How to build a profitable podcast.
This article will give you the top questions to ask your podcast guests.
Hosting a podcast means finding constant ways for your show to stand out.
One of the best kinds of podcasts to have is the one with guests on it. It not only brings popularity to your show from their audience, but you also have new refreshing topics to talk about.
The only way the audience continually listens to your podcast show is if they find it intriguing. What better way to keep things interesting than to ask your guest fascinating questions.
Having guests on your podcast show could be through a direct invitation or a remote podcast show where your guest has to call in. You need to know the top podcast questions to ask guests. And best podcast interview questions for remote guests.
The best interview questions provide excellent value to your show and your audience. Many things determine an excellent podcast episode, but the essential things, especially in an interview podcast, are the quality of the questions and audio.
The best option in most cases is to find the right balance of entertainment and information that will create a smooth conversation with your guest and put them at ease.
In this post, we have prepared tips for crafting questions, lots of great questions you can ask your guests on your show. You will also get ideas of what top podcast questions are and the kind of questions to avoid.
Having guests on your podcast show is essential; having the best podcast interview questions ready is even more critical. And since each guest is unique, you need to craft the best podcast interview questions to ask that are best suited for your guest. There are universal questions that can work regardless of your kind of guests, and there are tips on how to come up with the top podcast questions.
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Asking the right questions will not only get your guest to open up to your audience but will also give an excellent promotion to your podcast in the long run. Questions such as "what do you do" or "tell me about yourself" are the regular type of questions and can only go so far as your audience can find out the answers to those questions on search engines. The question here is how you can come up with the best question for a good podcast show.
It is crucial to have the correct information before your guest gets on your podcast show. Not having the most basic information about your guest would seem rude and unprofessional. Besides, what better way to spark question ideas than learning about the life and achievements of your guest?
For example, if your guest is a company CEO, find out what you can about their organization and industry. Knowing this will help you find more unique questions to ask your guests. Questions that they may have not already been asked several times before.
Social media can come in handy in these cases; researching your guests' Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook feeds will also give you a clue into their personal life. You can also (with their permission) tag them on your page and provide your listeners with the opportunity to ask them their questions.
You can make your episode fun by asking a routine question at the start or the end of an episode. It is one way to gather all of your podcast episodes in one place. It has to be something related to your podcast niche or name. For example, if your podcast show is in the entertainment niche, you could make a habitual question of asking the guests of their favorite musician
The purpose of your podcast show should have an eventual goal of adding value to your show and your audience. So by bringing on guests, you should think of values they can give to the show. You should also know if they will teach academic knowledge, tutoring life hacks, and or add humor to the show. These goals will help you stay on the course and put the conversation on the right path.
As much as you might want to stay organized on your show, it is vital to add a bit of versatility to your podcast episode. An unplanned interplay between you and the guest could turn out to be an exciting form of informational media. If you feel there is more to be uncovered about your guest, you can ask instinctive follow-up questions without necessarily sticking to the script.
Make sure you pay prompt attention to your guest instead of being absent-minded, thinking of the next question to ask. It is also essential for your audience to get authenticity to create a good rapport and have organic conversations with your guests.
Avoid questions that require a simple yes or no, as it could create a boring interview. Make sure you ask questions that can be answered with an in-depth explanation. You can practice those questions yourself and leave them out if you answer a yes or a no.
If you are unsure of what to ask, you can refer to past podcast shows. These could give you insights on questions to ask your guests and teach you ways to carve those questions to apply to the niche and style of your podcast.
Yes, breaking the ice at the start of a podcast interview is excellent. But it may seem disrespectful to your guest to go off-topic or indulge in excessive small talk. Although some guests may not have issues, it is only proper to steer the conversation back to normal and continue with the flow as a good interviewer.
The best podcast interviews are the ones the interviewer dutifully listens to the guest. After all, your guest is there to talk and help you learn more about them, so it will be wrong to interrupt them constantly.
It is essential to ask the best podcast questions, and it is also crucial to understand the kind of questions to avoid.
As much as you might want to know detailed answers to questions, it is important to be less invasive with your inquiries. Please do not put your guest on the spot by jumping into a personal question about them. And if a guest on your show is showing signs of discomfort about a question, the proper thing to do is to back off.
You may need to get information about something, but try not to phrase the questions in a negative light. Do not directly ask negative questions like insults or failures.
Having a popular guest on your podcast show means you may see them on many shows or podcasts. And they may continually be asked the same series of questions. You may need surface-level questions from them, but you should find exclusive and unique questions too.
Most guests (especially prevalent ones) usually request to see the interview questions beforehand. It is only polite that they know the kinds of questions to expect. It might be best for your guest to understand the flow of your podcast show, as being unprepared could catch them unawares and leave them rambling.
It is also vital to have a format on how a podcast interview should go. First,
An ice breaker lets you find an instant connection with your guest and find unique info about them. For example, you could begin the interview with "Tell us something interesting about yourself most people don't know." It is a fun introductory method.
Allow your guest to share their perspective on a scenario or topic using their own words
The main reason for having a guest on your show is to bring more value to your show. So having strategic questions in place to help you
You can have your guest share an experience they regret
You can follow up the above question with what they picked out from the painful experience.
Having a favorite quote can show many emotions, ideas, feelings, and thoughts, whether motivational, personal, or otherwise.
You want your guest to firmly close the interview with a takeaway they want the audience to take note of.
It is only suitable to leave a forwarding contact for the listeners. It could be the guests' website, social media, or email address.
The best podcast interview questions depend on the kind of guests you interview. Are they experts in your niche, celebrities, family and friends, authors? While podcast topics can go from informal to formal, personal to professional, questions may be unique from one podcast show to another.
The paramount objective of a successful podcast interview question is to know how your guests think, reveal who they are, and the kind of value they bring to your show and audience.
That being said, we have categorized the list of the best podcast interview questions into personal questions and areas of specialization questions.
1. How would your family and friends describe you?
2. How would you describe yourself in one word?
3. What is your favorite word?
4. What do you think your mission in life is?
5. What does _____ mean to you?
6. What is your first memory of _____?
7. What are you most excited about now?
8. Are you excited about _____?
9. What are you passionate about in life?
10. What Enneagram type are you?
11. What do you think the world will look like in five years?
12. If you had to write a book tomorrow, what would you write about?
13. What is your biggest pet peeve?
14. What do you think the world will look like in fifty years
15. If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
16. What is the thing that makes you most nervous?
17. What do you look for in a friend?
18. What is your most embarrassing memory from your childhood?
19. What is the worst nightmare you have had?
20. What makes you smile?
21. What would be the perfect birthday gift for you?
22. What would be the title of the book about you—if your worst enemy wrote it
23. What's your favorite color, and what does that say about you?
24. If you were a type of food, what type of food would you be?"
25. What is your favorite word?
26. What are you not very good at?
27. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
28. If you won $10 million tomorrow, what would you spend it on?
29. Why are you so passionate about _____?
30. Are you afraid of _____?
31. What was your dream job as a child?
32. Did you ever think you would be _____ as a child?
33. What was your childhood like?
34. Did you like school?
35. What was your favorite subject/class?
36. What was your least favorite subject/class?
37. What was your major in college?
38. If you had a chance to attend college now, are there classes you would like to take?
39. Did you know what you wanted to do in college?
40. When did you start _____?
41. When did you first become interested in _____?
42. When do you think is the best time to start _____?
43. What are you most curious about now?
44. Who has been the most critical person in your life?
45. How did _____ impact you?
46. Are there any funny stories your family tells about you that come to mind?
47. Are there any funny stories or memories or characters from your life that you want to tell me about?
48. What are you proudest of?
49. When in life have you felt most alone?
50. If you could hold on to one memory from your life forever, what would that be?
51. How does it feel to be _____?
52. What was a turning point in your life?
53. Who influenced you to get into this field?
54. When did you decide to be _____?
55. If you could work in a different job field, what would that be?
56. How did you get started?
57. What is a funny story your family tells about you that you'd like to share?
58. What do people misunderstand about you most?
59. What do you wish you had known when you started?
60. What led you to this [insert project, profession, etc. here]?
61. What do you think your unique skill(s) is that has helped you become successful?
62. What is your favorite childhood memory?
63. Where do you self-educate?
64. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
65. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
66. If you could have coffee with any historical figure, who would you choose?
67. What was your favorite subject in school?
68. What was your favorite trip you've ever taken
69. What star sign are you?
70. When you were a kid, what did you think you would grow up to be?
71. What is your favorite thing about what you do?
72. Can you tell us something about yourself that most people don't know?
73. What is your weirdest habit?
74. Who has been the most crucial person in your life? Can you tell me about them?
75. What was the happiest moment of your life?
76. Who has been the most considerable influence on your life?
77. Who has been the kindest to you in your life?
78. What are the most important lessons you've learned in life?
79. What is your earliest memory?
80. What is your favorite memory?
81. What is giving you hope right now?
82. Where do you self-educate
83. How would you like to be remembered?
84. When and where were you born?
85. Where did you grow up?
86. How would you describe yourself as a child?
87. What is your favorite food?
88. What is your favorite book/movie/TV series?
89. What is your favorite character from _____?
90. What do you do in your downtime?
91. What do you do to de-stress?
92. What is your ultimate goal?
93. What is your favorite holiday?
94. What is your spirit animal?
95. What is your hidden talent?
96. What are your pet peeves?
97. What animal would be your ideal pet?
98. When you are in the shower, what do you think about it?
99. What Hogwarts house are you?
100. What is your favorite joke to tell?
101. What is your morning/bedtime routine?
102. What would you do if you had enough money for the rest of your life and didn't have to work?
103. If three wishes were granted to you, what would you wish for?
104. Tell us a little about what you do.
105. If you were to die tomorrow, what would you do with the time you have left?
106. If you were ice cream, what flavor would you be and why?
107. If you were writing your autobiography, what would the title be?
108. What was the last thing you googled before this interview?
109. What is the funniest thing that happened to you recently?
110. How many languages do you speak?
111. If you were going to write a book, what would it be about?
112. Do you consider yourself tech-savvy?
113. What is giving you hope right now?
114. What are three books you would recommend to my audience and why?
115. What are three movies you would recommend to my audience and why?
116. What is the status quo you reject and why?
117. How do you balance life and work?
118. What has been the most influential resource for your career?
119. If you were going to write a book, what would it be about?
120. What's one question you wish that I asked you?
121. What is the status quo you reject and why?
122. How do you balance life and work?
123. How has your life been different from what you'd imagined?
124. How would you like to be remembered?
125. Do you have any regrets?
126. What does your future hold?
127. What has been the most influential resource for your career?
128. If you were going to write a book, what would it be about?
129. What's one question you wish that I asked you?
130. What has been your least favorite job to date?
131. What would it be if you could go back and give your 18-year-old self one piece of advice?
132. How did you meet your spouse/significant other?
133. What is your biggest failure—and what did you learn from that experience?
134. If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?
135. What is the best compliment you have ever gotten?
136. What is an "insult" you have received that you are proud of?
137. How would your parents describe what you do?
138. Tell me about the three most influential people in your life and how they impacted you.
139. What does your morning routine look like?
140. What is your favorite holiday movie, and what does that say about you?
141. What has been your favorite job you have held?
142. What is one thing your business/successful venture did that you didn't expect?
143. What is a common myth about your job or field of expertise?
144. Who do you turn to when you feel stuck?
145. What gives you the motivation to keep going?
146. What are some of the challenges you faced when you first started?
147. Are there any resources that helped you get to where you are now?
148. What is your approach to networking?
149. Do you have a mentor? If so, who is your mentor?
150. Who is someone you look up to in your field?
151. Who are your clients/customers/followers/fans?
152. Why do they choose your product or service?
153. Who are your competitors?
154. What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone starting in your career?
155. Who has been your most important professional mentor?
156. What do you wish everybody understood about your job?
157. What is a commonly held belief about your role that you passionately disagree with?
158. Why do you like _____?
159. Where do you work?
160. Do (did) you have much support from your friends and family?
161. What are the differences between you and your competitors?
162. What is the source of your inspiration?
163. Are you a solo or team player?
164. How big is your team?
165. What are the keys to building a great team?
166. Would you consider yourself successful?
167. How long did it take you to see success?
168. What are the unique skills that helped you be successful?
169. What makes you a great _____?
170. How do you balance _____ and _____?
171. What is your motto?
172. How would you like to be remembered?
173. How did you feel when _____?
174. Have you thought about giving up?
175. What are the things people struggle with within your field?
176. What are some of the mistakes you have made?
177. What do you wish you knew when you started?
178. What advice would you give to someone who is entering _____?
179. What are some of the common myths about _____?
180. Tell us about your upcoming project.
181. Where can we find you online?
182. Is there anything else you want to tell the listeners but haven't had the chance to?
183. What is one tool you always carry in your toolbox no matter what project you are working on?
184. What do you wish your younger self knew about your current role?
185. What is a concern you have for your next board meeting?
186. What is motivating your team right now?
187. What is one initiative on your whiteboard that was not there 30 days ago?
188. If you had 10x the budget you have now, what would you spend it on?
189. What is something about your industry that has surprised you lately
190. What was more challenging than you expected when you first started as a [guest's profession]?
191. What's one lesson your job has taught you that you think everyone should learn at some point in their life?
192. What's one thing about your job/field of expertise that almost no one agrees with you about?
193. What's your favorite productivity hack for entrepreneurs?
194. At what time of day do you get your best work done?
195. What's the biggest challenge you're facing in your role/business/project right now, and how are you tackling it?
196. What is the most important lesson you've learned over your career?
197. In your opinion, what is the most crucial personality trait/strength someone would need to work in your industry/be thriving in your job?
198. Did you always want to be a [insert profession here]?
199. What is an underrated tool(s) indispensable for your job?
200. Do you agree with the common perception about your work?
201. What has fundamentally changed about your work from when you started until now?
202. What is the biggest problem you or your team solved in the last year?
203. If you could start a business tomorrow, what would that business be?
204. What occupation (other than your own) would you like to try?
Interviewing is a great skill. It takes getting used to understanding how to control the conversation flow and the right question to ask. Setting the proper interview sets you apart from several other podcasts, adds value to your show, and provides better opportunities for you.
You should make your questions as unique as possible and try to flow with the podcast episode. Plus, if you need more help with podcasting, we at FAME Host are here to give you insights on how to start a podcast, promote your podcast, and the best hosting services.
