You’ve probably used a pre-built Zapier template. They’re convenient, but they’re also generic. When you build your own template, you tailor the automation to your exact workflow, and you can reuse it across clients or projects. In this post, I’ll show you how to create a Zapier template from scratch, and why it’s a skill worth having.
First, let’s talk about why you’d bother. A template is essentially a saved automation that you can share or duplicate. If you’re a consultant, you can create a template for onboarding new clients that sends a welcome email, creates a folder in Drive, and adds a task to your project manager. Instead of setting that up every time, you just load the template. That’s a huge time-saver.
The key is to think in terms of triggers and actions. A trigger is an event that starts the automation, like “new row in Google Sheets” or “new email in Gmail.” Actions are what happen next. For example, you might trigger on a new Typeform submission and then create a contact in HubSpot, send a Slack message, and add a row to a spreadsheet.
To build your own template, start by mapping out your workflow on paper. What event happens first? What’s the first step you want to automate? Then, in Zapier, click “Create Zap” and choose your trigger app. You’ll need to connect your account and set up the trigger. Usually, you just pick an event and then test it.
Next, add your action steps. Each step is a separate app, and you map fields from the trigger data to the action fields. For instance, you can map the “email” field from your trigger to the “email” field in your CRM. Don’t worry if you’re not technical—Zapier’s editor makes it visual.
Once you’ve tested the zap and it works, you can save it as a template. In Zapier, this is called “Create a Template.” You’ll give it a name and description, and then you can share the link with anyone. If you’re building for clients, you can even brand it with your logo if you’re on a paid plan.
But there’s a catch: not every zap can be templated. If your automation depends on specific data that changes every time, you’ll need to use variables. Zapier supports custom fields, so you can make the template flexible by asking users for inputs when they set it up.
In practice, I’ve built templates for everything from lead routing to invoice generation. One of my favorites is a template that takes new Stripe payments, creates a customer in QuickBooks, sends a thank-you email, and logs the sale in a Google Sheet. It took me an afternoon to build, and now it saves me hours every month.
If you’re not sure where to start, pick one repetitive task you do weekly. Map it out, then build it. The first template is the hardest, but once you see how it works, you’ll want to automate everything.
Ready to skip the build? Check out our library of ready-made automation scripts that you can deploy in minutes.