Podcast Interview Questions Template
Great interviews aren't a random list of questions. They're a flow that warms the guest up, goes deep, and ends with a takeaway. This template gives you that structure plus a reusable question bank.
PodcastingPDF + CSV5 sectionsfree, no paywall
What you get
- A four-part question flow: warm-up, story, deep-dive, and close
- A reusable question bank you adapt for any guest
- Prompts that produce stories instead of yes/no answers
- Editable CSV to build per-guest question sets plus a branded PDF
How to use this template
- 1. Open with an easy win. Start with a warm-up the guest can answer effortlessly. It builds rapport and gets their voice and energy up before the hard questions.
- 2. Ask for stories, not opinions. Phrase questions to pull a specific story ('walk me through the moment...') instead of an abstract opinion that produces a flat answer.
- 3. Save your best question for the middle. Put your sharpest question once the guest is comfortable (around the one-third mark), not cold at the start.
- 4. Close with a takeaway. End with a question that hands the listener something to act on, then ask where people can find the guest.
Still choosing the tool you will run this in? Compare two side by side, or read how each profile is built in our review methodology.
What's inside
3 of 5 sections shown; the remaining 2 come with the free download.
What is a podcast interview question template?
A podcast interview question template is a reusable question set arranged by phase rather than by topic: a warm-up, a story prompt, your sharpest question, and a closing takeaway. You swap the specific questions for each guest and keep the sequence, because the sequence is the part that travels.
Order does most of the work. Ask your hardest question in the first five minutes and the guest stays guarded; ask it after they have told you a story and they answer freely. Hosts booking people they have never met gain the most, since the arc builds the rapport for them.
Guest context
Fill before you build the question set so questions are specific to this guest.
- Guest & expertise
- e.g. Maya Chen: podcast audio engineering
- What listeners should learn
- e.g. How to get studio audio at home for under $300
- One thing to dig into
- e.g. Her contrarian take on expensive mics
Questions that get better answers
The fastest way to flatten an interview is to ask questions the guest has answered a hundred times. Skim recent interviews they've done and deliberately ask what nobody else did. That's where the fresh material lives.
Leave room to follow the thread. Your template is a safety net, not a script. The best moments usually come from the unplanned follow-up to an answer, not the next question on your list.
2 more sections and the PDF + CSV are behind the free download.
Tools that help with this
The template does the thinking; these are the products creators run it in. The full software directory has the rest.
Riverside
Riverside is a cloud-based podcast and video recording platform that records locally on each participant's device, in up to 4K video and 48kHz WAV audio.
$0/mo
Squadcast
Squadcast is a browser-based podcast recording platform that captures each participant's audio and video locally on their device, then progressively uploads separate tracks to the cloud in real time.
$0/mo
Descript
Descript is an AI-powered video and audio editor that lets you edit media by editing text.
$0/mo
Notion AI
Notion AI is an AI writing and productivity assistant built directly into Notion's workspace.
$0/mo
Categories to browse: Podcast Recording Software, AI Writing Tools.
Frequently asked questions
What is a podcast interview question template?
It is a question set organised by interview phase rather than subject: warm-up, story, deep-dive, close. You write fresh questions for each guest but reuse the arc, so every interview opens easily and ends with a takeaway.
How many questions should I prepare for a podcast interview?
Prepare 8-12, but expect to use fewer. A good answer opens three follow-ups you didn't plan. The list exists so you never hit dead air, not so you march through all of them. Quality of follow-up beats quantity of questions.
Should I send interview questions to the guest in advance?
Send themes or a few anchor questions, not the full list. It lowers guest anxiety and improves prep, but sending everything verbatim tends to produce rehearsed, lifeless answers. Keep your sharpest questions as live surprises.
What questions should I avoid?
Anything the guest has answered in their last three interviews, and anything that can be answered yes or no. Also skip the two-part question; guests answer the second half and forget the first. Skim their recent appearances and deliberately ask what nobody else did.
How do I handle a guest who gives one-word answers?
Switch from opinion questions to story questions. Ask them to walk you through a specific moment, name the hardest part, or describe what they tried first. Short answers usually mean the question was abstract, not that the guest is unwilling.