Begin with evidence the guest actually owns

List the areas the guest can discuss with depth. Include decisions they have made, problems they have worked through, ideas they can defend, and stories they have permission to share. Separate these from subjects they merely find interesting. A pitch angle needs enough substance to support a conversation.

For each area, identify the tension that makes it worth discussing. The topic might be hiring, but the tension could be deciding whether a role needs specialist expertise or broader operational judgment. Tension gives an interview movement because there is a real choice to explore.

Change the listener’s question

The same underlying experience can serve different audiences through different questions. A founder might ask when to make a first hire. A manager might ask how to give that hire clear responsibility. A service provider might ask how to explain the change to clients. Those are related angles, but each has a different listener need.

Choose examples that fit the listener’s level of responsibility and knowledge. Avoid taking a complex technical conversation and simply replacing its vocabulary with simpler words. Adapt the decision itself so the audience has a reason to engage.

Check each proposed angle against the guest’s boundaries. A story that sounds useful may involve confidential information or a claim the guest has never approved. Build around material they can discuss openly. The pitch should create an interview the guest can deliver comfortably and accurately.

Create an angle bank your team can use

For every approved angle, write a title, the intended listener, the central question, a few supporting points, and the guest evidence behind it. Add notes about what the angle does not cover. This makes the bank a practical writing resource instead of a collection of catchy headlines.

When pitching a specific show, select and refine an angle rather than copying the entire bank into the email. Review the show’s recent content so you do not propose a conversation it has just completed in substantially the same form.

  • List five problems the guest can explain through direct experience.
  • Write the listener’s decision behind each problem.
  • Create separate angles for different audience needs.
  • Check that each angle has credible supporting examples.
  • Approve the angle bank, then tailor one idea to each show.