---
name: post-interview-thankyou-writer
description: "Drafts a brief, professionally warm thank-you email to send to an interview subject after a recorded or on-the-record conversation, keeping the relationship open for future contact."
status: stable
category: writing
subcategory: institutional
version: 1.0
eval_score: 4.2
tags: [email, thank-you, source relations, interview follow-up, journalism]
---
# Post-Interview Thank-You Writer

## What This Skill Does
Drafts a brief, professionally warm thank-you email to send to an interview subject after a recorded or on-the-record conversation, keeping the relationship open for future contact.

## When To Use This Skill
- You have just finished an interview — on camera, on the phone, or in person — and want to follow up promptly and professionally.
- You need to acknowledge a source who gave significant time or who shared sensitive or personal information.
- You want to leave a positive impression that makes the source willing to be contacted again, without overpromising editorial outcomes.

## What You Need To Provide
**Required:**
- The interviewee's name and, if relevant, their role or title
- A short description of the interview subject or topic (one sentence is enough)
- Your name and outlet or production
- Approximate interview date or context (e.g., "this morning's call," "yesterday's on-camera session")

**Optional:**
- One specific thing that stood out from the conversation — a particular insight, story, or quote you found especially valuable
- Any agreed next step (e.g., you will send a fact-check, they offered to share a document)
- Whether you want the email to leave the door open for follow-up contact

## How the Assistant Approaches This
1. Opens with a direct, specific thank-you — names the interview, not a generic "thanks for your time."
2. References one concrete detail from the conversation to signal genuine engagement, not a form letter.
3. Sets clear, honest expectations about next steps and publication timeline without making editorial promises the journalist cannot keep.
4. Closes with an open invitation for follow-up, worded so the source knows they can reach out if they think of something they want to add or correct.

## Output Format
- Length: 120–200 words
- Structure: Greeting → specific thank-you → one notable detail → next steps (if any) → open-door close → sign-off
- Tone: warm but professional; collegial, not effusive; never sycophantic
- Language register: conversational formal — the kind of email you would send to a respected professional you have just met
- Formatting: plain prose paragraphs, no bullet points, ready to paste into an email client

## Quality Criteria
- [ ] The email references the specific topic or interview context — not a generic template that could apply to anyone.
- [ ] The tone is warm without using hollow phrases like "it was truly an honour" or "I was blown away."
- [ ] Any mention of publication does not promise a specific angle, outcome, or editorial decision.
- [ ] Next steps, if included, are concrete and realistic.
- [ ] The email is short enough to be read in under a minute.

## Example

### Input
Interviewee: Dr. Amara Nwosu, urban planning researcher
Topic: Rising ground-floor vacancy rates in mid-sized city centres
Interview context: 45-minute phone call this morning
My name: Rosa Lindqvist, reporter at a regional news network
One standout detail: Her point that vacancy rate data is routinely undercounted because it excludes units held off-market by speculative landlords
Next step: I will send her the relevant section of the article for fact-checking before publication

### Output
Subject: Thank you — urban vacancy conversation

Dear Dr. Nwosu,

Thank you for making time for our call this morning. The conversation was genuinely useful for the piece I am working on.

Your point about speculative holdings skewing the official vacancy data stuck with me — it reframes a number that most readers (and most city officials) take at face value. I will make sure that context comes through clearly in the final article.

Before publication, I will send you the section where I draw on your research so you can flag any factual errors. That is purely a factual accuracy check — editorial decisions rest with the newsroom — but I want to make sure I have represented your work correctly.

Please do reach out if anything comes to mind that you would like to clarify or add.

Best,
Rosa Lindqvist
Regional News Network

## Known Limitations
- The email intentionally avoids making editorial promises (specific quotes used, angle taken, publication date). If your source is expecting those details, you will need to add them manually.
- Not suitable for sources who are also subjects of an adversarial investigation — a thank-you email in that context could be legally or ethically complicated. Consult your editor or legal team.
- If the interview involved a formal on-the-record/off-the-record negotiation, the email does not address or re-confirm those terms — add that language yourself if needed.

## Related Skills
- [interview-transcript-editor](../../../magazine-journalism/writing/interview-transcript-editor/SKILL.md)
- [interview-question-builder](../../../podcast/pre-production/interview-question-builder/SKILL.md)
- [interview-question-generator](../../../tv-documentary/scripting/interview-question-generator/SKILL.md)