Podcast episode planner
Good episodes sound spontaneous but are planned. Behind a tight 40 minutes is a hook that earns the listen, a structure that keeps momentum, questions that pull real stories out of a guest, and show notes that make the episode findable. This planner turns your topic, format, and guest details into LLM prompts for every one of those pieces so prep takes minutes instead of an afternoon.
How it works
You choose the format — solo, interview, or panel — and enter the topic, episode length, audience, and (for interviews) the guest’s bio. The builder assembles a plan with several prompts: a research prompt to brief you on the topic and guest, a question prompt that generates an interview arc with follow-ups, intro and outro scripts written in your show’s voice, and a show-notes prompt that produces a summary, chaptered timestamps, and pull quotes. The segments and time budget adapt to the length you set so a 20-minute solo and a 60-minute interview get different plans.
The structure behind a well-planned episode
Every reliable episode format — regardless of topic or length — follows a similar shape. Understanding the function of each section helps you use the generated plan effectively rather than treating it as a rigid script.
Hook (first 60–90 seconds) — The reason someone keeps listening instead of switching to the next episode. The best hooks are either a counter-intuitive claim (“the advice most experts give on this is wrong, and here’s why”), a specific story detail that creates a question, or a preview of the sharpest exchange in the episode. The plan reminds you to record or write the hook after the episode, when you know what that moment actually is.
Guest or topic introduction — Background that the audience needs to understand what follows, but no more than that. The common mistake is spending too long on credentials — listeners care about what the guest learned or did, not their title. Two or three sentences establishing why this person or topic is worth 40 minutes is the target.
Main segment arc (interview format) — A sequence that moves from accessible to specific: start where the guest’s background is easy to grasp, then move toward their most distinctive or original perspective. The question prompt generates follow-up branches precisely because the most interesting content usually lives in the second answer, not the first rehearsed one.
Takeaway and close — A brief moment where the guest or host names what listeners should take away. This is also the natural place for a call to action — subscribe, follow, go to a link — which the show notes prompt reinforces.
Tips for audio that sounds prepared without sounding scripted
- Record the hook last. Once you know the best moment of the episode, the intro hook writes itself.
- Brief your guest on themes, never exact questions — surprise keeps answers fresh.
- Use the show notes prompt as your episode page. The summary, timestamps, and pull quotes it produces are both listener-friendly and search-friendly.