---
title: "Podcast Script Template for Solo and Interview Shows"
description: "Two copy-ready podcast script templates, one for solo episodes and one for interviews, with a beat table, worked examples, and a rehearsal checklist."
canonical: "https://www.murmurtts.com/blog/podcast-script-template-solo-interview"
---
[Murmur](https://www.murmurtts.com/)/[Blog](https://www.murmurtts.com/blog)/Guide

Guide

# Podcast Script Template for Solo and Interview Shows

Two copy-ready podcast script templates, one for solo episodes and one for interviews, with a beat table, worked examples, and a rehearsal checklist.

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On this page

Pick the solo or interview template before you writeSolo episode podcast script templateInterview episode podcast script templateScript only the parts that carry the showRehearse, record, and regenerate only the parts that failWhere a local voice studio fits, and where it does notFrequently asked questions

[Back to the journal](https://www.murmurtts.com/blog)

A podcast script template is a fixed list of beats you fill in for each episode, so your energy goes into the content instead of the structure. Use a five-part solo template (cold open, setup, three points, recap, outro) when one host carries the show. Use a two-column interview template that scripts your questions and host lines while leaving the guest's answers open when you record a conversation. This guide gives you both templates, worked examples, a table to choose between them, and a rehearsal checklist.

## Pick the solo or interview template before you write

Both templates share the same skeleton, but they solve different problems. A solo episode lives or dies on structure and pacing, because there is no second voice to create movement. An interview episode lives or dies on the quality of your questions and your tape, because the best moments are usually unplanned. Choose the format first, then write into the matching template. The table below shows what actually changes.

| Decision | Solo template | Interview template |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who speaks | One host, start to finish | Host plus one or more guests |
| What you script | Every spoken line, word for word | Your questions, intros, and transitions only |
| Main risk | Monotone delivery | Off-topic or unusable answers |
| Preparation | Outline plus one full read-through | Research, drafted questions, and a pre-interview |
| Editing load | Light, mostly pacing and trims | Heavy, you cut tape into a story |
| Best first step | Write the cold open | Write your first and last question |

If you are unsure, write the cold open first. It is the one beat every format needs, and drafting it usually reveals whether the episode holds a single clear idea. An idea that survives a cold open is usually a solo episode. An idea that needs another person to explain it is usually an interview.

## Solo episode podcast script template

A solo template scripts every spoken word. Copy the beat sheet below into a document, fill each line, and read it aloud before you record. The brackets are placeholders, not text to keep.

> [COLD OPEN: one sentence that states the promise of this episode.] [HOST INTRO: name, show, and what the listener gets.] [SETUP: why this topic matters now, in two or three sentences.] [POINT ONE: claim, then the evidence or example.] [POINT TWO: claim, then the evidence or example.] [POINT THREE: claim, then the evidence or example.] [RECAP: the one thing to remember.] [OUTRO: what comes next, and one clear ask.]
>
> Blank solo episode script template

Keep each point to a single idea. When you try to carry two ideas in one point, both get less time and the listener loses the thread. The Life Kit team at NPR makes the same argument from a different angle: write for the ear, use one idea per sentence, and read every draft aloud before you commit to it.

A concrete way to fill the template:

1. Write the cold open as a promise, not a greeting. "Today we answer why X happens" beats "Welcome back to the show."
2. For each point, write the claim first, then decide which example proves it. If you cannot name an example, the point is not ready.
3. Read the three claims in a row. If two of them say the same thing, delete one and expand the survivor.
4. Turn every long sentence into two short ones. Short sentences are easier to say and easier to follow.
5. Mark one sentence per section that you want to land. Stress it in rehearsal and let the rest stay even.

### Worked solo example

> Cold open: Most people record a solo podcast the way they write an email, and it shows in the first thirty seconds. Host intro: I'm [name], and this is [show], a short show about making audio that sounds intentional. Setup: A template is not a cage. It is a checklist that stops you from forgetting the parts a listener silently expects. Point one: Listeners need a promise. State what this episode delivers in the first sentence, before any music or greeting. Point two: Listeners need a path. Three clear points are easier to hold than five blended ones. Point three: Listeners need an ending. A recap plus one ask turns a monologue into a finished episode. Recap: Promise, path, ending. Fill those three and the rest is polish. Outro: Next week we build the interview template. If this helped, subscribe so you catch it.
>
> Original worked example, solo episode

Notice that the example is a script about scripting. It is fine for a demonstration to be self-referential, because it shows the structure while explaining it. Replace the topic with your own and keep the shape.

## Interview episode podcast script template

An interview template scripts the parts you control and nothing else. You write your intro, your questions, your transitions, and your outro. You do not write the guest's answers, because a scripted guest sounds scripted. Copy the beat sheet, then fill your side.

> [COLD OPEN: one sentence on why this guest and this topic.] [HOST INTRO: who you are and what the listener will hear.] [GUEST INTRO: name, role, and one line on why they matter here.] [QUESTION SET A: two or three warm-up questions.] [QUESTION SET B: the core questions, each written as open-ended.] [QUESTION SET C: two follow-ups you can deploy if an answer is thin.] [TRANSITIONS: one line to move between topics.] [OUTRO: summary of the guest's main point, plus one ask.]
>
> Blank interview episode script template

Most of the preparation happens before you write a single question. Rob Rosenthal's checklist on Transom advises typing your questions, re-reading them right before the interview so they stay fresh, and treating the opening minutes as setup rather than content. You ask the guest to introduce themselves on tape, set levels with a throwaway question, and only then begin the real interview.

A practical sequence for filling an interview template:

1. Research the guest until you can explain their work in one sentence to a stranger.
2. Write the first and last question before anything in the middle. They frame the episode.
3. Write each core question so it cannot be answered with yes or no.
4. Draft two follow-ups for every core question. "What did that feel like?" and "What did you do next?" recover a flat answer.
5. Write one transition line between each topic. It stops the edit from sounding like a list of questions.
6. Leave the answers blank on purpose. Scripted guests read like press releases.

### Worked interview example

> Cold open: Every week this show talks to someone who built a workflow worth copying. Today that is a small publisher who records an audiobook chapter before breakfast. Host intro: I'm [name], and this is [show]. Guest intro: My guest is [name], who runs a two-person press and has recorded [number] chapters this year. Question A: Walk me through what your desk looks like at six in the morning. Question A: What made you stop waiting for a studio? Question B: When a chapter comes back sounding flat, how do you decide whether to re-record it or fix it in the edit? Follow-up: What did that cost you the first time? Transition: That is the recording side. Let's talk about the part nobody sees, the review pass. Question B: How do you check a chapter before it ships? Outro: The takeaway is that a repeatable setup beats a perfect one. If you want the local recording workflow, it is linked in the notes.
>
> Original worked example, interview episode

Every scripted line here is a host line. The guest supplies everything between the questions. That split is the whole point of the interview template, and it is why you should resist the urge to feed a guest their answers in advance.

## Script only the parts that carry the show

Do not write an essay and call it a podcast script. Write for the ear, which means shorter sentences, contractions, and words you would actually say. NPR's Life Kit guidance recommends reading every draft aloud, first to test the idea and again to test the sound. If a sentence trips you up in rehearsal, it will trip the listener up in playback.

For a solo show, your script is close to a final document and editing is mostly trimming. For an interview show, your script is a scaffold and the real material is the tape, which you cut later. Knowing which of the two you are making changes how much time you spend on the wording and how much you spend on the questions.

If the show needs a fixed opening, a template for the intro alone is worth having. A dedicated [podcast intro generator workflow](https://www.murmurtts.com/blog/podcast-intro-generator-mac) separates the cold open, the show identity line, and the host intro so you can reuse them across episodes. When more than one voice appears in the same episode, the [multi-voice podcast generator workflow](https://www.murmurtts.com/blog/multi-voice-podcast-generator-mac) explains how to structure speaker turns so each role stays consistent.

## Rehearse, record, and regenerate only the parts that fail

Rehearsal is where a script stops being text. Read the full solo script once without stopping, note where you run out of breath, and shorten those sentences. For an interview, rehearse your questions out loud so you can ask them conversationally instead of reading them off the page. Rosenthal's checklist is explicit about this: keep your typed questions in your pocket, re-read them before you begin, and let the conversation carry once you are rolling.

When you record or generate host lines, work in sections. Section-level files are easier to fix, because you can regenerate one paragraph instead of the whole episode. The [Mac narration workflow](https://www.murmurtts.com/blog/mac-text-to-speech-workflow) walks through a section-by-section pass, and [one-time app versus subscription pricing](https://www.murmurtts.com/blog/one-time-tts-app-vs-subscription) explains why a smooth revision loop matters more than a low headline price.

A word-count check keeps a draft honest. Use the estimates below as planning targets, then time the finished read, because pace varies from speaker to speaker and from show to show. For an interview, the body is mostly tape, so the scripted words there are just questions and transitions.

| Segment | Solo planning words | Interview planning words |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cold open | 40 to 70 | 40 to 70 |
| Host intro and guest setup | 30 to 60 | 60 to 120 |
| Body | 900 to 1,900 | Questions and transitions only |
| Recap | 60 to 120 | 60 to 120 |
| Outro | 40 to 80 | 40 to 80 |

## Where a local voice studio fits, and where it does not

Murmur is a local voice studio for Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 15 or later. It is useful in this workflow when you want to produce host lines, intros, sponsor reads, or interview transitions without uploading scripts to a cloud service, and without per-character fees. You write the script in the templates above, generate the lines you control, and assemble the finished episode in your editor. The app generates voice tracks; it is not a podcast editor.

It is the wrong tool in specific cases. If you need Windows or an Android or iPhone app, look elsewhere, because the app is macOS only. If you need live or real-time streaming voice for a call-in show, this is not that. If your team needs shared workspaces, review links, and cloud collaboration, a browser tool fits better. Murmur also does not transcribe audio, so it will not turn your recorded interview into a script for you.

And if you only ever record your own voice, a plain document and a microphone may be all you need. The templates above are free to copy regardless. Use a voice tool only when it removes a real step from your process.

## Frequently asked questions

## Sources

- [NPR Life Kit: Need to write a toast or a script? Here are 7 tips to let your voice shine through](https://www.npr.org/2023/02/17/1156597697/how-to-write-script-speech-podcast-voice)Accessed 2026-10-14
- [Transom: Before The First Question, by Rob Rosenthal](https://transom.org/2012/before-the-first-question)Accessed 2026-10-14
- [NPR Student Podcast Challenge: Starting Your Podcast, A Guide For Students](https://www.npr.org/2018/11/15/662070097/starting-your-podcast-a-guide-for-students)Accessed 2026-10-14

## Draft the script in Murmur on your Mac

Murmur is a local voice studio for Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 15 or later. The website edition costs $49 one-time, with a free plan and a 3-day Pro trial, and a 7-day refund policy. Listen to the public samples before you buy.

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