Pro Strategies For Getting The Best Out of Your Podcast Interviews

The questions that you should ask your guest depend on the topic of your podcast. It also depends on your personality and the vibe of the show. I have listened to some interviews where the host asked kick-off questions based on images from the guest’s Instagram. However, that may not be the right feel for your content.

Does the guest have a new product or service? If so, consider reading their book ahead of time and creating questions based on the book. You can also look up reviews for the product or testimonials of the service to create unique questions. Guests always appreciate a prepared host that has done their homework ahead of time.

If you are interviewing someone for their expertise on a specific topic, like how to grow tomatoes in your garden, then consider reading up on the subject so that you can ask them deep questions. If they have written an article or book about gardening, make sure to read it!

Tips and tricks for getting the best out of your interviews.

If possible, consider having a pre-interview conversation scheduled ahead of time. It allows a better understanding of what direction the discussion should take. It also reduces any potential awkwardness during the interview, which may occur when talking to someone you do not know for the first time. Andrew Warner from Mixergy does this with all of his podcast guests. He is a fantastic interview host, and this is likely one of the reasons why.

An excellent introduction is a beautiful way to make your guest feel welcome and inform your audience about the interview. The introduction should not be long-winded. It can be simple and to the point, but it should best highlight the guest.

Always be ready with follow-up and additional question topics if needed. If the guest provides a short answer to the question, you can always follow up with “can you share a specific example or story?”. A good follow-up question can open the door for a story that the interview would not have included otherwise.

Your guest should feel loved and appreciated during the interview process — not stressed out or anxious. You want your podcast guests to enjoy being interviewed by you while providing high-quality content relevant to what your audience is looking for from experts in the field.

It is a nice gesture to send your guest a thank you email to show your appreciation for their time. You can follow that email up with the link to their episode. The link may encourage the guest to share it with their network on their social media channels. I encourage interview-based podcast hosts not to ask or expect this but to use their best judgment on whether it is appropriate to ask for the social mention of the episode.

If a podcast host wants to stand out, send a thank you letter or card in the mail. I have seen some very creative examples of this where podcasters send a small and simple thank you care package to show appreciation. If a podcast host has the time and resources, this will help to stand out from other interview hosts every time because almost nobody is willing to put forth this effort.

Questions that you should avoid asking in an interview.

It is disrespectful to ask questions that will not help your podcasting guest to shine. Giving them opportunities to speak from the heart and share their opinions is a much better way of providing value for listeners than interrogating them about personal issues. They may have strong feelings but no good answers.

Be aware that some people do not like being asked questions at all, so be cautious when approaching interviewees who might seem stiff during an introduction or who refuse to answer your question with anything more than yes or no.

Podcast hosts should never push guests into answering uncomfortable questions because they are curious or want to show off how clever they are by asking tricky follow-up questions; it could make things worse!

Before you invite someone on your podcast, research their interviews to find topics they’ve spoken about in the past. It might also reveal some of the limiting beliefs other interviewers have asked them in the past, which might give you insights into what your guest hasn’t said in interviews before.