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Guest research brief builder

Builds a ready-to-record guest research brief covering the guest's background, three to five signature talking points, potential controversy or sensitivities, audience-relevance angle, and 15 sequenced interview…

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Purpose

Turn a confirmed guest name into a producer-grade research brief a host can walk into the studio with — talking points, sensitive topics to handle carefully, the specific reason this guest matters to the show's audience, and a sequenced question set that produces sound bites instead of small talk. Eliminates the frantic night-before Googling that produces shallow interviews.

When to Use

Invoke this skill when the user asks to:

  • Prep a host or interviewer before a booked guest recording
  • Research a specific named guest for a podcast episode
  • Build talking points and questions for an interview
  • Flag potential controversy or sensitive topics before booking or recording
  • Turn a confirmed guest into an episode plan or run-of-show
  • Assess whether a guest is actually relevant to their audience

Inputs Required

Before starting, collect:

  • Guest name: Full name and, if available, current title/affiliation
  • Show context: Podcast name, format (interview / panel / narrative), and typical episode length
  • Audience profile: Who listens — role, interests, listening motivation
  • Episode angle: The specific hook or theme this guest is being booked for
  • What the host wants out of it: The takeaway, moment, or positioning goal for the episode
  • Known material to reference: Recent book, launch, controversy, or milestone (if any)
  • Off-limits topics: Anything the guest or their team has flagged as out of bounds

If audience profile or episode angle is missing, infer a working assumption from the show context and label it clearly so the host can correct it.

Instructions

Step 1: Guest Snapshot

Open with a tight orientation the host can absorb in 60 seconds:

  • One-line identity: Who this person is and why they're worth an hour
  • Current relevance: What they're doing right now (launch, role, project, moment) that makes them timely
  • Credibility markers: 3–4 concrete facts that establish authority — titles, numbers, notable work, recognitions
  • Voice/personality read: How they tend to communicate — combative, cerebral, story-driven, guarded, promotional — so the host can calibrate energy

Prioritize recent and verifiable facts. Flag anything you're inferring rather than sourcing as an assumption.

Step 2: Signature Talking Points (3–5)

Identify the ideas this guest is uniquely positioned to speak on. For each:

  • The point: One sentence naming the idea or position
  • Why it's theirs: What earns them the right to speak on it
  • The likely sound bite: The kind of quotable moment this could produce
  • Setup line for the host: A one-sentence framing the host can use to hand the guest the topic

Favor points that only this guest can deliver — cut anything a generic expert could say.

Step 3: Controversy & Sensitivity Scan

Protect the host and the brand. Cover:

  • Known controversies or public disputes: What happened, current status, and how it may surface
  • Sensitive topics: Areas the guest may deflect, get defensive about, or where a wrong question damages rapport
  • Reputation context: Anything the audience will already know or judge the guest by
  • Handling guidance: For each flagged item — whether to avoid, approach gently, or lean into it, with a recommended framing

Label each item with a handling tag: Avoid, Handle carefully, or Lean in.

Step 4: Audience Relevance Angle

Answer the core question: why does this audience care about this guest?

  • The bridge: The single clearest connection between the guest's expertise and the audience's interests or problems
  • What the audience wants to learn: 2–3 outcomes a listener should walk away with
  • The risk: Any gap where the guest could be interesting but not relevant — and how to steer toward relevance
  • Promotable moment: The clip or quote most likely to travel on social and pull new listeners

Step 5: Sequenced Question Set (15 Questions)

Build a question arc, not a list. Group into four blocks:

Block 1 — Warm-up (2–3 questions) Establish rapport and let the guest settle. Open-ended, low-stakes, on ground they enjoy.

Block 2 — Core substance (6–7 questions) Drive at the talking points and episode angle. Each core question includes:

  • The question
  • Why ask it: The moment or answer you're hunting for
  • Follow-up prompt: A ready reframe or "go deeper" line if the first answer is thin

Block 3 — Tension/edge (2–3 questions) Respectful challenge or the harder question that produces a real answer. Use handling tags from Step 3 to phrase these safely.

Block 4 — Close (2–3 questions) Forward-looking, reflective, or a signature closing question that lands the takeaway and gives the guest something to promote.

Number every question 1–15 in recording order.

Output Format

  • Structure: Five labeled sections in recording-prep order; questions numbered and grouped into four blocks
  • Length: 900–1,300 words
  • Format: Structured brief — scannable headers and bullets, not dense prose; questions as a numbered list with sub-notes
  • Sections: Guest Snapshot → Signature Talking Points → Controversy & Sensitivity Scan → Audience Relevance Angle → Sequenced Question Set
  • Tone: Experienced producer briefing a host — direct, protective of the show, alert to both opportunity and risk

Quality Checklist

Before delivering output, verify:

  • [ ] Exactly 15 questions, numbered in recording order and split across all four blocks
  • [ ] 3–5 signature talking points, each with a host setup line and a likely sound bite
  • [ ] Every controversy/sensitivity item carries a handling tag (Avoid / Handle carefully / Lean in)
  • [ ] The audience relevance section names a specific bridge — not "this guest is interesting"
  • [ ] Every core-substance question includes a "why ask it" note and a follow-up prompt
  • [ ] Any inferred or unverified fact is explicitly flagged as an assumption

Notes

  • If the guest is obscure or the name is ambiguous, ask one clarifying question to confirm identity before building the brief — a brief on the wrong person is worse than none.
  • The tension block is where episodes earn their reputation; a brief with only friendly questions produces a forgettable interview.
  • Off-limits topics should be honored in the question set but still surfaced in the controversy scan so the host isn't blindsided if the guest raises them first.
  • The most valuable single line in most briefs is the "voice/personality read" — it tells the host how hard to push before the guest closes up.

How to use this skill

This file is a Claude Code skill in Anthropic's standard format — markdown with YAML frontmatter at the top.

Installing in Claude Code:

  • ~/.claude/skills/<folder-name>/SKILL.md — auto-loads in every session anywhere on your machine (recommended for skills you'll use across multiple projects)
  • <your-project>/.claude/skills/<folder-name>/SKILL.md — auto-loads only when working in that project (recommended for project-specific skills)

Restart Claude Code or open a new session to register.

Using in Claude.ai, ChatGPT, Gemini, or other AI tools:

  1. Drag this file into a new chat, or copy and paste its contents
  2. Send your task or request as your next message — the AI will apply the skill where it fits

For Claude Code skill details: https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills