A good podcast interview sounds like a conversation, but it rests on a plan. Here is how to prepare, which questions work, 40 sample questions and what to do when the conversation stalls.
Updated · 8 min read
Short answer
To interview a podcast guest well, research them, set one goal for the episode and agree on it in a short chat beforehand. Prepare open podcast interview questions, one idea per question, and order them from easy to deep. While recording, listen more than you read: follow up on what the guest has just said, allow pauses and steer back gently when the talk drifts. Open with a specific question, and close by asking what you forgot to ask.
Open or closed
Open questions (how, what, why) bring stories; closed ones bring yes or no
One idea per question
A double question gets half an answer
Pre-interview chat
A short chat before recording calms the guest and sets the goal
After an answer
Wait a moment: the guest often adds the best part
How many to prepare
More than you need: expect to use about half
How do you prepare for an interview with a podcast guest?
Research the guest: their talks, posts and earlier interviews. Look for what nobody has asked them yet.
Set one goal for the episode. What should the listener take away?
Choose three or four themes. You need a direction, and a script would make the conversation stiff.
Have a 10-15 minute pre-interview chat, the day before or just before recording. Go through the themes, anything that is off-limits and how to pronounce names, and agree on a language: in Latvia a guest may switch between Latvian, Russian and English.
Send the guest the practical details: the time, the place and, for a video episode, what to wear.
If you record at our studio in Riga, an audio podcast session gives each person at the table their own professional microphone, and a video podcast adds a 4K camera, professional lighting and a teleprompter.
they are open, so they start with how, what or why;
each one holds a single idea;
they ask about something specific;
they ask for an example or a story;
they are short;
they do not lead the guest towards an answer.
Weak and better questions
Weak question
Better question
Why
Tell us about yourself.
What were you doing the year before you started this?
Specific, and it sets a scene
Was it hard?
What was the hardest week of that year?
Open, and it asks for a story
Why did you start, and what did your family think?
Why did you start? (Then ask about the family separately.)
One idea at a time
Wasn't that a terrible decision?
How do you see that decision now?
It does not lead
What advice would you give?
What would you tell someone in the position you were in then?
It names a specific listener
Which 40 podcast interview questions can you ask a guest?
Do not read the list in order. Pick eight to twelve that fit the episode's goal, and reword them so they sound like you.
About the guest's path
Where did you grow up, and what of that place do you still carry with you?
What did you want to be when you were twelve?
Who opened a door for you early on?
What was your first job, and what did it teach you?
When did you first feel you were good at something?
Which decision changed your direction the most?
What did you give up to get where you are?
What would you tell yourself ten years ago?
About the work
How would you explain your work to a child?
What does an ordinary working day look like for you?
What do people outside your field get wrong about it?
Which part of the job is still hard for you?
Which habit or tool has made the biggest difference?
Which project are you proud of that few people know about?
How do you know a piece of work is good enough?
What would you change about your field in Latvia?
Turning points and mistakes
Which mistake cost you something, and what did you learn from it?
When did you nearly give up?
What is the hardest feedback you have ever had?
Which failure turned out to be useful?
When did you change your mind about something important?
What did a difficult period teach you about yourself?
What did you learn later than you would have liked?
Who did you have to disappoint in order to move on?
Views and advice
What do you believe that most people in your field don't?
Which popular piece of advice do you ignore, and why?
What does success mean to you now, compared with ten years ago?
What would you spend your time on if you were starting today?
Which book, film or conversation shaped the way you work?
Which question do you wish people asked you more often?
Which trend in your field do you think is overrated?
How do you rest, and how do you know when you need to?
Quick questions and the close
Morning or evening?
Where in Riga, or in your own city, do you think best?
Which app could you not do without?
What was the last thing that made you laugh?
Who would you like to hear on this podcast?
What's next for you?
Where can listeners find you?
What didn't I ask that I should have?
How do you listen and follow up instead of reading a list?
A prepared question opens a topic, and the follow-up is what gets the story out of it. Keep a few ready:
"What happened next?"
"What did that feel like?"
"Give me an example."
"Why then?"
You can also repeat the guest's last words as a question ("You nearly gave up?") and then say nothing. Leave a pause before your next question: guests often fill it with the part they were holding back. If something catches your ear while they are talking, note a word or two as a hook and come back to it later, instead of interrupting.
Hold eye contact and nod silently instead of saying "mm-hm". On a recording, every "mm-hm" over the guest's voice stays in.
What if the guest answers in one word or drifts off topic?
If the guest answers in one word, ask for a scene ("Tell me about the day when ..."), make the question narrower, or share a short example of your own first, so the guest hears the kind of answer you mean. Start with easy questions to warm them up. If the episode will be edited, tell a nervous guest that mistakes can be cut.
If the guest drifts off topic, wait for them to take a breath, sum up their point in one sentence and bridge back: "Coming back to ...". Agree in the pre-interview chat that you may steer the conversation. With a guest who talks a lot, agree a hand signal beforehand. The same techniques help when you moderate a panel with several guests at the table.
How do you open and close the conversation?
Open with an introduction of two or three sentences: who the guest is, why you invited them and why now. Then ask a specific first question, never "tell us about yourself".
To close, sum up the main point, ask "What didn't I ask?", tell listeners where to find the guest and thank them.
After recording, tell the guest what happens next: the edit, the release date and any clips. A transcript of the recording gives you show notes and quotes to share.
What are the most common interviewing mistakes?
leading questions;
double questions;
interrupting;
talking about yourself too much;
reading the next question while the guest is talking;
not following up on the interesting part;
loud agreement over the guest's voice;
losing track of time;
skipping the pre-interview chat.
Your own voice needs care as well: a few diction exercises warm it up before a long recording.
If you run the show with a co-host, the podcast for two page compares the studio's formats for two people and what each costs.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions should I prepare for a one-hour interview?
About 15-20, grouped by theme. You will probably use half of them, and the rest are spares for when a topic runs dry.
Should I send the questions to the guest in advance?
Send the themes and two or three opening questions, not the full list, so the answers stay fresh. For sensitive topics, agree the limits beforehand.
Can the guest approve the episode before release?
Decide this in advance and put it in writing. A common compromise: the guest may point out factual errors but does not edit the conversation.
Can an interview mix Latvian, Russian and English?
For the listener's sake, keep one language per episode. If a guest switches for a sentence, a short summary or subtitles help, and the guide to video translation and dubbing covers subtitles in another language.
What if the guest says something they regret?
Agree in the pre-interview chat that they can ask you to cut it, and keep that promise. It builds trust with the guests who come after them.
