrough, an exercise and a short quiz.

## What do you need?

- An n8n account: the Cloud trial or a self-hosted Community Edition instance. Lesson 2 helps you choose.
- Access to the tools you want to connect, such as Google Sheets, Slack, HubSpot and GA4.
- For AI lessons, an API key for a model provider, or Gateway credits on eligible Cloud plans.

*Our view:* build one workflow that removes a weekly chore, give it an owner and an error alert, and only then build the next one. A few reliable automations beat many fragile ones.

> **Pro move:** keep a list of every task you repeat weekly for a month before starting. The best first automations are the dullest tasks on that list.

## Related tracks

- [Claude for Marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/claude/claude-for-marketers)
- [ChatGPT for Marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/chatgpt/chatgpt-for-marketers)
- [GA4 for Marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/ga4/ga4-for-marketers)
- [Google Ads for Marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-for-marketers)
- [Search Console for Marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-for-marketers)
- [Build your own AI visibility tracker with APIs](https://mentionx.ai/learn/tools/build-own-ai-visibility-tracker-apis)

## Five workflows to build first

If you only have time for a few, these give most marketing teams the quickest return:

| Workflow | Lesson | Trigger | Rough monthly executions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form lead to CRM with Slack alert | [A lead enrichment and routing workflow](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-lead-enrichment-workflow) | Webhook | One per lead |
| Weekly KPI post to Slack | [Reporting automations for GA4 and Google Ads](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-reporting-ga4-google-ads) | Weekly schedule | 4 to 5 |
| Blog post to social drafts | [Content repurposing and social drafts](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-content-repurposing-social) | RSS | One per post |
| Weekly AI visibility check | [AI visibility monitoring with n8n](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-ai-visibility-monitoring) | Weekly schedule | 4 to 5 |
| Shared error alerts | [Error handling, retries and rate limits](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-error-handling-retries) | Error Trigger | One per failure |

That set typically fits inside the 2,500 monthly executions on the n8n Cloud Starter plan, according to the pricing page checked 4 November 2026, as long as your lead volume is modest. Lesson 19 shows how to estimate your own numbers.

## How each lesson is built

Every lesson follows the same pattern so you can skim or build:

1. **Key takeaways** at the top.
2. **Concepts** explained with tables you can scan.
3. **A Ledgerline worked example.** Ledgerline is a fictional accounts-payable software company; details are illustrative.
4. **A walkthrough** with node-by-node settings.
5. **An exercise, a quiz and a checklist.**
6. **Sources** from the n8n docs and pricing page, with the date checked.

## How this track connects to the others

n8n is the plumbing that joins the other tracks. The Claude and ChatGPT tracks cover prompting and assistant features; here you put those prompts into scheduled, reviewed workflows. The GA4, Google Ads and Search Console tracks cover what the numbers mean; here you move those numbers into weekly reports automatically. The measurement guides cover AI visibility methods; lesson 12 turns them into a monitor you run yourself.

Start with [lesson 1: How n8n works for marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-how-it-works-marketers).

## Common questions

**Is this n8n course free?** Yes. All lessons are free to read, with no sign-up.

**Do I need to code?** No. A few optional Code node snippets are explained step by step.

**Cloud or self-hosted?** Lesson 2 compares them; lesson 20 covers running self-hosted n8n.

**Is n8n open source?** It is fair-code under the Sustainable Use License. Lesson 2 explains what that allows.

## Sources

- n8n, [Plans and pricing](https://n8n.io/pricing/)
- n8n Docs, [Choose how to use n8n](https://docs.n8n.io/choose-how-to-use-n8n)
- n8n Docs, [Community license](https://docs.n8n.io/n8n-community-license/community-license)
- n8n Docs, [Work with nodes](https://docs.n8n.io/build/understand-workflows/workflow-components/work-with-nodes)
- n8n Docs, [AI Agent node](https://docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/cluster-nodes/root-nodes/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent)
- n8n Docs, [MCP Server Trigger](https://docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-langchain.mcptrigger)
- All accessed 4 Nov 2026.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is this n8n course free?

Yes. All lessons are free to read, with no sign-up.

### Do I need to code?

No. A few optional Code node snippets are explained step by step.

### Cloud or self-hosted?

Lesson 2 compares them; lesson 20 covers running self-hosted n8n.

### Is n8n open source?

It is fair-code under the Sustainable Use License. Lesson 2 explains what that allows.

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Written and reviewed by Dipuck Jones for MentionX Learn. The HTML version of this page: https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-for-marketers