Automating tasks is a game changer, especially when it comes to remembering important dates like birthdays. In this blog post, we’ll walk through an n8n workflow that sends a yearly birthday greetings or  reminder email automatically.

🎯 Workflow Overview

This n8n workflow consists of two main nodes:

1. Schedule Trigger – Runs the workflow at a specific time each year.
2. Send Email – Sends a birthday message to the recipient.

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🔧 Workflow Breakdown

1️⃣ Schedule Trigger

The Schedule Trigger node is set up with the following cron expression:

42 13 23 3 *

🔹 What does this mean?

• Runs every March 23rd at 13:42 (1:42 PM)
• Based on the Africa/Lagos timezone

2️⃣ Send Email Node

The Send Email node is configured to send a birthday message when the workflow runs.

📧 Email Details:

• From: [email protected]
• To: [email protected]
• Subject: “Happy Birthday!”
• Body: “I am wishing you a very happy Birthday!”

The email is sent using an SMTP connection, ensuring reliable delivery.

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🛠️ How to Use This Workflow

1. Import the JSON file at the end of this page into your n8n instance.
2. Update the recipient’s email in the Send Email node.
3. Adjust the cron schedule if needed (e.g., change the date/time).
4. Activate the workflow to automate birthday wishes every year!

Watch the video for this post below

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🎉 Conclusion

With this simple n8n workflow, you never have to worry about forgetting a birthday again.

In our next post, we will expand on this by:

✅ Adding more recipients
✅ Personalizing the message
✅ Integrating with a contact database

{
  "name": "Yearly Reminder",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "parameters": {
        "rule": {
          "interval": [
            {
              "field": "cronExpression",
              "expression": "42 13 23 3 *"
            }
          ]
        }
      },
      "id": "7a823994-b418-433e-aeb4-99ca266f5e75",
      "name": "Schedule Trigger",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger",
      "typeVersion": 1.1,
      "position": [
        820,
        360
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "fromEmail": "[email protected]",
        "toEmail": "[email protected]",
        "subject": "Happy Birthday!",
        "html": "I am wishing you a very happy Birthday!",
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "20c5a65c-a1b2-4426-afba-20ad3bee3447",
      "name": "Send Email",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.emailSend",
      "typeVersion": 2.1,
      "position": [
        1040,
        360
      ],
      "credentials": {
        "smtp": {
          "id": "Sbbe2JpAxthpd3Uw",
          "name": "SMTP account 2"
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "pinData": {},
  "connections": {
    "Schedule Trigger": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Send Email",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    }
  },
  "active": false,
  "settings": {
    "executionOrder": "v1",
    "timezone": "Africa/Lagos",
    "saveManualExecutions": true,
    "callerPolicy": "workflowsFromSameOwner"
  },
  "versionId": "86cb80ca-cce0-4c16-959b-d9ea8cfe2c1b",
  "id": "fr8LzKYdUzvmRmAh",
  "meta": {
    "instanceId": "a93e3270fa2fc1ede44729fb739dd6bcc4fedd7295d52c553ad6d931fd75452b"
  },
  "tags": []
}