How to Conduct a Great Podcast Interview
Interviewing people can feel quite daunting when you’re first starting out.
How do you ensure it is going to truly hit home for the listener?
Is it possible to make it memorable and meaningful for both the audience and the guest?
We’ll dive into the answers to these questions today.
Some hosts don’t even consider what might need to be planned for an interview—instead, opting to just go into the recording and see how the conversation flows from there.
On the other hand, many folks get stressed out about the idea of going in without anything planned.
These people end up over-complicating or structuring their show too heavily.
From experience, we know choosing to lean too far on either end of the spectrum doesn’t usually work out.
So, what does it mean to host a really great podcast interview?
Hosting a Great Podcast Interview
Fundamentally, two things really matter when you’re interviewing people:
1. You are having a natural, connecting conversation with another human being.
2. You are responsible for finding the answers to the questions that your audience has.
That’s it!
Remember you are speaking to another human being and you’re just trying to ask questions that your audience might have whilst listening.
If you can lead the conversation in a direction that is interesting for your listeners, then everything else takes care of itself.
With this being said, several core concepts make hosting a podcast interview much easier.
Let’s take a look at what this might entail.
Focus on Stories and Emotions for a Great Podcast Interview
Start an interview with a theme, a central insight, or a unique experience that your guest has that you’re trying to share with the audience.
From there, map out 3-5 questions that you want to ask throughout the episode.
Our suggestion would be to stick to 5 questions or less.
Otherwise, you may have too much information to cover and you won’t be able to go too in-depth on any one answer.
After this, your job as the interviewer is to encourage your guests to go deeper into their responses if they don’t reveal as much as you’d like to know.
What we find works well during a great interview is to ask about emotions and stories.
You’re asking about the emotions that they had when they went through this experience as well as the personal stories that go along with them.
People only really connect with stories and emotions.
Folks only truly connect with stories because it taps into that emotional piece.
All you need to worry about as the interviewer is to have a clear idea of where you’re going, to have a little bit of an outline (with flexibility), and to go deeper on behalf of your audience.
One of the best interviewers of all time is Oprah Winfrey and that’s because she goes into the emotion and the stories.
If you go back and watch any of her previous episodes, her interviews are always centered around stories and human emotion.
This is because that is what really resonates with folks.
This will break down these concepts even further and bring more clarity to what it means to be a great interviewer.
Beyond Basic Interviews
Let’s be real.
Conducting a really great interview isn't about having the perfect list of podcast questions. It is all about making real connections that show your audience things they cannot find anywhere else. Think of it like throwing a dinner party versus conducting some kind of interrogation.
Podcast hosts are always on the lookout for ways to craft more compelling, must-listen content.
Here are some tips, techniques, and best practices on how to prepare for and conduct interviews that will grab your audience's attention.
1. Do Your Homework
The foundation of any great interview is research. Familiarize yourself with the podcast guest's background, experience, perspectives, and recent work. But go beyond a cursory Google search or skim of their bio. Dig deeper to uncover interesting nuggets you can explore:
Check their social media posts to understand who they are and what excites them.
If they've written a book, read it (or at least the key chapters).
If you talk about your business, you'll check their company website to understand their products, business model, and whom they are targeting.
If they have done other podcasts, then you do a few to get the feel of their style and stories.
It's not about memorizing facts you can recite but to come into the conversation well-informed so you can ask perceptive questions, identify interesting angles, and make connections between ideas. You want to demonstrate you've done your homework in a way that allows you to be fully present and go with the flow.
Of course, you do not need to become a stalker! You can be informed without losing the sense of curiosity and discovery. The overall arc and direction come from your research, but some of the best moments happen when you discover something unexpected in real time.
Example: If your podcast guest is a successful entrepreneur who often shares about mental health, then instead of asking, "How do you manage stress?" try, "You've been open about mental health as a business leader—how has that affected your approach to running a company?"
2. Come Prepared, But Be Flexible
Use your research to brainstorm potential questions and discussion points. Develop an outline for the trajectory of the conversation and what topics you want to address.
Writing out your podcast questions sharpens your thinking, but don't script the conversation too much. The best interviews are always organic discussions and not stiff Q&A.
Most podcast hosts advise against sharing the exact questions with the podcast guest beforehand. You want them focused on having a lively conversation, not trying to memorize talking points. As host, YOU carry the responsibility for keeping things on track and drawing out the guests. Of course, share the general topics and themes so they have a sense of what to expect. But preserve spontaneity.
Example: Instead of asking something like, "What's the biggest challenge you faced in writing your book?" start with a broader theme like "overcoming creative challenges." That might get your guest talking about specific struggles and lessons learned and make the conversation much more interesting and informative.
Listen carefully to the answers given by your guest and follow up with other questions. Notice which subjects really get them excited, and delve deeper into them. If the conversation strays into an unexpected yet interesting direction, go that way.
Other ideas:
Think of your questions as a safety net and not as a rigid, step-by-step order that you must follow.
Do not fall into the trap of thinking ahead to your next question instead of focusing fully on the current moment. You may miss a great tangent or a great story.
Trust you are prepared well and can be thoughtful in real-time adjustment.
Some hosts, such as Tim Ferriss, will prepare a mile-long list of questions to ask the interviewee. It is like a choose-your-own-adventure book; Ferriss will select questions and skip others as they decide which questions no longer flow with the conversation.
More intuitive hosts, like Joe Rogan, will go solely by the direction the topic takes, sometimes having a general idea of where they need to steer the discussion but following the flow of conversation.
The perfect preparation style does not exist; the bottom line is to find the kind of preparation that suits your needs, sets you up for confidence and flexibility, and avoids over/under-preparation. Most likely, overpreparation will cause you to freak out if things start running off-script. And with under-preparation, the conversations tend to come across as shallow or patchwork. Experiment to find what's right for you.
3. Make It a Conversation
Make the interview come alive by making it fresh, relevant, and engaging. From the very beginning, find ways to make your guest feel at ease and build rapport. You may be nervous, but chances are, they are too!
Before you start recording, start with a little small talk to break the ice. You can mention something you noticed on their social media or website to show you've done your research.
Perhaps you share a favorite sports team, went to the same university, or have a mutual colleague or interest.
Some hosts will even schedule a short pre-interview call to get to know the guests and help them feel comfortable.
Once you start recording, keep the conversational vibe going.
Make eye contact, smile, and give visual cues that you are engaged and interested.
As the podcast host, you control things but do not dominate the discussion.
Your job is to facilitate the whole flow and help draw out from the guest their insights and stories in a manner that will be good for the audience. You don't have to prove to people how much you know. Keep the spotlight on them.
Encourage storytelling by asking your guest about pivotal moments or challenges in their life and career.
While you'll cover their professional accomplishments, also ask about their personal lives and what motivates them.
Showing genuine curiosity about them as a human, not just an expert, helps the audience relate and care.
As you get a fascinating response to a question, follow it up! Ask for examples, more details, and lessons learned.
Go deeper instead of rushing onto a new topic. The best moments often come from organic tangents, not your pre-planned questions.
4. Listen More Than You Talk
One of the biggest pitfalls podcast hosts make is talking too much. You may think you're creating a lively dialogue, but beware of stealing the show from your guest. Give them room to share their personal stories and pieces of advice without constant interruption or redirection.
There's even a term for this common tendency - "conversational narcissism." This is when you subtly steer the discussion back to yourself and your own experiences rather than keeping the focus on the guest.
We’re sometimes guilty of this because we want to build connections and relate. But as the interviewer, your main job is to listen, not chime in with your anecdotes or accomplishments.
Avoid these pitfalls:
Finishing your guest's sentences
Talking over them
Turning their story into an opportunity to tell your own
Instead, give them the gift of your full presence and attention. It's fine to share a brief relevant story to establish commonality. But if you're talking more than 20% of the time, you're likely committing conversational narcissism.
Remember, you're a conduit for the audience, not a co-star. When you do jump in with a thought, consider if it will enhance the listener's understanding or enjoyment.
Are you offering context that helps the story land?
Are you asking something they're dying to know?
Are you highlighting a key insight?
If not, let your guest keep going.
Alternatives to Sharing a Personal Story:
Rather than jumping in to share an experience similar to theirs, say, "That's interesting—tell me how that affected you."
Open your mouth and empathize, for instance, "I think that must be difficult. How have you been managing?
Ask a related question: For example, if your guest talks about some difficult project they worked on; the follow-up would be, "What did you learn from that experience?
5. Make Use of Silence to Your Advantage
Master interviewers like Howard Stern are known for their ability to get people to open up and share surprisingly vulnerable stories.
They're not afraid of a long pause after a guest finishes speaking. It's often in that quiet space that people feel compelled to fill in with an additional anecdote or insight they wouldn't otherwise share.
On a practical level, not interrupting makes it much easier to edit the interview. Those awkward silences, verbal tics, and half-finished thoughts are hard to smooth out in post-production.
When you do speak, be crisp and concise in your questions and commentary so the final product sounds polished.
5. Go For The Unexpected
If you've listened to many podcasts in your niche, you know guests often get asked the same questions over and over. To create a memorable interview, go beyond the typical queries everyone else asks.
Spend time before the interview considering what would be most relevant and valuable to YOUR specific audience:
What are their burning questions, challenges, and aspirations related to this topic?
Use those to craft questions that will spark new ideas for your listeners.
Also, consider the guest's previous interviews:
What's already been covered extensively?
Look for a fresh angle or areas that haven't been fully explored.
You want your audience to feel they're getting exclusive content they won't hear anywhere else.
For instance:
Maybe your guest has done a circuit of interviews about their new book. Instead of rehashing the same talking points, ask them what they've learned since the book came out. What new stories have readers shared? What would they add if they were writing it today?
Or if you're interviewing a subject matter expert, move beyond the typical FAQs in your industry. Ask about common myths or misconceptions, trends they think are overhyped, or how they'd approach a problem differently than most. Putting a new spin on a well-covered topic can set your content apart.
6. Ask Open-Ended Questions
Closed questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no tend to cut conversations short. Instead, use open-ended questions that motivate a guest to share stories and experiences. Questions that start with "How," "What," or "Why" are especially effective
Examples of Open-Ended Questions:
"What was the most rewarding part of your journey?"
“How did it change your perspective on viewing things?”
"Why do you think this strategy works so well?"
Open-ended questions allow your guests to take the answer in any direction they want, and it often leads to some unexpected and enriching insights.
7. Know When to Wrap
You may be enjoying the conversation so much you don't want it to end. Avoid trying to squeeze every last drop of content out of your guest, however. That's not your job to tell the entire life story or body of work in one interview.
As a general rule, if the energy starts to wane, attention spans are fading or you feel like you've addressed all the key points you planned to cover, start to wrap up. Leave them wanting more rather than overstaying your welcome.
Be respectful of the guest's time and your listeners' patience:
Most people agree that 30-45 minutes is an ideal podcast interview length to cover substantial ground without wearing thin.
Unless you have an exceptionally compelling reason for going longer, plan to bring things to a satisfying close before attention starts to wander.
Conclusion
In the end, a great interview is both science and art—it starts with the science of diligent research and preparation. But the magic happens when you have the courage to lovingly set aside your notes, be fully present, and have a genuine conversation human to human.
Happy interviewing!
Schedule a call with us to learn how we can level up your podcast.