100 Podcast Interview Questions to Steal

Good interview questions are open, specific and built to pull a story out of your guest, not a yes or no. Below are 100 questions you can take straight into your next recording, sorted by where they fit in a conversation. Use them as a safety net, not a script. The best moments usually come from your follow-ups, the "why" and the "what happened next" after the guest says something interesting.

How to use this list

Do not read these out like a form. Pick eight or ten that fit your guest, write them on a card, and let the conversation breathe around them. A great interview feels like two people talking, with the questions guiding rather than driving. If you want to sharpen the skill itself, our guide on how to be a great podcast host goes deeper on listening and follow-ups.

One rule above all: ask one question at a time. Stacking three questions into one sentence confuses the guest and you lose the best answer.

Warm-up questions to open the conversation

These ease the guest in and get them talking before the real depth begins.

1. How do you explain what you do to someone who has never heard of it?
2. What did you have for breakfast and what does a normal morning look like for you?
3. Where did you grow up, and how does that show up in your work today?
4. What were you like as a kid?
5. What is something people get wrong about your job?
6. How did you end up doing this in the first place?
7. What does a typical day look like for you now?
8. What is something you are excited about right now?
9. If we had met you ten years ago, what would we have found you doing?
10. What is the simplest way to describe your work to a five-year-old?

Story and journey questions

This is where the interview gets interesting. People connect with stories, not summaries.

1. What was the turning point that set you on this path?
2. Tell me about a time you almost gave up.
3. What is a decision you made that everyone told you was wrong?
4. What was your first real failure, and what did it teach you?
5. Who took a chance on you early, and why?
6. What is the hardest thing you have ever had to do in your career?
7. Walk me through the day everything changed for you.
8. What did you sacrifice to get where you are?
9. When did you first feel like you had made it?
10. What is a risk you took that did not pay off?
11. Tell me about a project that failed and what you salvaged from it.
12. What is the best advice someone gave you that you ignored at the time?
13. Was there a moment you wanted to quit but did not?
14. What is something that happened to you that you would not wish on anyone, but that made you better?
15. What did your family think of your choices?

Opinion and belief questions

These reveal how your guest thinks, which is what regular listeners come back for.

1. What is something most people in your field believe that you think is wrong?
2. What is an unpopular opinion you hold strongly?
3. What is overrated in your industry right now?
4. What is underrated that nobody is paying attention to?
5. If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be?
6. What advice do you hear repeated that you completely disagree with?
7. What do you think the next five years look like for your field?
8. What is a trend you think will not last?
9. What is the biggest myth about success in your line of work?
10. What rule did you have to break to get ahead?
11. What would you tell someone who is about to make the same mistake you did?
12. What is something you used to believe that you no longer do?
13. What is a hill you are willing to die on?
14. Who in your field do you admire, even if you disagree with them?
15. What is the question nobody asks you that you wish they would?

Work and craft questions

For guests who are experts, these get into the how.

1. What does your process actually look like, day to day?
2. What is a habit that changed your work?
3. What tools could you not live without?
4. How do you decide what to say no to?
5. What does a great day at work look like for you?
6. How do you handle a project that is going wrong?
7. What is the most useful skill you have that nobody teaches?
8. How do you stay motivated when the work is boring?
9. What is the difference between someone good and someone great in your field?
10. How do you know when something is finished?
11. What is the most common mistake beginners make?
12. What would you focus on if you were starting over today?
13. How has the way you work changed in the last few years?
14. What part of your job would surprise people?
15. How do you keep learning?

Personal and reflective questions

These add warmth and let the audience see the human side.

1. What are you most proud of that has nothing to do with work?
2. What does a good life look like to you?
3. What are you still figuring out?
4. What do you do when you are stressed?
5. Who has influenced you the most as a person?
6. What is a book or idea that changed how you see the world?
7. What does success mean to you now versus ten years ago?
8. What do you want to be remembered for?
9. What is something small that makes you happy?
10. What is the best money you ever spent?
11. What is a fear you have had to work through?
12. How do you switch off?
13. What is something you have changed your mind about recently?
14. What do you wish you had more time for?
15. What is the kindest thing anyone has done for you?

Fast and fun questions

Drop these in to lighten the mood or close out a section.

1. Tea or coffee?
2. Early bird or night owl?
3. What is the last thing you searched on your phone?
4. What is a guilty pleasure you will admit to?
5. What is your most-used app?
6. What is the best meal in your city?
7. What show are you watching right now?
8. What is a skill you wish you had?
9. What is something you are bad at and proud of it?
10. If you had a free day with no obligations, what would you do?

Closing questions

End strong. The last answer is often what listeners remember.

1. What is one thing you want listeners to take away from this?
2. What would you say to someone just starting out?
3. What is next for you?
4. Where can people find you and your work?
5. What is a question you wish more people asked themselves?
6. If you could go back and tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?
7. What is the best advice you can give in one sentence?
8. Who should I have on this show next?
9. What are you working on that you are most excited about?
10. What do you hope changes in your field in the next year?
11. What is one habit you would recommend to everyone?
12. What did we not talk about that we should have?
13. What is something you want to leave people thinking about?
14. How do you want people to feel after they meet you?
15. What is a small thing people can do today that makes a difference?
16. What is the legacy you are building?
17. What is the one resource you recommend most?
18. If this episode is the only thing someone ever hears from you, what should it say?
19. What question should I have asked but did not?
20. Where do we go to support what you do?

Make the conversation sound as good as it is

Great questions deserve a recording that does them justice. A muddy interview buries even the best answer, while clean audio and good camera work make an average conversation feel premium. If you want the best clips for social, you also need multiple angles and proper lighting, which is hard to get at home. Our guide on making podcast clips for Reels and Shorts shows how much footage helps.

At Timelapse Studio in Johar Town, near Emporium Mall, you get broadcast mics, a professional video setup and a crew so your interviews look and sound like a real show. See the studio packages, with audio from Rs 5,000 an hour and video from Rs 9,000.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions should I prepare for one interview? Eight to twelve solid questions for a 45 to 60 minute episode is plenty. The rest of the time should be follow-ups based on what the guest actually says. Over-preparing turns a conversation into an interrogation.

Should I send questions to my guest beforehand? Send a few themes or a handful of questions so they can think, but keep some surprises. Guests give better answers when they have had time to reflect, but a fully scripted interview loses its spark.

What makes a bad interview question? Yes or no questions, multiple questions stacked into one, and questions that are really about you instead of the guest. Keep them open, single and focused on them. Our host guide covers this in more detail.

Got a guest lined up? Book your interview session here.