How to Get Started with Amazon Polly in Zapier

Connecting Amazon Polly to Zapier lets you turn text into lifelike speech automatically, using simple no-code workflows that react to the apps you already use every day.

This guide walks you through creating and connecting your Amazon Web Services account, setting up your Zapier connection, and building your first automated text-to-speech workflow.

What you need before you start in Zapier

Before you connect Amazon Polly to Zapier, make sure you have the following:

• An active Amazon Web Services (AWS) account
• Amazon Polly enabled in your AWS account
• Access to the AWS Management Console
• A Zapier account with permission to create Zaps

You will use the AWS Management Console to generate credentials, then use those credentials inside Zapier to finish the connection.

Create AWS credentials for Zapier

Amazon Polly uses AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) to control access. To connect Amazon Polly to Zapier, you must create IAM credentials that Zapier can use securely.

Step 1: Sign in to AWS for your Zapier connection

1. Go to the AWS Management Console.
2. Sign in with your AWS account that has permission to use Amazon Polly.

Once you are signed in, you will create an IAM user dedicated to your Zapier integration.

Step 2: Open IAM in the AWS console

1. In the AWS search bar, type IAM.
2. Select IAM from the results to open the Identity and Access Management dashboard.

The IAM dashboard is where you create and manage users, groups, and permissions that Zapier will rely on.

Step 3: Create an IAM user for Zapier

1. In the IAM navigation menu, choose Users.
2. Click Add users.
3. Enter a descriptive username, for example, zapier-amazon-polly.
4. Select the option that allows programmatic access (so Zapier can connect via API keys).

Creating a dedicated user for Zapier keeps access separate and easier to manage or revoke later.

Step 4: Attach a policy for Amazon Polly

1. During user creation, move to the Permissions step.
2. Select either an existing policy that grants Amazon Polly access or create a new policy with the level of access you want Zapier to have.
3. Confirm and continue through the setup until the user is created.

Make sure the policy includes permission to use Amazon Polly actions that your Zapier workflows will need, such as synthesizing speech.

Step 5: Save the access key and secret for Zapier

1. After the IAM user is created, generate an Access key ID and a Secret access key.
2. Download or securely store these credentials immediately. You will not be able to see the secret key again.

You will paste these values into Zapier when you connect your Amazon Polly account.

Connect Amazon Polly to Zapier

With your IAM credentials ready, you can now connect Amazon Polly to Zapier so that your Zaps can access the service.

Step 6: Start a new Zap in the Zapier dashboard

1. Log in to your Zapier account.
2. Click Create Zap to begin a new workflow.
3. Choose any trigger app and event that will start your workflow, such as a form submission or a new document.

After you set the trigger, you will add Amazon Polly as an action inside Zapier.

Step 7: Add Amazon Polly as an action in Zapier

1. In your Zap editor, click + to add an action step.
2. Search for Amazon Polly in the app search bar.
3. Select the Amazon Polly app and choose the appropriate action event, such as creating speech from text.

When you choose an Amazon Polly action for the first time, Zapier will ask you to connect your account.

Step 8: Enter AWS credentials in Zapier

1. In the account connection window, click Connect a new account.
2. Paste your AWS Access key ID and Secret access key that you created in IAM.
3. Confirm the connection.

Zapier will test the credentials. If everything is set up correctly in IAM, the connection will succeed and you can continue configuring your action.

Configure your Amazon Polly action in Zapier

Once your Amazon Polly account is connected, you can define exactly how text will be turned into speech in your Zapier workflow.

Step 9: Map the text input for Amazon Polly

1. In the action settings, locate the field where you enter or map the text to be converted to speech.
2. Click inside the field and choose data from your trigger step, such as a form response, document content, or message text.
3. You can also type static text, or combine typed text with dynamic fields.

Zapier will send this mapped content to Amazon Polly each time the Zap runs.

Step 10: Choose voice and output options in Zapier

1. Select the desired voice from the available options in Amazon Polly.
2. Pick the language or region if that setting is required by the action.
3. Specify the output format, for example MP3, if the action provides that setting.

These configuration choices control how Amazon Polly generates your audio file whenever Zapier triggers the action.

Step 11: Test your Amazon Polly step in Zapier

1. Click Test or Test step in the Zap editor.
2. Zapier will send sample data from your trigger to Amazon Polly using the options you selected.
3. Review the test result, including any audio URL or file information returned.

If the test succeeds, you can proceed to add further steps that store, share, or process the audio generated by Amazon Polly in Zapier.

Use your Amazon Polly output in other Zapier steps

After Amazon Polly returns an audio file or a file URL, you can chain more actions in Zapier to expand your automation.

• Upload the audio file to cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox.
• Post the audio link to a chat tool or notification channel.
• Attach the generated speech file to an email sent by another Zapier step.

Each new step can use the output fields from your Amazon Polly action, which Zapier exposes in the field mapping options.

Troubleshooting your Zapier and Amazon Polly setup

If your connection fails or your Zap does not run as expected, review the following checkpoints:

• Confirm the IAM user still exists and is active.
• Verify that the IAM policy grants permission to use Amazon Polly.
• Check that the Access key ID and Secret access key in Zapier match the IAM user.
• Ensure that your AWS account has Amazon Polly enabled in the region you are using.

You can also compare your setup with the official instructions in the Amazon Polly Zapier getting started guide to make sure nothing was missed.

Next steps and more Zapier resources

Once your first workflow is running, you can explore more complex automations that combine Amazon Polly with other apps in Zapier.

• Create multilingual announcements by routing different languages to different voices.
• Automate voicemail messages from form submissions or support tickets.
• Generate audio summaries sourced from documents or notes captured by a separate app connected in Zapier.

For additional workflow strategy, automation planning, and integration ideas around tools like Zapier and related platforms, you can find more resources at Consultevo.

When you are satisfied with your setup, remember to turn your Zap on so that Zapier can automatically send text to Amazon Polly and handle the audio output for you in real time.

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