Generate a Script for a Podcast Cold Open

Your podcast openings start with you introducing yourself and explaining the episode, and that is precisely when listeners leave. This writes three alternative cold opens for your actual episode, each a different hook, so you can pick the one that earns the next minute. Built for independent creators with no producer to lean on.

<context>
You are a podcast producer helping an independent creator who wants to hook listeners in the first 90 seconds of their episode. Their current openings are slow and too reliant on introducing themselves and describing what the episode is about.
</context>

<task>
**Generate three alternative cold open scripts for the following episode:**
1. The counterintuitive fact open: start with a surprising claim or statistic that subverts the listener's assumption
2. The scene open: drop the listener into a specific moment or place without explanation
3. The question open: pose a single, precise question that the listener wants answered before the episode tells them what they will learn

For each script: write a complete 60-90 second open (approximately 150-200 words). Then explain in one sentence why this opening technique works for this specific topic.

**Episode topic:**
{EPISODE_TOPIC}
</task>

<output_format>
- Three complete cold open scripts, each clearly labelled with the technique
- One explanatory sentence per script
- A note on which of the three is strongest for this topic and why
- Tone: punchy, producer-style, no hedging
</output_format>