Content Planning and Briefs

Expert Interview Article Brief

Plan an expert-led article with defined interview goals, evidence needs, question areas, quotation approval, fact review, and editorial ownership.

Free editable Markdown · Editors, journalists, and content marketers · Updated July 30, 2026

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Assignment and expert

Working title: [Draft title]
Reader question: [One primary question]
Article format and length: [Profile, Q&A, reported feature, or analysis]
Expert name and preferred title: [Confirm spelling]
Relevant expertise: [Why this person can address the scope]
Affiliations or conflicts: [Employment, funding, commercial interests]
Contact and coordinator: [Approved details]
Interview date and time zone: [YYYY-MM-DD, time, zone]

Interview plan

Knowledge gap: [What reliable desk research did not answer]
Opening question: [Establish relevant context]
Decision-process question: [Ask how a judgment is made]
Evidence question: [Ask what supports the view]
Boundary question: [Ask when the advice does not apply]
Counterargument question: [Invite the strongest competing explanation]
Example request: [Ask for an attributable or anonymized case]
Final clarification: [Ask what the writer is most likely to misunderstand]

Consent, evidence, and review

The expert understands the intended publication and audience.
Recording consent and applicable requirements were addressed.
On-record, background, and off-record boundaries are documented.
Promised evidence or documents have an owner and deadline.
Quotations retain the speaker's intended meaning and qualifications.
Names, roles, dates, and technical details were independently checked.
The agreed quotation or fact-review process was followed.
Final changes and editor decisions are recorded.

How to use this template

State the article's audience, question, format, and the specific knowledge gap the expert can address.
Verify relevant expertise, affiliations, conflicts, availability, and consent expectations.
Prepare question areas with follow-ups for evidence, mechanisms, uncertainty, and examples.
Log quotations and factual claims immediately after the interview while context is fresh.
Send the agreed review material, resolve corrections, and record final editorial approval.

Define the editorial gap before booking the interview

An expert should contribute knowledge that desk research cannot adequately supply: operational nuance, a decision process, interpretation of evidence, or a concrete example. Write the reader's central question and list what the article already knows from reliable sources. Then identify the missing insight the interview should resolve. This keeps the session from becoming a biography or a sequence of generic predictions. Check the expert's relevant experience and potential conflicts without treating job title as sufficient proof. A clear scope also lets the guest decline topics they cannot discuss.

Ask for reasoning and evidence, not polished slogans

Questions that begin with “how,” “under what conditions,” and “what would change your view” usually produce more useful material than requests for a broad take. Ask the expert to distinguish direct observation from interpretation and to name documents, data, or public examples that can be checked later. Follow an interesting claim with requests for a mechanism, boundary, and counterexample. Do not pressure a guest to estimate figures outside their knowledge. Record uncertainties explicitly so a writer does not later turn a cautious answer into a confident statement.

Build approval without surrendering editorial control

Agree in advance whether the expert may review exact quotations, factual descriptions, or the entire draft. A fact review can catch misspelled names, technical errors, and missing qualifications, but it should not silently convert independent editorial work into promotional copy. Keep an audit trail of requested changes and the editor's decisions. Never reconstruct a quotation by combining separate answers without making the meaning clear. If recording failed or wording is uncertain, paraphrase with confirmation or omit the passage rather than guessing.

See the fields in context

Fictional example: interview on neighborhood heat planning

Dr. Lina Moss and the Harborview planning study are invented solely to demonstrate interview preparation.

Knowledge gap: Public guidance lists cooling measures but does not explain how a small city prioritizes blocks with limited funds.
Expert contribution: A fictional urban planner explains how shade, resident vulnerability, and maintenance capacity affect sequencing.
Evidence request: Public methodology notes and a blank version of the prioritization rubric, not confidential resident records.
Quotation review: Exact quotations and technical descriptions only, returned within three working days.
Boundary captured: The approach is not offered as a universal scoring model for cities with different climate or data conditions.

Frequently asked questions

Should an expert receive every question in advance?

Share the topic, purpose, and key areas so the guest can prepare accurate evidence. Whether to send exact questions depends on the format and policy; retain room for responsible follow-ups.

Is quotation approval the same as draft approval?

No. Quotation approval checks wording attributed to the speaker. Draft approval gives broader control over framing and conclusions. Define the offered review precisely before the interview.

Can an interview supply all the evidence for an article?

Rarely. An interview is one source with a particular perspective. Verify checkable facts independently and use primary documents or additional voices where the stakes require them.

What should happen when an expert changes a quote after the interview?

Record the requested change, determine whether it corrects accuracy or alters meaning, and apply your stated policy. If agreement is impossible, paraphrase with confirmation or do not use the quote.