Who doesn’t love a good podcast interview? I mean seriously! There is nothing better than listening to the hosts you love get all the nitty gritty details from a guest you’ve been dying to hear from. Don’t just take our word for it, let the numbers speak for themselves! Interview style podcasts have soared in popularity, with three out of ten young listeners tuning in regularly to interview podcasts. Glad we’re all in agreement here. Interview style podcasts are just the best.
So, what if you want to create an epic interview style podcast but don’t know where to start? First, you need to get down with the basics. Remember that interview podcasts are focused on the guests and their expertise on a certain topic usually related to your podcasting niche. So you need to do your homework prior to recording the podcast interview to get a good list of questions.
These types of shows are all about creating a connection with your guest to provide the most value to your podcast audience. Because of this, the biggest challenge (besides getting guests on your podcast) is to figure out which unique questions to ask your guests! It depends on your podcast topics, but there are some go to questions you can ask all kinds of guests. So today we’re listing the best podcast questions to ask in a interview:
15 Best Questions To Ask In A Podcast Interview
Who are you and where can our listeners connect with you online?
This question is THE one you need to ask every single guest on all of your podcast episodes! It’s important to always give your guest a chance to introduce themselves to your podcast audience. In the same way, asking them to mention their social media handle is an absolute must-do. You wouldn’t want listeners to be unable to find them after the episode is over!
What inspires you to do what you do or keep doing what you’re doing?
This is a very personal question, but a question that listeners love as podcast listeners are often looking for motivation themselves.. Since interview podcasts are focused on the guest, you need to be able to convey a powerful story through their experiences. And what better way than to ask about their inspirations in life? You can always make it a bit more specific and tailor the question to what inspires them to keep up with their careers or their passion projects. It’s up to you!
What is your end goal?
When you’re lucky enough to be a podcast host, you’re usually interviewing some interesting people. These people are typically visionaries with big dreams and goals. Asking them about those goals, or where they see themselves in the future, not only shows listeners how guests continuously raise the bar for themselves, but also how they might have a positive mindset and major focus. It gives you the chance to create an honest connection with your guest and show how they view the future in general. You can ask it to all kinds of guests, just save it for the mid to end parts of an episode.
What’s your biggest failure and what did you learn from it?
Everyone can relate to failure. The most successful people have undoubtedly experience tons of failure. They hopefully view those failures as a part of their journey to success and will be willing to share their stories. This question can be asked in a broad sense or specified to a career, a project, or a certain stage in the life of your guest. If your guest is known for a specific public failure ( maybe they are a reality TV star and their failure was broadcast to the world ), you can ask them to go deep on it. Ask them to tell you about their biggest failure and their lessons to inspire your podcast audience to focus on moving forward.
Who are the most influential people in your life?
This is a fantastic question to ask any thought leaders or inspiring individuals coming over to your show. This question gives a lot of insight into what makes the guest tick. Who they admire shows a lot about their character. Plus, it shows your audience how important it is to learn about those that walked the path before you so to speak. You can learn a lot about life through others’ stories. Plus, if you’re trying to grow your podcast, this is a strategic question. Asking successful people these types of questions can lead to more potential guests for your show, depending on who they mention.
What do most people misunderstand about your work?
If you’re having a conversation with your guest about their life’s work or the latest big project, this is the perfect question. It provides your podcast audience with an insight into a common myth or misconception about their work and the reality of it.
When did you first become interested in your current career path?
If you’re the podcast host of a career show like Work Party, this question is pretty much a gold mine! It creates an instant connection with your guest, their field of work, and the beginnings of their career. Podcast listeners are often on their own journey to finding their place, purpose, passion, careers, etc. So any good interview makes sure to talk about how the interviewee got to where they are right now.
What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
It’s a great idea to ask this question to get a little introspective with your guests. This allows your guest to give advice to their younger selves, which is also super relatable to an audience that is earlier on their own journey than your guest. Plus who doesn’t like to fantasize about the type of advice they would give their younger self? So it’s a fun question to ask for sure!
What does your morning routine look like and how does it motivate you for the day?
It’s no secret that morning routines we’re all obsessed with setting ourselves up for success. And no matter how much we try to pretend our mornings don’t matter, it’s come undeniable that successful people tend to have a productive morning routine. That being said, they are all a little different. So have a conversation with your guest about their morning routine and how it affects their life. Your podcast audience will love it!
What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing in your work right now?
This is a tough one to ask, so be 100% sure to discuss it beforehand. Asking your guests about their biggest and most current challenge will make them more relatable to your podcast audience. It will also help them inspire your listeners! So ask guests about their challenges and what they’re doing to overcome them with ease.
If your life could take a radical turn, what would that be?
This question is a great idea if you want to get a little whimsical! If you and your guest have time to go on a small tangent, definitely consider this one. So ask them about what turn would their life take if there was the option! The results are bound to surprise both you as the podcast host and your listeners.
What’s your way of showing up for yourself every single day?
Asking this question will show the resiliency of your guests and inspire your podcast audience in the process. Tell them to detail their favorite ways to show up for themselves and how they stay motivated to put them into action. Your guests will love this question!
What are three unique skills that helped you become successful?
We’re pretty much living in a time where particular skills are the key to success. Just like asking unique questions can make or break your podcast interview, the soft and hard skills someone possesses can make or break their career. So it’s crucial to know which skills set successful people apart from their competition!
When you were still a kid, what did you hope you would grow up to become?
This is another introspective question, though it also offers a fun trip to your guest’s past. Ask them what they hope to become to help build a connection with your podcast audience. Then take a moment to reflect on what that path would’ve looked like for them!
Can you tell us one thing about yourself that most people aren’t aware of?
This is a great question to finish off interview podcast episodes. It gives your audience a final glimpse into the uniqueness of the guest and allows for one more moment of honesty. This one thing can be a fun fact or something about their past – answers will vary between different kinds of guests. But it sure is a fantastic way to say goodbye to them until their next interview!
Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
This is a fun casual question to ask to sort of break the ice. Plus, it can breed a lot of follow-up questions about how that affects their niche or work. It’ll give your guest some relatability too early on which is great for listener engagement!
What’s the most important lesson you learned in your career?
A great podcast interview question gets right to the core of what the listeners want to know. Sure, listeners want that full 45 minutes or so of great info, but what they really want is that main nugget of wisdom that they can carry with them forever. This question digs deep!
Can you share any upcoming projects or developments?
We’ve got to remember that the podcast interview questions have to be good for the guest too. Letting them share about an exciting development helps them promote their brand, which allows them to capture some of your influence. Hopefully, some of your listeners will tune into their content too!
What kind of stressors are associated with what you do, and how do you handle it?
Everyone wants to know how to handle stress better, which is what makes this a good interview question. Ask your guest about a specific point of stress in their work and give them time to deliver all the details. Then, ask them how they cope with all the stress. This will be super motivating for all of your listeners going through tough stuff!
Can you share about a time you took a big risk?
This question is another solid query for inspiring your listeners to take a big leap! Your listeners have probably heard your story dozens of times, so a great way to re-motivate them to take on new challenges is to give them a new story via your guest! Ask them about a big risk they took and what the result was.
Bonus: Come up with a signature question!
If you do a lot of interviews, take some time to brainstorm a signature interview question that your listeners can look forward to.
What is your favorite question to ask on a podcast interview?
Those are the absolute best questions to ask your podcast guests! These unique questions will help you create a genuine connection with your guest and provide your podcast audience with some amazing and honest content. They should also allow for tons of follow up questions to really fill an interview. You can ask all kinds of guests these questions as long as your interviewee feels comfortable with them! Are you having a guest on your podcast soon? Let us know in the comments! And don’t forget to check out the rest of our Dear Media blog for more podcasting tips and tricks. Good luck building a conversation with your guest on your next podcast interview!