Best B2B Podcast Interview Questions to Ask in 2024
The overall growth of your podcast will depend on three things:
Marketing your podcast with well-written show notes and social media promotion.
Your show’s audio quality.
The podcast conversation between interviewer and guest.
Marketing’s a given: no matter how great your show, if no one knows about it, it will flop.
As for sound: although it’s critical for a successful podcast, truth be told, the conversation of a podcast show will always be the make-or-break. Your listeners only stick around for the value of the conversation, and the conversation is only as interesting as the questions asked by the interviewer.
However, the podcast is not only about questions; it's also about the flow of the conversation. This is something that is the responsibility of the host, because sometimes your guest will be a natural interviewee, but other times you’ll need to work hard to make the show sound like a chat others want to listen to.
When the conversation is stilted, it becomes painful for listeners to hang around, so planning podcast questions is key. We’ll cover all of that in this article, so you’re armed for guiding great conversations that add value to your listeners’ lives, and will keep them coming back for more so that your show will grow.
How to ask great interview questions
It's quite natural for most interviewees to feel a little anxious at the start of the episode before they and the interviewer start building rapport. It is natural for guests to start out feeling self-conscious, which is why it is the host that needs to take the reins by asking questions that promote a relaxed atmosphere, where the conversation flows from one to the other.
Once your podcast guest has “warmed up” so to speak, you can ask the questions that provide the most value to listeners, by honing in on your guest’s expertise.
Here are our best tips to plan the podcast episode process and give your show depth, and which will ultimately push you into becoming a good interviewer:
#1: Research the guest in advance
We're not saying you need to hire a private investigator to learn more about your guest before interview podcasts, but being armed with some insights about them is essential.
All this really entails is checking out their blog (if they have one) and their social media profiles: Twitter can tell you a lot about a person’s communities, LinkedIn will provide their work title and career information for a quick bio of the guest, while Instagram and Facebook should give you the biggest clues as to what they stand for and what's important to them.
And if you really want to get down and dirty, use third-party software such as Crystal Knows (which works with the person’s LinkedIn profile) to provide a very accurate behavioral framework about your guest that helps you to understand what will work best for great podcast interviews.
#2: Follow your curiosity
For great podcast interview questions, planning is essential, but not to the point where the show becomes robotic in order to keep to the plan.
Instead, use your schedule as a guideline and be sure to follow your curiosity. For instance, if your guest mentions something that piques your interest, avoid being totally derailed but do ask a question, even if it's not on your list.
Following your curiosity ensures that the show does not become stilted and awkward. In fact, asking questions about things that interest you personally can sometimes make all the difference. It doesn’t tend to work to ask things you already know the answers to but want your guest to repeat.
#3: Ask follow-up questions
On a podcast, you don't just want an interview; it's supposed to sound like a free-flowing, fascinating conversation. So you don't want to just ask questions, get a response, and then move on to the next question. Instead, for the interview to sound natural, you want to follow up questions where necessary.
For example, if your guest provides a response that needs to be explored, you as the host should follow up with probing questions to get more detail. It is often in the follow-up questions that you’ll uncover the gems.
Tactics for asking follow-up questions:
Never allow your thoughts to wander on a podcast show; stay present with your guest in order to know how to pose the next question, or for that matter, a follow-up question.
Ask the same question in different words where necessary.
Make sure you listen intently and connect the dots between what your guest says. Not only is this good to show your guests that you are really listening, but it's also good for helping your listeners make sense of things more easily, or to take the conversation where you want it to go. However, watch your tone of voice and what you say with this tactic because you don't want to come across as a detective trying to catch somebody out in their lies.
#4: Use active listening
Let's just be honest. Some guests are going to bore you. While they ramble on, it would be tempting to escape by going off into your own thoughts. But under no circumstances must you allow this, or your show could easily derail very quickly.
If you don't actively listen, you will be caught off-guard come time for feedback, and that won't be good for either your guest or your listeners (or yourself!) You have to stay present and build on what your guest is saying. But to do that means you have to listen to everything they say.
To actively listen means that you forget about your own thoughts in response to what your guest is saying, not interrupting and occasionally repeating back what you hear for the sake of clarity.
Active listening builds trust and adds credibility to your guest which is important for your show. Active listening also encourages your guest to share more, because of course we all like to be heard and the more we feel listened to, the keener we are to share.
Tip: simply pay attention to your guest. As they speak, listen for little nuggets of wisdom and jot down a key word to remind yourself of what they said. Later you can ask the right questions based on what piqued your interest, and build on what they say. When they stop, you can re-phrase what they said and then ask unique questions about it, which is going to make you sound really professional and a great listener. And here’s another tip: when you do this right, you can make a boring guest sound great, which is good for everyone.
#5: Structure your interview
How should you go about planning your interview? Well, you want to start strong and finish strong, but you also want to keep people listening until the end.
Here’s a guideline from professional podcast hosts:
Start strong. Starting strong encourages people to keep listening. Examples of the types of questions you can ask to ensure this are:
In 60 seconds, can you tell me what your role is and what your company does? (Giving the time limit of 60 seconds helps guests to stay focused and avoid rambling).
What valuable advice are you going to share with us today? (This is a promise the expert guest makes to your listeners).
Have fun with an opening question. Set the tone for a fun time with something that makes people laugh. It also breaks the ice. For example, Jake Jorgovan, a professional podcaster who also runs a B2B podcasting agency, hosts a show about entrepreneurs called “Working Without Pants.” His first question to guests is, “Are you wearing pants right now?” It always guarantees an ice-breaking giggle.
Body. In order to keep listeners from exiting the show, the section between the beginning and end must stay valuable. Here is when you pose the “meaty” list of questions that you know your listeners are looking forward to. You've already researched your guest. Now make a list of questions that you personally would like to know more about. Bear in mind that these questions must answer your listeners’ most pressing concerns and must be based on the purpose of your show.
“Just in case” questions. Not every guest is going to be engaging. While we hope that they are all fascinating, the reality is that they won’t all be. Or you might get someone that starts down a road you don’t want them to go down. In both these cases, it’s a good idea to have a couple of go-to questions prepared either to revive a dying conversation or re-steer them in the right direction.
Finish strong. Ending strong encourages listeners to return for the next show. Some good ideas for end-questions are, “If you could give your 20-year-old self some great advice, what would it be?” Some podcasters like to use quick-fire questions like, “Who has been your most profound mentor?” or “What book made the biggest impression on you?”
Allow guest promotion. It is common courtesy right at the very end to allow your guests time to promote themselves. To do this, pose questions that allow guests to promote themselves, for example, “How can people get in touch with you?”
36 Podcast interview categories with questions and ideas
Now that we've covered the background to asking good podcast interview questions, we thought it would be helpful to jot down actual questions that great interviewers have used. Tweak them based on the main podcast topics.
Personal background questions
Has a person’s kindness made a difference in your life?
Can you share more about your background and how you got started?
What were you doing as an 18-year-old?
What’s your biggest failure and what was the greatest lesson you learned from it?
If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?
What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?
What’s an insult you’re proud of?
How would your parents describe what you do?
What has been your favorite job on your career path?
Can you share your morning routine?
Did you have any childhood fears?
If you could interview anyone from your life either living or dead, but not any celebrities, who would you choose, and why?
If you could write a book, what would it be about?
Right. On to the next questions ...
Business questions
What is a common myth about your industry?
Do you have any regrets about how you started out?
What do you believe that many others would disagree with?
What is a challenge that you are facing right now and how are you overcoming it?
If you could go back five to ten years, what advice would you give your younger self?
Who has been your most influential professional mentor?
What book has influenced you the most?
What book have you most often gifted to others?
If you had ten times the budget that you have right now, what would you spend it on?
If you were in my shoes, what would you advise me to do?
What has been your biggest challenge?
What is your ultimate goal?
What keeps you up at night?
Can you recommend any great movies that are relevant to what you do?
Industry/niche related questions
What should everyone in your industry either stop or start doing?
What are your favorite industry publications or resources to learn from?
What is your top online tool or resource?
What has fundamentally changed about your industry since you started working in it?
What’s something about your industry that has surprised you lately?
What do you see as the future of your industry in the next five to ten years?
Where or how can a person self-educate?
Closing questions
What’s one question you wish I’d asked you, and how would you have answered?
Where can people go to find out more about you online?