Great interviews aren't a random list of questions — they're a flow that warms the guest up, goes deep, and ends with a takeaway. This template gives you that structure plus a reusable question bank.
Open with an easy win. Start with a warm-up the guest can answer effortlessly. It builds rapport and gets their voice and energy up before the hard questions.
Ask for stories, not opinions. Phrase questions to pull a specific story ('walk me through the moment...') instead of an abstract opinion that produces a flat answer.
Save your best question for the middle. Put your sharpest question once the guest is comfortable — around the one-third mark — not cold at the start.
Close with a takeaway. End with a question that hands the listener something to act on, then ask where people can find the guest.
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Fill before you build the question set so questions are specific to this guest.
More free templates creators use alongside this one.
A short prep sheet sent ahead of the call is the difference between a nervous, rambling guest and a confident one. This template covers logistics, talking points, and tech checks so your guests show up ready to deliver.
Most guest pitches get ignored because they're long, vague, and about the host. These templates flip that — short, specific, and built around what the guest gets — plus a follow-up cadence that actually lands replies.
Recording without a plan is how episodes ramble and listeners drop off. This planner forces the decisions that make an episode tight — the single takeaway, the segment flow, and the hook — before the mic is on.
Prepare 8-12, but expect to use fewer. A good answer opens three follow-ups you didn't plan. The list exists so you never hit dead air, not so you march through all of them — quality of follow-up beats quantity of questions.
Send themes or a few anchor questions, not the full list. It lowers guest anxiety and improves prep, but sending everything verbatim tends to produce rehearsed, lifeless answers. Keep your sharpest questions as live surprises.
