Connecting Google Sheets with DotSimple - Drafts (via Zapier)

Would you like to collect, revise or release your content in a team before it is published? Then the Design function of DotSimple just right. In this article, I'll show you how to work with Zapier and Google Sheets automatically create new drafts - including image and text, but without scheduling or immediate publication.

Would you prefer to see the process in action? No problem! In this video, we show you step by step how to automatically connect DotSimple with Google Sheets - whether with Zapier or Make.com.

▶️ Tip: The video visually guides you through both variants - including setup, image upload and planned publication.

📋 Requirements: What you need

• A Google account with access to Google Sheets
• A DotSimple Account with access token & workspace ID
• One Zapier account

🗂️ Step 1: Prepare your Google Sheet

Create a new Google Sheet with the following columns:

• Text: The content of your contribution
• Image linkA publicly accessible image link (e.g. from Dropbox or Google Drive with sharing)

You need no dateas the post is not planned, but only saved as a draft.

⚙️ Step 2: Set up the Zapier workflow

1. Trigger - Google Sheets:
   App: Google Sheets
   Event: New or Updated Spreadsheet Row
   → Select your spreadsheet and the tab

2. Action 1 - Upload image:
   App: DotSimple
   Event: Upload file
   → If you have not yet connected your DotSimple account:

   • In your DotSimple app, go to Settings → Access token
   • Click on "Create new token"e.g. "Zapier Draft Automation"
   • Copy the token
   • The Workspace ID can be found in the URL of your app (after /app/)
   • Paste both into Zapier

   → Use the image URL from the Google Sheet as the upload source

3. Action 2 - Create draft:
   App: DotSimple
   Event: Create Post
   → Set the following fields:

   • IsOriginal: true
   • Body (text): from the Google Sheet
   • Media: Select the file ID from the previous upload module
   • Platform: z.e.g. LinkedIn page or Instagram

   ❌ Do not select "Schedule", "Schedule Now" or "Queue"!
   If you leave these fields empty, DotSimple automatically creates a Draftwhich is not published - perfect for later approval or editing.

📝 Result: New designs automatically end up in DotSimple

From now on, every new row in your Google Sheet will automatically be saved in DotSimple as a Draft including text, image and platform. You can schedule, duplicate or revise the posts manually later.

💡 Tips for your design setup

• Use an additional column for notes or internal comments
• Create a filter view in the Google Sheet for new or shared drafts

🧠 Conclusion: prepare content without posting it directly

With Zapier and DotSimple you can save content directly from Google Sheets as a draft - perfect for editorial workflows, teams or campaign planning. This creates content with a system, but without stress.

👉 Discover DotSimple now or Book a free demo and simplify your social media planning!