How to Connect Airtable to Social Media

Why connect Airtable to social media

Airtable is arguably the best content calendar tool available. It has views, filters, linked records, color coding, and just the right amount of structure. Most marketing teams already plan their content there. The problem is the last mile: once a post is approved in Airtable, someone still has to open a scheduler, paste the caption, upload the video, pick the platforms, and hit publish. For every single post.

The Upload-Post social media API bridges that gap. It accepts a video URL, a caption, and a list of platforms, then publishes to all of them in one request. Combined with Airtable's built-in Scripting extension or Automations, you can go from "Approved" in your base to "Live on 10 platforms" without leaving your browser.

Set up your Airtable base

Start with a table called "Content Calendar" (or whatever fits your workflow). Here is the recommended column structure:

The Status field is the key driver. Your team changes it to "Approved" when a post is ready to go, and the automation picks it up from there. Use the social media holiday calendar to plan content around key dates.

Publish from Airtable using the Scripting extension

Airtable ships with a Scripting extension that runs JavaScript directly inside your base. No external tools needed. Open your base, click Extensions, add "Scripting", and paste the following code:

// Airtable Scripting Extension
let table = base.getTable('Content Calendar');
let query = await table.selectRecordsAsync();
let record = query.records.find(r => r.getCellValue('Status')?.name === 'Ready');

if (!record) {
  output.text('No records with Status = Ready');
} else {
  let formData = new FormData();
  formData.append('video_url', record.getCellValue('Video URL'));
  formData.append('title', record.getCellValue('Caption'));
  formData.append('user', 'mybrand');
  formData.append('platform[]', 'tiktok');
  formData.append('platform[]', 'instagram');

  let response = await fetch('https://api.upload-post.com/api/upload', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Authorization': 'Apikey your-api-key-here' },
    body: formData
  });

  let result = await response.json();
  await table.updateRecordAsync(record, {
    'Status': { name: 'Published' },
    'Job ID': result.job_id
  });
  output.text('Published! Job ID: ' + result.job_id);
}

This script finds the first record with Status "Ready", sends the video URL and caption to the social media posting API, then updates the record with the returned job ID. You can run it manually whenever you want, or wire it into an automation (next section).

For multi-platform publishing, read the Platforms field dynamically instead of hardcoding. See our guide on posting to multiple platforms at once for all available platform values.

Trigger with Airtable Automations

Manual scripts are useful, but real airtable social media automation means hands-off publishing. Airtable Automations let you trigger a script whenever a record matches certain conditions. Here is how to set it up:

1. Go to Automations in your Airtable base
2. Create a new automation
3. Trigger: "When record matches conditions" with Status = "Approved"
4. Action: "Run script"
5. In the script, use input.config() to receive the record ID from the trigger

// Airtable Automation Script
let inputConfig = input.config();
let table = base.getTable('Content Calendar');
let record = await table.selectRecordAsync(inputConfig.recordId);

let platforms = record.getCellValue('Platforms');
let formData = new FormData();
formData.append('video_url', record.getCellValue('Video URL'));
formData.append('title', record.getCellValue('Caption'));
formData.append('user', 'mybrand');

for (let p of platforms) {
  formData.append('platform[]', p.name.toLowerCase());
}

let response = await fetch('https://api.upload-post.com/api/upload', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Authorization': 'Apikey your-api-key-here' },
  body: formData
});

let result = await response.json();
await table.updateRecordAsync(record.id, {
  'Status': { name: 'Published' },
  'Job ID': result.job_id
});

Now, whenever someone changes a record's status to "Approved", the automation fires, calls the Upload-Post API, and updates the record. This creates a content approval workflow: your team drafts in Airtable, a manager approves, and the post goes live automatically. No manual steps, no schedulers, no copy-pasting.

Schedule posts from Airtable

If you want to publish at a specific date and time instead of immediately, read the Scheduled Date field and pass it as scheduled_date to the API. This is how you turn Airtable into a full social media scheduling tool.

// Add scheduling support
let scheduledDate = record.getCellValue('Scheduled Date');

if (scheduledDate) {
  formData.append('scheduled_date', new Date(scheduledDate).toISOString());
  formData.append('timezone', 'America/New_York');
}

// Or use the queue for automatic optimal timing
formData.append('add_to_queue', 'true');

The add_to_queue=true parameter tells Upload-Post to pick the next available time slot, so your posts are spaced out rather than all going live at once. Read more about scheduling options in our scheduling guide. You can also check our dedicated guides for scheduling TikTok posts and automating Instagram posts.

Use n8n as a bridge for complex workflows

For teams that need more logic between Airtable and publishing (approvals via Slack, AI-generated captions, watermark removal), n8n is the right tool. n8n can watch your Airtable base for new or updated records, process them through any number of steps, and then call the Upload-Post API.

We have a ready-made template that does exactly this:

• Google Drive to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube with AI descriptions and Airtable tracking
• Schedule and auto-post videos from Google Sheets to Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok

Browse the full n8n template library for more workflows. If you prefer visual builders, our Make.com and Zapier integrations also work with Airtable as a trigger.

Batch publish an entire content calendar

Instead of publishing one record at a time, you can loop through every record with Status "Ready" and publish them all in a single script run. This is useful for weekly batch uploads or when you have a backlog to clear.

// Batch publish all Ready records
let table = base.getTable('Content Calendar');
let query = await table.selectRecordsAsync();
let readyRecords = query.records.filter(
  r => r.getCellValue('Status')?.name === 'Ready'
);

output.text('Found ' + readyRecords.length + ' records to publish');

for (let record of readyRecords) {
  let platforms = record.getCellValue('Platforms');
  let formData = new FormData();
  formData.append('video_url', record.getCellValue('Video URL'));
  formData.append('title', record.getCellValue('Caption'));
  formData.append('user', 'mybrand');

  for (let p of platforms) {
    formData.append('platform[]', p.name.toLowerCase());
  }

  let scheduledDate = record.getCellValue('Scheduled Date');
  if (scheduledDate) {
    formData.append('scheduled_date', new Date(scheduledDate).toISOString());
  }

  try {
    let response = await fetch('https://api.upload-post.com/api/upload', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: { 'Authorization': 'Apikey your-api-key-here' },
      body: formData
    });
    let result = await response.json();
    await table.updateRecordAsync(record, {
      'Status': { name: 'Published' },
      'Job ID': result.job_id
    });
    output.text('Published: ' + record.getCellValue('Caption'));
  } catch (err) {
    await table.updateRecordAsync(record, {
      'Status': { name: 'Failed' }
    });
    output.text('Failed: ' + record.getCellValue('Caption'));
  }
}

For large volumes, see our guide on bulk uploading videos to social media. If you prefer Python for batch operations, the Python automation guide covers building a script that reads from Airtable's REST API.

Track upload status back in Airtable

After submitting an upload, the video may take a few seconds to process and distribute to each platform. You can poll the status endpoint and write the result back into your Airtable record:

// Check upload status and update Airtable
let table = base.getTable('Content Calendar');
let query = await table.selectRecordsAsync();
let pendingRecords = query.records.filter(
  r => r.getCellValue('Status')?.name === 'Published'
    && r.getCellValue('Job ID')
);

for (let record of pendingRecords) {
  let jobId = record.getCellValue('Job ID');
  let response = await fetch(
    'https://api.upload-post.com/api/uploadposts/status?job_id=' + jobId,
    { headers: { 'Authorization': 'Apikey your-api-key-here' } }
  );
  let status = await response.json();

  if (status.status === 'completed') {
    await table.updateRecordAsync(record, {
      'Status': { name: 'Live' }
    });
  } else if (status.status === 'failed') {
    await table.updateRecordAsync(record, {
      'Status': { name: 'Failed' }
    });
  }
}

Run this as a separate Scripting extension button or set it on a timed automation (e.g., every 10 minutes) to keep your Airtable base in sync with actual post statuses. This gives you a full audit trail without checking each platform's dashboard individually.

Platform-specific tips

When connecting your Airtable content calendar to social media, each platform has its own quirks:

• TikTok: Include hashtags in the caption. The API handles TikTok's upload flow automatically, including disclosure settings.
• Instagram: Works for Reels (video) and photo carousels. Use /api/upload_photos for image posts.
• YouTube: Add youtube_description for a longer description separate from the main caption.
• LinkedIn: Professional tone matters. Consider a separate "LinkedIn Caption" column in Airtable.

Compare this approach to traditional tools like Hootsuite: you get full control, zero per-platform limits, and everything stays in Airtable where your team already works.

Frequently asked questions

Does this work with the free Airtable plan?

Yes. The Scripting extension and Automations are both available on Airtable's free plan. The free plan limits you to 100 automation runs per month, which is enough for small teams. Paid Airtable plans increase that limit significantly.

Can I attach videos directly in Airtable instead of using URLs?

The Scripting extension can read attachment fields, but it is simpler to use a URL column pointing to a cloud-hosted file (Google Drive, Dropbox, S3). The Upload-Post API accepts both direct file uploads and URLs, but URLs are easier to work with in Airtable scripts.

How many records can I process in one batch?

There is no hard limit from the Upload-Post side. However, Airtable Scripting extensions have a 30-second timeout for free plans. For large batches (50+ records), consider using n8n or the Python approach to process records outside Airtable's timeout constraints.

Can I use Google Sheets instead of Airtable?

Absolutely. If you prefer spreadsheets, follow our Google Sheets publishing guide. It uses the same Upload-Post API with n8n or Make.com as a bridge. The concepts are identical; only the data source changes.

What about photos and carousels?

For image posts (single photos or carousels), use the /api/upload_photos endpoint instead of /api/upload. Add a separate column in Airtable for image URLs. The script logic is the same; just change the endpoint and use photos[] instead of video_url.