Let’s be honest…podcast interviews can be a little bit nerve wracking, even for the most experienced podcast host. But, interviews are an excellent way to gain knowledge and an awesome addition to any podcast. This is why it’s important to find ways to make your interviews stand out. The key to interesting and successful interview podcasts is preparation, proper research, and a good lineup of unique questions. This also allows you to come up with questions that are suitable for the kind of guest you’re interviewing as well as your podcast topic.

It can sometimes be challenging to think of questions on the spot when the interview is in progress, so make sure to plan ahead and have some questions ready. Interviews should be engaging and it’s best to avoid any awkward silence during the whole program. Episodes are the best when you get a little authentic Q&A going and this episode of the Papaya podcast is the perfect example of just that. So, for some inspiration, we’re sharing a roundup of interesting, go-to interview questions that podcasters can use to make their podcasts as engaging, inspiring, and informative as possible.

30+ Best Podcast Questions

Personal Questions:

  • Tell us what you do.

If you’ve brought a guest on your podcast, odds are…they probably do something pretty cool. Ask your guest or guests to share what they do with you and your podcast audience! This is a pretty obvious one.  But it’s a great lead in to introduce your guest.

  • Where can listeners find you?

On the flip side, this question makes a great closing for a good podcast. You always want to be sure to give your guests a chance to plug themselves – whether that be their website, podcast, social media, product, etc.!

  • Who are your role models and why?

Who someone chooses to model their life after can say a lot about their values and their character! Role models can be anyone your guest might look up to or someone they admire and/or hold in high esteem.

  • What made you choose to pursue your current career path? Or how do you come to do what you do?

Get to know your guest better by asking them why they chose their current career path. Or the story to how the landed where they are. The answers to this question are often the most intriguing and inspiring stories. The journey to greatness is typically unconventional. So this question can offer a lot of inspiration to guests and provide so much insight into how someone got where they are.

  • Describe your daily routine.

Does your guest have the best morning routine for success? What does your guest do each and every day that helps them accomplish their goals, get through the day, and motivate them to keep going?

  • Tell us one interesting thing about yourself.

Ask your guest to tell you and listeners one interesting thing about themselves! The answer to this question can be literally anything and it’s a great way to get the conversation rolling.

  • What is your biggest inspiration?

This on lends to the source of it all for you guests. What drives your guest? What is their biggest motivation? Some common answers might be money or family…but sometimes motivations can stem from intriguing past experiences and/or charity.

  • What advice would you give your younger self?

With age comes so much experience. What would your guest say to their younger self that would help them in the real world today? This piece of advice can be insightful to both you and your listeners.

  • How do you practice self-care or self-love?

With everything going on in the world today, self-care is essential. Ask your guest to share the things they do to practice self-care and find out any tips they might have for your listeners. For tips on self-care, check out these 7 ways to show up for yourself. 

  • Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

This is a great podcast interview question because it can really tell you so much about your guest. It can give you and your listeners real insight into what your guest enjoys doings and how they spend their time outside of their career.

  •  Describe yourself with (1) word.

This question is great for breaking the ice and getting the conversation started in an interesting way. One word can speak volumes about a person…

  • What do people misunderstand most about you?

This question provides an opportunity for your guest to address any misconceptions or confusion surrounding who they are or what they do.

Industry-Related Questions:

  • What do you do for a living? Describe it in one sentence.

Asking this question is a great way for your guest to explain exactly what they do, but in simple and easier to understand words for you and your listeners.

  • What is your favorite thing about what you do?

To get your guest excited and talking about what they’re passionate about, ask them to talk about their favorite part of their career.

  • What skill or skill(s) do you have that make you particularly suited for your career?

Everyday, people are acquiring new skills and new careers like podcasting, influencing, and promoting are being created. What skills does your guest have to offer and how do those skills make them more successful in their industry?

  • What is a common myth about your industry?

Some careers carry the weight of stereotypes and predisposed notions of how someone should look or act. Asking this question will give your guest the opportunity to clear up any confusion and set the record straight.

  • What is the biggest challenge at work?

This is a great question to ask your guest because it gives your guest the opportunity to be vulnerable and talk about any weaknesses they might have. A variation of this question could be “Currently, what is your biggest challenge?”

  • What is your end goal?

What does your guest want to ultimately accomplish? This question can be applied to their life, career, current project, and more! We love this question because it allows the guest to talk about their vision, which allows them to showcase their passion. Most successful people are visionaries in one way or another. So allowing them to share their vision for the future is super empowering.

  • Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

This is a great question to ask your guest to prompt conversations about their future goals and plans. Where do they see themselves and how do they plan to get there. This one is more short term than the end goal question. It’s typically more related to the business they’re currently involved in. Or how they see their family changing in recent years.

  • Tell us one thing you’ve failed at, and how you overcame it.

Stories of falling down and getting right back up are always super inspirational and encouraging. Be sure to ask your guest about their biggest failure or encourage them to share their experiences with failure and what important lessons they learned from their experiences.

  • What is one thing you wish you had known when you began your career?

We all wish we had the opportunity to give our younger selves a bit of advice. What would your guest have to say to their younger counterpart?

  •  What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?

Find out what your guest is most proud of! You can also switch it up and ask about the worst moment of their career. Either way, your guest will have an interesting story to share and it will most likely make for an inspiring and entertaining story.

Whimsical Questions:

  • Would you rather?

This is an awesome question to break the ice or to fill up some time. Think about questions like…”would you rather spend the rest of your life without pizza or coffee?” Feel free to personalize these questions to your guests’ personal life or industry.

  • How do you balance life and work?

This is the perfect question for guests that are business owners, hosts of other podcasts, entrepreneurs, mothers, fathers, etc. Find out how your guest manages to do it all and still find time for their personal life.

  • What are your (3) favorite products or things right now?

Asking this question is a great opportunity to learn more about what your guest likes, things they use daily, and even get insight into their possible hobbies. You can apply this to almost any industry as well. Beauty, career, wellness, really anything goes.

  • What is the one thing you couldn’t live without, and why?

From our experience, there are tons of different interesting, hilarious, and sentimental answers to this type of question. See what your guest has to say about the one thing they couldn’t live without. This question offers to much insight into the personality and intricacies of your guests.

  • Tell us something unique about yourself.

Asking this question is a great opportunity for your guest to reveal a bit more about themselves and it gives listeners a chance to connect with your guest on a deeper level.

  • What is your hidden talent?

This is an excellent question for any guest that has a hidden talent or skill that most don’t know about. Find out what it is and definitely be sure to ask your guest to give listeners a little demonstration of their talent or skill if applicable.

  • This or That?

This is such a fun question because you can choose any two things for your guest to compare. Coke or Pepsi? White chocolate or dark chocolate? Biking or jogging? This is a fun little Q&A game to play with guests that will keep listeners interested and intrigued. For an example of something similar, check out the We Met at Acme podcast. We Met at Acme often has a round of “rapid fire questions” for their guests at the end of each episode that might be inspiring as you continue to think about the best questions to ask during a podcast interview.

  • What do you think the world will look like in 100 years?

This is our favorite whimsical question because there are soooo many different answers. What does your guest think about the current state of the world? And where do they think it’s headed?

  • If you could have any other career, what would it be?

If you spend a lot of time talking about a particular guest’s career, this question is a great follow up. Sure…they have an awesome career! But, if they could choose any different path, what would it be?

  •  Share your favorite childhood memory.

Our childhood helps shape us into the people we are today. Be sure to ask your guest what part of their childhood stood out, and how it helped them become the person they were meant to be.

  • Ask your own signature question.

And lastly – don’t be afraid to create your own, unique signature question that you ask all your guests. If unique enough, your signature question could easily become a staple of your brand and something your listeners look forward to week after week.

Now you know how to ask the best podcast questions for epic interviews.

And there you have it – those are the 30+ best questions to ask in your next interview! Interviewing guests on your podcast can really set your work apart, so it’s important to learn how to get guests for your podcast as well as the best questions to ask. And if you want some live inspiration for different types of guests, check out House Guest with Kenzie Elizabeth. It has examples of how to create good-quality questions based on different types of guests.

Some other tips to keep in mind during interviews are to be flexible with the order of your questions, avoid asking simple yes/no questions, listen carefully to answers, and allow your guest to take the lead. Some episodes we recommend that you listen to for inspiration about interviews and questions are You’ve Got Questions. Jaclyn Johnson’a Got Answers! and Ask A Therapist Q&A: Stress vs Anxiety Supporting Loved Ones, Triggers & More.  We hope you’ve enjoyed this round up of the best podcast questions and we hope our list of questions will inspire you to think of more! Good luck podcasting!