Podcast templates
Free podcast outline templates
An outline is the running order you record against: what happens first, how long each part runs and what you actually say to move between them. Every outline below is free, and you can record straight from it.
101 templates
Use this template freeAcademic Paper Breakdown
A ready-made academic paper breakdown episode structure for researchers, students and educators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Academic Podcast
A ready-made academic podcast episode structure for academics, research centres and university teams. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Advice
A listener-advice format that clarifies the question, explores perspectives, offers practical options, and creates a path for follow-up.
African Diaspora Stories
A ready-made african diaspora stories episode structure for African diaspora creators and cultural organizations. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Asian American Stories
A ready-made asian american stories episode structure for Asian American creators and community organizations. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Association
A ready-made association episode structure for professional associations. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Audio Drama
A ready-made audio drama episode structure for fiction writers and audio storytellers. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Audio Essay
A ready-made audio essay episode structure for writers, researchers and commentators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Audio Newsletter
A ready-made audio newsletter episode structure for newsletter writers and independent experts. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
B2B Thought Leadership
A ready-made b2b thought leadership episode structure for B2B founders and subject-matter experts. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Behind the Scenes
A ready-made behind the scenes episode structure for creative teams and independent makers. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Bible Study
A repeatable weekly format with an opening prayer, passage reading, teaching, group discussion, and a closing word. Comes preloaded with all five segment markers, so you can record and go.
Body Scan
A ready-made body scan episode structure for meditation teachers and wellness practitioners. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Book Discussion
A recurring book-discussion format with context, central theme, key passage, host discussion, and thoughtful recommendation.
Branded Podcast
A brand-led episode structure that starts with a customer question, tells a useful story, brings in an expert voice, and closes with a practical takeaway instead of a sales pitch.
Breathwork
A ready-made breathwork episode structure for breathwork facilitators and wellness creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Call-in
A ready-made call-in episode structure for community hosts and advice creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Chamber of Commerce
A ready-made chamber of commerce episode structure for chambers of commerce and local business groups. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Christian Interview
A faith-centered guest conversation with context, testimony, a central faith question, practical application, and reflective close.
Classroom Debate
A ready-made classroom debate episode structure for teachers and student groups. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Classroom Podcast
A simple, repeatable format for lessons, student projects, and class discussions. Comes preloaded with an intro, segment markers, and an outro, so you can record and go.
Co-hosted
A ready-made co-hosted episode structure for co-hosts and independent creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Coaching Session
A ready-made coaching session episode structure for coaches and independent experts. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Community Stories
A human-centered community story with a strong person or place, lived experience, wider context, shared meaning, and invitation.
Company Culture
A ready-made company culture episode structure for people teams and internal communications teams. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Conference Recap
A ready-made conference recap episode structure for event teams, attendees and industry creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Continuing Education
A ready-made continuing education episode structure for professional educators and training teams. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Customer Interview
A ready-made customer interview episode structure for founders, researchers and customer marketers. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Customer Success Story
A ready-made customer success story episode structure for customer marketers and founders. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Daily Devotional
A concise devotional format with an opening thought, Scripture passage, reflection, daily practice, and closing prayer.
Debate
A ready-made debate episode structure for commentators, educators and co-hosts. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Documentary
A documentary audio structure that opens in a scene, adds context and voices, tests the evidence, and resolves the central narrative question.
Educational
A teaching-first episode structure with a learning goal, clear concept, worked example, practical application, and concise recap.
Employee Onboarding
A ready-made employee onboarding episode structure for people teams and new-hire program owners. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Employee Training Podcast
A practical training episode with a clear objective, short explanation, realistic scenario, guided practice, and knowledge check.
Entrepreneur
A founder-story format covering the original problem, company origin, pivotal decision, hard lesson, and current challenge.
Expert Commentary
A ready-made expert commentary episode structure for independent experts and analysts. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Expert Q&A
An audience-question format with a clear question, direct expert answer, concrete example, important caveat, and concise takeaway.
Family History
A ready-made family history episode structure for family historians, archives and heritage organizations. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Fireside Chat
A warm, unstructured conversation between two hosts or guests.
Gaming
A repeatable gaming-show structure with news, a featured game, review or debate, community questions, and recommendations.
Guided Meditation
A calm, paced format for guided breathing and meditation sessions.
Healthcare
An educational healthcare podcast format with a patient question, expert explanation, practical guidance, safety note, and recap.
History
A chronological history format with a present-day hook, clear timeline, primary-source moment, interpretation, and lasting legacy.
How-to Tutorial
A ready-made how-to tutorial episode structure for educators, coaches and software creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Hypnosis
A ready-made hypnosis episode structure for qualified hypnotherapy creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Industry Analysis
A ready-made industry analysis episode structure for analysts and subject-matter experts. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Internal Company Podcast
A private internal episode structure for leadership context, team updates, an employee voice, practical next steps, and one clear invitation for feedback.
Interview
A flexible guest interview structure with a focused introduction, origin story, central discussion, rapid questions, and useful takeaway.
Investigative
An evidence-led investigation format with a central question, reporting context, interviews, findings, and transparent next steps.
Journal Club
A journal-club discussion structure for the clinical or professional question, study design, critical appraisal, competing interpretations, and implications for practice.
Language Learning
A ready-made language learning episode structure for language teachers and tutors. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Leadership Update
A ready-made leadership update episode structure for executives and internal communications teams. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Lecture
A ready-made lecture episode structure for teachers, lecturers and subject experts. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Limited Series
A ready-made limited series episode structure for independent creators and campaign teams. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Listener Mailbag
A ready-made listener mailbag episode structure for established hosts and community creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Literature Review
A ready-made literature review episode structure for researchers and graduate students. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Market Trends
A ready-made market trends episode structure for market researchers and business creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Member Spotlight
A ready-made member spotlight episode structure for associations and membership organizations. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Mental Health Education
A ready-made mental health education episode structure for mental-health educators and qualified practitioners. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Mindfulness Lesson
A ready-made mindfulness lesson episode structure for mindfulness teachers and facilitators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Ministry
A ready-made ministry episode structure for church and ministry communications teams. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Monologue Journal
A single-voice format for personal reflections, updates, or narrated essays.
Motivational
An encouraging solo format that names a challenge, shares a personal story, reframes the problem, offers practical steps, and closes with a challenge.
Mystery Story
A suspenseful story structure with a cold open, central mystery, clues, competing explanations, and an unresolved or revealing close.
Myth Busting
A ready-made myth busting episode structure for experts, educators and journalists. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Narrative Interview
A ready-made narrative interview episode structure for interviewers and documentary creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
News Briefing
A concise, neutral briefing format with essential headlines, one main story, necessary context, implications, and what to watch.
Nonprofit
A practical nonprofit podcast structure for a mission update, community story, expert conversation, supporter action, and close.
Nursing Education
A ready-made nursing education episode structure for nurse educators, schools and clinical communications teams. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Oral History
A ready-made oral history episode structure for community groups, historians and museums. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Panel Discussion
A moderated panel structure with concise introductions, a shared question, distinct viewpoints, productive disagreement, and synthesis.
Podcast Case Study
An evidence-led case-study episode with a clear problem, constraints, approach, measurable result, and transferable lesson.
Podcast Recap
A repeatable recap structure covering the top lines, key moments, analysis, what changed, and what to watch next.
Podcast Trailer
A concise podcast trailer structure with a strong opening, clear show promise, proof of the listening experience, release expectations, and one memorable invitation to follow.
Podcast interview questions
A working bank of podcast interview questions arranged in the order a good conversation actually moves: warm-up, context, origin, substance, difficulty, lessons and close. Take what fits your guest and leave the rest.
Policy Briefing
A ready-made policy briefing episode structure for policy teams and public-interest researchers. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Pop Culture
A weekly culture format with quick headlines, one main story, contrasting takes, recommendations, and a closing prediction.
Prayer
A ready-made prayer episode structure for faith leaders and prayer creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Predictions
A ready-made predictions episode structure for analysts and industry creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Product Launch
A ready-made product launch episode structure for product marketers and founders. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Product Update
A ready-made product update episode structure for product teams and founders. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Recovery
A supportive recovery podcast structure with a check-in, personal story, lesson, practical tool, resources, and grounded close.
Research Interview
A ready-made research interview episode structure for researchers and academic communications teams. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Research Summary
A research-summary episode that identifies the question, explains the method, presents the result, tests the limitations, and translates the finding into practical meaning.
Review
A ready-made review episode structure for critics and independent creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Sales
A ready-made sales episode structure for sales leaders and enablement teams. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Science Explainer
A ready-made science explainer episode structure for scientists and science communicators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Sermon
A repeatable sermon episode structure with a welcome, Scripture reading, message, reflection, and closing invitation.
Short-Form
A compact episode format built around one question, one idea, one example, one takeaway, and a clean close.
Sleep Meditation
A ready-made sleep meditation episode structure for sleep and wellness creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Sleep Story
A gentle sleep story podcast structure with a settling introduction, sensory scene, low-stakes journey, gradual slowdown, and soft ending.
Social Impact
A ready-made social impact episode structure for nonprofits, advocacy groups and social enterprises. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Solo
A strong solo episode structure with a hook, personal context, central idea, supporting points, and a memorable takeaway.
Spiritual Reflection
A ready-made spiritual reflection episode structure for faith creators and spiritual communities. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Student Interview
A ready-made student interview episode structure for teachers and student creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Student Podcast Assignment
A ready-made student podcast assignment episode structure for teachers and students. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Teardown
A ready-made teardown episode structure for designers, marketers and expert creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Veteran Stories
A ready-made veteran stories episode structure for veteran organizations, historians and community creators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Webinar to Podcast
A ready-made webinar to podcast episode structure for B2B marketers and educators. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
Yoga Nidra
A ready-made yoga nidra episode structure for yoga nidra teachers. Follow the prompts, record each section and edit the finished episode in Hilite.
How to use these templates
Pick the outline closest to the episode you want to make, then treat the section timings as a budget rather than a rule. Record each section in one take, leave the mistakes in, and cut them out afterwards by deleting the words from the transcript.
Questions about these templates
- What should a podcast outline include?
- A working outline names each section, says roughly how long it should run and gives you a prompt for what to say. Without the prompts an outline is just a list of headings, which is where most episodes lose their shape.
- How long should a podcast outline be?
- Most episodes hold together on four to six sections. Fewer and the middle drifts; more and you spend the episode announcing what is coming next rather than saying it.