17 Zapier tool ideas you haven’t built yet
Learn the Bones-Skin-Brain framework to build anything in Zapier (along with 17 ideas)
One of the massive problems Zapier users face is not knowing what to build.
Most people don’t know what to do with the possibilities of a bucket of LEGO bricks spilled out on the table. They freeze up.
What should I build and how should I build it?
Today, I’ll give you the answers to both questions. I’m going to give you 17 tool ideas you could build in Zapier along with how to build them using my Bones-Skin-Brain (BSB) framework.
By the end of your scroll you’ll have idea and execution tied together with a nice orange bow.
First, the how.
The Bones-Skin-Brain framework
Over the past year I’ve built ~8.5 new tools per month using Zapier. There’s only one way my busy little brain has been able to do this—through a friendly framework.
I call it the Bones-Skin-Brain framework. BSB for short or “how one builds in reference to the body” if you’re into longer titles that sound important.
Just like a person, every Zapier tool has bones, skin, and a brain.
Bones
These provide structure and give each major part of the body its holding power.
Skin
Skin serves the senses. You touch and see the skin.
Brain
It provides direction and allows the bones and skin to move and interact with the world.
In Zapier, Tables are bones, Interfaces are skin, Zaps and the 7,500+ apps they interact with are brains.
Allow me to serve you a large spoonful of ideas to give you a taste of how the BSB framework applies.
17 Zapier tool ideas (with the BSB framework)
I have a list of 38 ideas for what I’d like build next. There could easily be a hundred more.
Here are just 17 of my tool ideas and how you could build them today:
- Attendance and Leave Manager
- Bones (Tables): people, days, time-off requests, reports
- Skin (Interfaces): dashboard, check-in/out, request form, reporting dashboard
- Brain (Zaps): recording check-in/out across time zones, leave balance calculation, leave approval workflow, alerts and notifications, reporting
- Appointment Scheduler
- Bones (Tables): people, appointment details, call types, availability schedules
- Skin (Interfaces): appointment dashboard, booking form, availability list,
- Brain (Zaps): availability checker, booking workflow, alerts and notifications
- UTM Builder
- Bones (Tables): campaigns, UTM parameter templates, generated URLs, users
- Skin (Interfaces): UTM builder form w/templates, generated URL view
- Brain (Zaps): URL generation, shortening, and validation, analytics platform integration and report generation, AI reporting insights
- Agency Content Approval
- Bones (Tables): content, users, comments and feedback
- Skin (Interfaces): content submission form, approval dashboard, feedback input
- Brain (Zaps): approval workflow, notifications and reminders, version control, feedback workflow
- Creator Publishing
- Bones (Tables): posts, publishing schedules
- Skin (Interfaces): Content editor, media library, scheduling dashboard
- Brain (Zaps): Content scheduling, publishing workflows, notifications
- Content Creation Hub
- Bones (Tables): tasks, team members, content
- Skin (Interfaces): project dashboard, task list, media library, content submission form
- Brain (Zaps): task assignment/notifications, deadline reminders, approval workflows, publishing
- Support Ticketing
- Bones (Tables): tickets, customers, articles
- Skin (Interfaces): ticket submission form, agent ticket dashboard, customer portal
- Brain (Zaps): ticket routing/assignment, response templates, AI suggestions, reply publishing, status updates
- AI SEO Meta Generator
- Bones (Tables): webpages
- Skin (Interfaces): SEO meta generator form
- Brain (Zaps): AI-generated meta content, SEO recommendations
- Subscription Manager
- Bones (Tables): subscriptions, payment details, reports
- Skin (Interfaces): subscription dashboard, new subscription form
- Brain (Zaps): renewal reminders, reporting
- Online Course
- Bones (Tables): courses, feedback, quizzes, students
- Skin (Interfaces): course dashboard, lesson pages, quiz forms
- Brain (Zaps): progress tracking, quiz grading, bookmarking, payment and access
- Meetup Event Organizer
- Bones (Tables): events, attendees, venues, schedules, RSVPs
- Skin (Interfaces): event creation form, event list, attendee list, RSVP form
- Brain (Zaps): RSVP tracking, event reminders, attendee communications
- Public Feedback Board
- Bones (Tables): feedback posts, users, comments
- Skin (Interfaces): feedback submission form, feedback board, comment list
- Brain (Zaps): feedback moderation, notifications, sentiment analysis, upvoting system
- Freelancer Management
- Bones (Tables): freelancers, contracts, projects, invoices
- Skin (Interfaces): freelancer portal, project management view, contracts and documents, invoices
- Brain (Zaps): contract generation, project assignments and status changes, payment processing, notifications
- Document Sharing
- Bones (Tables): documents
- Skin (Interfaces): document upload form, document list, sharing settings
- Brain (Zaps): access control, version control, tracking, notifications
- Goal Tracker
- Bones (Tables): goals, progress, milestones
- Skin (Interfaces): goal creation form, progress dashboard, milestone tracker,
- Brain (Zaps): progress tracking, milestone reminders, goal recommendations
- Sales Outreach
- Bones (Tables): leads, emails, logs
- Skin (Interfaces): lead dashboard, email composition form
- Brain (Zaps): automated email sending, lead scoring, notification and reminders
- Landlord Property Manager
- Bones (Tables): properties, tenants, rental agreements, maintenance requests
- Skin (Interfaces): property dashboard, tenant portal, maintenance request form
- Brain (Zaps): rent/other reminders, maintenance request process, lease renewal alerts, tenant communication
This list gives you the outline, but it’s up to you to decide how each of these tools integrates with various tech stacks. You’ve got 7,500+ apps to pick and choose from. You also have the ability to embed anything directly into each tool’s interface.
Where there are limitations in Zapier’s products, plug in a third party app. But as Zapier continues to release features, you’ll soon be able to save more time and money by consolidating.
Time to build.
The Bones-Skin-Brain chatbot
Do you have any ideas of your own or want to see how an actual app is made using the Bones-Skin-Brain framework?
I added a way for you to go to my homepage, tell the chatbot your idea, and get the BSB.
I hope you find it helpful.
To recap:
- Use the Bones-Skin-Brain framework to breakdown any tool idea you have.
- Grab an idea from my list and build!
- Need custom help? Try the BSB chatbot for your own ideas or to continue learning.
That’s all for this week!
Happy Building,
Bryce
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