Updated Discussion Treasures for Listener Retention

The quality of the questions you ask guests makes or breaks a podcast. Interesting podcast interview questions keep the listeners involved and make your podcast engaging. If you are new to podcasting, you must be worried about the questions you are going to ask. Therefore, you should come fully prepared with your podcast questions to avoid an awkward conversation.

This guide is going to reveal how to come up with the best questions so you can nail your podcast interviews and keep your listeners hooked. So here are the best questions you can ask to make your podcast unique and captivating.

Part 1. 50 Podcast Interview Questions to Get Unique Answers

The best podcast questions to ask guests differ according to your niche and the kind of guests you interview. Questions depend on whether you’re interviewing a celebrity, a businessperson, an expert in his field, an author, a producer, or your friends and family members.

The best way is to divide your questions into different categories.

Great Icebreaker/Intro Questions

Icebreaker questions are used to begin an interview or meeting. These are personal questions to learn more about one another quickly. For example, the prompt might be “share your name, role, and what you usually do during the weekend.” These questions aim to have fun, create points of connection between guests, and build confidence in speaking in front of the group.

Here are some icebreaker questions that you can ask to start an interview.

1. Where did you grow up and make the impact on you today?
2. What do you do in your free time?
3. When you were a child, what did you want to be, and why?
4. Are you an introvert or an extrovert person?
5. Tell me about a time you completely embarrassed yourself.
6. What is the most common misconception about you?
7. What is the greatest compliment you have ever received?
8. Who has had the largest impact on your life?
9. What is one of your greatest challenges in life?
10. How did you meet your spouse or partner?

Leading Question

A leading question suggests a particular answer to the question that the questioner desires. These questions mostly have a yes or no answer. However, if you extract your question from the answer just given by the guest of the podcast, it is also a leading question.

Some leading questions that you can ask are discussed below.

1. Why?
2. What happened next?
3. How or what did you feel when this happened?
4. What did you learn from that incident?
5. Do you still feel sad remembering that?
6. How did that experience affect the trajectory of your life?
7. Tell me about a time when _?
8. How satisfied are you with our product?
9. Which of our product features did you find most useful?
10. Will you highlight your positive experience on social media?
11. Describe a turning point in your career.
12. What’s the biggest challenge in your profession?
13. What do you mean by that?
14. Can you give an example?
15. What do you suggest to our audience who are facing the same problems?

Comparison Questions

In an interview, a comparison question is one where you ask a person what he prefers between these two things. This type of question can also advance the discussion of the topic. Besides, you can get a deeper understanding of what guests think and feel about this podcast episode.

You can ask questions from the comparison questions given below.

1. Can you compare and contrast standard costing and actual costing?
2. What do you prefer, iPhone or Android?
3. Do you think social media has a positive impact or a negative impact?
4. Do you buy things online or at malls mostly?
5. Which is better, E-learning or Classroom Learning?
6. Students who work Vs. Unemployed students: Who takes the best of his life?
7. Job or College, what will you choose?
8. Early-morning workouts or late-night workouts?
9. Who is better, Ronaldo or Messi?
10. Coffee or tea, which one do you prefer drinking?
11. Would you instead do the gym or play sports?
12. Childhood vs. Adulthood, which life you enjoyed more?
13. Were you good in academics or extracurricular activities?
14. In which weather do you feel comfortable, summer or winter?
15. What do you prefer to eat, pizza or a burger?

Great Closing Questions

When we move on to this type of question, typically, it’s time to end the show. Closing interview questions are questions the hosts might ask at the end of the podcast to wrap things up. The following question can be asked to conclude the podcast on a happy note.

1. How do you wish to be remembered?
2. What is one piece of advice you can share with my audience?
3. Which three books would you suggest to my listeners, and why?
4. Which three movies would you suggest to my audience and why?
5. Which question do you wish I had asked, and how would you have responded?
6. What is the most important lesson you want your audience to learn from this podcast?
7. What are your plans?
8. Where can the audience find out more about you?
9. Where may listeners sign up for your course or purchase your products?
10. How can listeners contact you online?

Part 2. What’s a Good Podcast Interview Question?

After discussing the 50 questions you can ask in a podcast, let’s see what a good podcast interview question is. A good interview question is comfortable for the guest and engaging for the listeners, so the guest can answer the question wholeheartedly. Therefore, you need to avoid impolite and aggressive asks during podcasting. Besides, try to ask such questions that your guest is not frequently asked. It may reveal new things about him and make your podcast stand out.

Part 3. Tips on How To Come Up and Ask Better Questions

Asking better questions on a podcast requires preparation beforehand. Here are some tips for you to come up with better questions:

1. Write down your objectives for the interview.
2. Write down any questions about the guest or what they do that comes to your mind immediately.
3. Create a list of everything the guest does (or is interested in) in addition to their primary occupation.
4. Create a list of questions you would like to ask and learn from the speaker.

You can get the best information from the person you are interviewing if you do the following:

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Ask WHY?

As an interviewer, “why” is your most powerful tool. Guests usually provide surface-level information or opinions. The follow-up question of “why” makes them go further and give deeper details. It will also help your audience understand correctly what the guest wants to say.

What happened next?

If your guest is overwhelmed by the emotions and has stopped before completing his answer, help him achieve it by asking, “What Happened Next?” Use a softer tone while asking this question.

What were your feelings when this happened?

Sometimes you want the guest to answer your questions with feelings and emotions. Making your guest answer your questions while drenched in emotions can take your podcast to the next level. Questions like “What were your feelings when this happened?” can take the guest back to the past and make him answer your question with full emotions.

Mirror your guest

Repeat the same few last words that a guest just said when he finishes his thought, and by doing that, you’re creating an intonation that’s sort of like a question. It’s another way to permit the person you’re interviewing to keep going. For example, your question might go like this. Perhaps you’re asking somebody about his favorite software of the year that they’ve used in video editing.

He might answer like this “one of my favorite software is called Wondershare Filmora . It’s a using-friendly video editing software that you can use even to do podcast shows and impressive vlogs. And I love it because I have been editing YouTube videos daily.”

• You: “You’ve been going to edit every day?”
• The Guest: “Yeah, I’ve been editing videos for YouTube for over 200 days. And it’s been really neat to connect with audiences there.”
• You: “Connect with the audience? How?”
• The Guest: “Well, you know it’s posting videos, so there’s intimate interaction with people who seem to be there and watch the videos I post. And I’ve gotten to know many of them by name now.”

So you see how this can continue to move forward by simply mirroring your guest. Try it in your following conversation, even if it’s not an interview.

Tell me about a time when…

The best thing you can extract from someone in a podcast is their story. If you want to pull out a story from someone, phrase it like this, “Tell me about a time when…” After this question, your job is to sit back, listen, and not interrupt the guest.

Part 4. Podcast Questions to Avoid Asking

Avoiding asking wrong questions is as important as asking good questions. Some questions will negatively impact your podcast’s quality, so avoid asking such questions. Here are some questions that you should not ask.

• Avoid asking questions that your guest is frequently asked. For example, if he appears on numerous interview podcasts and shows, he is likely often asked the same question.
• Avoid asking basic questions like, “What are you best known for?”
• Questions you anticipate will result in a “yes” should be avoided, as a simple “yes” adds little value to the interview for those listening.
• Similarly, avoid asking questions to which you can predict the answer will be a “no.”
• Avoid questions that might offend your guest.

Part 5. Should I Send an Advance Interview Questions Podcast?

Yes, you can send interview questions to guests. Therefore, they get time to prepare interesting responses. Also, they may think about their answers or type out lengthy responses. Either way, they’ll feel more comfortable and help you make better content.

Take Your Content to the Next Level and Gets Shared

A podcast is only as good as the questions being asked. By carefully choosing which questions to ask and which to avoid, you can take your content to the next level. It also enhances the interest of listeners.

Consider the following when picking which of the above questions to use on your show: will it let your guest reveal something about who they are, how they think, or what they know will benefit your audience? If so, you are most likely on the right path! Make your podcast worth listening to get more views and shares.

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