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Zapier connects many of the apps you already work with through automatic workflows called Zaps. A Zap allows your existing tools and software to communicate with one another and work together to help perform routine tasks quickly and efficiently.
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Zapier automates everyday tasks by
connecting many of the apps you already
0:00
work with through automatic
workflows called Zaps.
0:04
A Zap allows your existing tools and
software to communicate with one another
0:09
and work together to perform routine
tasks quickly and efficiently.
0:13
So let's go over what a Zap is,
its key components,
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and the quickest way to create a Zap.
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Once you've visited Zapier.com and
sign up for an account, you're
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presented with Zapier's dashboard where
you can begin creating your first Zap.
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As you'll realize with many Zaps,
the logic is quite simple.
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When something happens in one app,
then perform some action in another app.
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Before we review some examples, let's go
over the core building blocks of a Zap.
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At the heart of any Zap is a simple
command that's based on the words
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"when" and "do".
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When this happens, do that.
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This is the logic model
behind any Zap you create.
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Every Zap starts with a trigger.
That's the "when" or
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the event that starts the Zap
kicking off the automation.
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Then comes the action, the "do".
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The action is the task the Zap
performs after it's triggered.
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A single Zap can perform many
actions from the same trigger.
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When you turn a Zap on it will run
the action steps every time the trigger
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event occurs.
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For example,
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imagine that you're keeping track of
what you're learning in a Google Sheet.
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You want to block off learning
time on your calendar for
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each topic to help keep you focused and
on track.
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Instead of manually creating a calendar
event each time you add a new row,
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you can make a Zap that does it for you.
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Google Sheets is the trigger app and
Google Calendar performs the action.
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When a new row is added
to the spreadsheet,
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create a Google Calendar event.
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In the action you can specify additional
details like the event description,
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the link to the lesson,
the start date, time, and more.
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Let's jump back into Zapier's dashboard,
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which is where you'll build
your Zaps using the Zap editor.
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In the dashboard you can also test Zaps,
monitor their usage, and much more.
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You'll learn more about
this in a later video.
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There are two ways you might create a
Zap, with a Zap template or from scratch.
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You'll notice that your dashboard
recommends some workflows for you.
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These are pre-built Zaps or Zap templates.
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Your recommendations might
look different than mine.
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For example, I'm seeing workflows
that save new Gmail attachments to
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Google Drive, generate Google Calendar
events from new Google Sheets rows, and
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send new Gmail emails as
Slack channel messages.
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Many of these seem really useful, so
if you see a Zap template you like, you can
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use it to build your Zap or
as a starting point by clicking on "Try it".
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For example, I'm particularly
interested in the Google Calendar and
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Google Sheets workflow.
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Clicking "Try it" brings up the Zap
editor where you can set up and
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customize the Zap.
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Notice how in this Zap the trigger is
new spreadsheet row in Google Sheets,
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and the action is create detailed
event in Google Calendar.
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When building a Zap from scratch,
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Zapier recommends keeping in
mind the following as you go.
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What is the process you want to automate
or the problem you want to solve?
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What apps will you use?
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What are the rules you
want them to follow?
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This could be your desired
automation using the When/Do logic.
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And what information do you
wanna move between the apps?
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I've posted some information
to help you think through and
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map out yours Zaps in
the notes with this video.
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We'll dive into customs
Zaps in the next video.
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If you're curious about the apps Zapier
connects or if you already know exactly
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what you want to build, you can search for
apps here in your dashboard.
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Since we all use different apps and
services throughout our day,
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Zapier offers integrations
with many different apps.
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So it's very likely that Zapier already
works with just about everything you use.
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And you can review more zap templates
that match your selected apps by browsing
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through the thousands of apps Zapier
connects at zapier.com/apps, or looking at
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recommended automation for specific
jobs or industries on the Explore page.
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All of these resources are posted
in the notes with this video.
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