175 Interesting Podcast Questions, Fun & Real (Guide + Free Generator)

You’ve got a guest booked, the mic’s on, and the recording light’s about to flip. Your mind’s racing.

• “What do I even ask them?”
• “How do I keep the conversation flowing?”
• “What if I run out halfway through?”

I get it. Every podcaster has been there. 

Scrambling for last-minute questions to ask your guest, burning through your usual list of questions, or facing your first guest and wanting to sound like you’re a podcast host who’s done this a hundred times before.

That’s why I’ve pulled together 175 interesting podcast questions. 

This isn’t just a list to copy. You’ll see how to bring up questions you want to ask naturally, keep the flow tight, and use the Talks podcast question generator so you’re never scrambling for unique questions again.

By the time you’re done here, you’ll step into every interview confident, prepared, and ready to make great podcast episodes that grow your reach and authority.

What Makes a Good Podcast Interview Question?

Good questions do more than fill silence. They get your guest talking, sharing stories, and showing who they really are. Think of it like cooking: the right ingredients, timing, and seasoning make a meal memorable.

Here’s what makes an interesting podcast question stand out:

• Open-ended questions: Avoid yes/no answers. You want your guest telling a story or sharing insight.
• Specific and clear: Vague questions confuse people. Give direction while leaving room for personality.
• Curiosity-driven: Types of questions that show genuine interest create deeper, more engaging conversations and interesting podcast interviews.
• Flexible and adaptable: Be ready to follow the flow. Some of the best moments come from natural follow-ups.

When questions hit these marks, interviews feel smooth, engaging, and memorable for both guests and listeners.

175 Most Interesting Podcast Questions for Hosts

Your guest’s mic is live. The conversation can go anywhere, but only if you ask the right questions.

The most successful podcast episodes aren’t safe. They pull out stories with double-barrel questions, reveal personality through juicy questions, and make your audience lean in for more follow-up questions.

I’ve put together 175 questions that cover it all: business, mindset, industry insights, and playful rapid-fire prompts.

Use them to break the ice, dig deep, or throw in surprises that get your guests talking like never before.

Step in ready, stay curious, and make every interview count.

What are some good podcast questions to break the ice?

Icebreakers set the tone. Keep it simple, funny, and playful.

These are podcast interview questions to ask your guest to ease nerves and make the conversation flow naturally. 

1. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
2. What’s the most unusual item on your desk right now?
3. What’s a small win you had this week?
4. If you could instantly master one skill, what would it be?
5. What’s your go-to comfort food?
6. If you had an extra hour every day, how would you spend it?
7. What’s one song that always gets you in a good mood?
8. Favorite subject in school?
9. Funniest Zoom or video call moment?
10. What’s the first thing you notice when you enter a new city?

Fun podcast questions to ask on a podcast

These aren’t casual questions. They’re the kind of podcast interview questions to hook your listeners in right from their seats.

Thought-provoking questions dig into how your guest thinks, makes decisions, and deals with life’s curveballs (which always makes for a really great podcast interview).

1. If you could swap lives with any fictional character for a day, who would it be?
2. Weirdest food combo you secretly enjoy?
3. If you could hop on a plane right now, where would you go?
4. Which superpower would you grab if you could choose one?
5. If your life were a movie, who’d play you?
6. Strangest compliment you’ve ever received?
7. Talent you wish you had overnight?
8. One meal you could eat forever?
9. Fictional world you’d love to live in?
10. Favorite joke or pun you tell too often?
11. Ever had a hilarious run-in with someone famous?
12. Most adventurous thing you’ve done recently?
13. If animals could talk, which one would sass you the most?
14. Weirdest habit you had as a kid?
15. If you could relive one day from the past year, which would it be?

Fun podcast questions for niche categories

Some guests shine when questions are specific to what they do like podcast questions for business owners. 

This set of questions by category shows you’ve done your homework and gives unique answers your audience can’t get anywhere else.

For entrepreneurs:

1. What’s one decision that completely changed your business?
2. What’s the hardest choice you’ve had to make to grow your company?
3. How do you decide which opportunities to say yes to?
4. What’s a failure that taught you more than any success?
5. If you could start over today, what would you do differently?

For health coaches:

1. What’s a wellness myth you wish everyone ignored?
2. How do you help clients stick to habits that actually work?
3. What’s a small daily practice that makes a big difference?
4. What’s the biggest mistake people make when trying to get healthy?
5. Which wellness trend do you think is worth the hype?

For authors:

1. Which character taught you the most about life?
2. How do you turn personal experiences into compelling stories?
3. What’s your writing ritual before sitting down to create?
4. Which book influenced your style the most?
5. How do you handle writer’s block when it hits hard?

For life coaches:

1. One habit you recommend for mental clarity?
2. What’s the biggest mindset shift that transformed your life?
3. How do you help clients move past fear or doubt?
4. What’s a daily practice you swear by for focus?
5. How do you measure progress with your clients?

For fitness coaches:

1. What workout do you secretly enjoy, even if you hated it at first?
2. How do you motivate clients who struggle with consistency?
3. What’s one fitness myth that frustrates you the most?
4. How do you recover after a tough training session?
5. What’s a simple habit that makes a huge impact on results?

Questions to ask guest speakers:

1. Funniest thing that ever happened on stage?
2. How do you handle nerves before a big talk?
3. What’s the most unexpected reaction you’ve gotten from an audience?
4. How do you tailor a talk to keep everyone engaged?
5. Which story in your talk always gets the best response?

For consultants:

1. Weirdest client request you’ve ever received?
2. How do you handle a client who disagrees with your advice?
3. What’s the most challenging problem you’ve solved for a client?
4. How do you keep up when your industry changes overnight?
5. Which project taught you the most about consulting?

For musicians:

1. Which song took the longest to get right?
2. How do you push through creative blocks during writing or recording?
3. Which performance still sticks with you years later?
4. How do you experiment with new sounds or styles?
5. Which artist has influenced your work the most?

For course creators:

1. First course you’d take if everything were free?
2. How do you decide what topic will actually help your audience?
3. What’s the biggest challenge in creating online courses?
4. How do you keep students engaged throughout a course?
5. What’s a lesson you wish every course creator learned early?

For career coaches:

1. One mistake people keep repeating over and over?
2. How do you help clients figure out their next career move?
3. What’s the most unusual career path you’ve seen succeed?
4. How do you help clients identify their strengths?
5. Quick tip to boost confidence at work?

For mindset coaches:

1. Limiting belief you overcame recently?
2. How do you help clients reframe failure?
3. One small mental habit that makes a big difference?
4. How do you stay motivated when progress is slow?
5. What’s one mindset trick you use before big decisions?

For nutritionists:

1. Which “healthy” trend secretly annoys you?
2. What simple nutrition habit is often overlooked?
3. How do you help clients plan real-world meals?
4. Most common nutrition mistake people make?
5. If someone could change one thing about their diet tomorrow, what would it be?

For business coaches:

1. Hardest lesson learned from a failed project?
2. How do you help clients scale without burning out?
3. One strategy that works in almost every business?
4. How do you handle clients resistant to change?
5. What’s the one thing every entrepreneur should focus on first?

For personal development experts:

1. Book that changed how you think about success?
2. Habit that had the biggest impact on your growth?
3. How do you help clients overcome self-doubt?
4. One daily practice that keeps you sharp?
5. How do you stay consistent when motivation dips?

For spirituality coaches:

1. How do you reset when life feels off balance?
2. What practice brings you the most peace daily?
3. How do you guide clients through uncertainty?
4. Most powerful lesson you’ve learned spiritually?
5. How do you stay grounded when life gets chaotic?

Interesting questions for podcast guests

These are the questions that get guests off autopilot once you start your interview. They coax out stories, lessons, and moments they actually care about and the stuff listeners remember.

1. What’s the one moment in your career that made you rethink everything?
2. Who’s had the biggest impact on you and why?
3. What’s the hardest decision you’ve made that changed your path?
4. Can you describe a day that flipped your perspective completely?
5. What’s a risk that scared you but paid off big?
6. One failure that taught you the lesson you needed most?
7. Who do you lean on for real, honest advice?
8. What challenge are you facing right now and how are you tackling it?
9. Which project are you most proud of and why?
10. Share a story from your past that shaped who you are today.

What are good podcast questions?

Good podcast questions to ask to get your guest talking like they’re having a conversation with a friend. Not scripted, not stiff. Just real podcast questions for friends.

1. How’d you get started in your field?
2. What was your first big break?
3. Who inspired you to keep going?
4. What advice would you give your younger self?
5. How do you deal with setbacks?
6. What keeps you motivated when things get messy?
7. How do you define success for yourself?
8. Which daily habit has changed your life the most?
9. What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
10. How do you balance life with work?

Best podcast questions to ask for unexpected answers

These are the spontaneous questions that make your guests go “huh, didn’t see that coming.” Use these questions to pull out stories that aren’t in the usual talking points for guest appearances.

1. What’s something most people would never guess about you?
2. Ever had a plan go completely wrong but work out better than expected?
3. Which belief did you once hold that you’ve completely changed?
4. Weirdest lesson your career has taught you?
5. Ever take a leap that felt terrifying but necessary?
6. Any unusual habits that actually help you win?
7. Which failure taught you more than any success?
8. One decision you made that shocked everyone around you?
9. If you could redo one choice in life, what would it be?
10. Most surprising feedback you’ve ever gotten?

Thought-provoking deep dives

These aren’t casual questions. They dig into how your guest thinks, makes decisions, and deals with life’s curveballs.

1. What principle guides all your decisions?
2. How do you know when a risk is worth taking?
3. Most difficult challenge you’ve overcome and what it taught you?
4. What does living with purpose actually look like for you?
5. How do you personally define failure?
6. In what ways do you track your own growth?
7. Which values would you never compromise on?
8. How do you handle choices when no option feels “right”?
9. What moment in your past still influences how you think today?
10. How do you stay steady when everything is moving fast?

Industry-specific questions

These are tailored questions and clarifying questions to engage your audience and show you know your stuff. Your guest feels seen, and listeners walk away smarter.

1. What trends are shaking up your industry?
2. Biggest mistake newcomers make?
3. Tools or strategies that changed everything for you?
4. How do you keep a competitive edge in your space?
5. What’s the biggest misconception about your field?
6. Which project pushed you hardest?
7. Best lesson a mentor taught you?
8. How do you adapt when the industry shifts?
9. One skill everyone should master?
10. Where’s your field heading in the next five years?

Rapid-fire fun questions

Great questions that are quick, playful, and a little random. These rapid-fire questions are perfect for keeping energy up and showing personality.

1. Morning or night?
2. Soda or juice?
3. Dogs or cats?
4. Favorite sports team?
5. Last book you read?
6. Phone or laptop first thing?
7. City you’d move to tomorrow?
8. Beach or mountains?
9. Go-to snack?
10. Guilty pleasure movie you can’t quit?

10 Tips for Effective Podcast Interviews

Running the best interviews isn’t about sticking to the same 50 podcast interview questions as before or strict podcast topics.

It’s about creating space for your guest to open up with a question that you ask while keeping the conversation sharp, engaging, and easy to follow. 

Here are ten podcast interview tips to help you tailor your questions and create interviews your podcast listeners will love every single time:

1. Research your guest: Know their work and passions. If they wrote a book on productivity, ask about the one habit they swear by instead of generic success questions.
2. Start with a warm-up: Chat about their morning coffee or commute. Introductory questions or funny questions ease nerves and set a friendly tone for any podcast interview episode.
3. Plan your structure: Have a loose outline for your podcast content. Start with their journey, then lessons learned, and finish with practical advice.
4. Listen actively: If they mention an unexpected challenge, explore it immediately with deep questions instead of moving on.
5. Encourage stories: Ask great questions like “Can you walk me through the moment you landed your first big win?” rather than yes/no questions.
6. Use “how” and “why”: Ask open-ended questions that invite and push for insight. “How did you handle that setback?” or “Why did that decision feel risky?”
7. Vary question types: Create a mixed casual, serious, and rapid-fire list of questions to ask. Follow a “What’s your go-to breakfast?” with “What’s the hardest lesson you’ve learned?”
8. Control pacing: Give space. Don’t interrupt mid-story; a pause encourages deeper reflection more than planned questions or perfect questions.
9. Follow up naturally: Pivot on interesting points. If they mention a surprising habit, ask engaging questions like, “What made you start that?”
10. Close strong: End with a memorable question like, “If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?”

Should you send podcast interview questions upfront?

Sending great podcast interview questions in advance can make your guest feel prepared, but it can also make answers feel scripted.

Pros:

• Builds confidence: Guests arrive relaxed and ready.
• Ensures coverage: Key topics are addressed when you send questions beforehand.
• Reduces nerves: Great for first-time guests.

Cons:

• Answers may feel rehearsed: Less natural conversation when you ask them questions.
• Limits spontaneity: Harder to follow unexpected threads.
• Feels formal: Can make the chat stiff.

10 Podcast questions to avoid

Some flat and way too personal questions kill energy or feel generic. Skip this list of potential questions to keep your interviews engaging:

1. “So, tell me about yourself.”
2. “Do you think X is true?”
3. “What’s your biggest failure?”
4. “What’s your favourite [insert topic]?”
5. “Can you give advice to beginners?”
6. “What’s next for you?”
7. “Do you plan to sell your company?”
8. “Do you agree with [controversial topic]?”
9. “What’s the secret to your success?”
10. “Any final thoughts?”

Read my guides on podcast questions about life and podcast questions about relationships for ideas on how to do a podcast interview.

How to Come Up With Your Own (Original) Questions

Sometimes the best podcast interview questions are the ones only you could ask. Here are five ways to create original questions that fit your style and your guest’s story:

1. Look at what’s missing: Scan your guest’s past interviews and note what nobody has asked them yet. Filling that gap makes your episode stand out.
2. Tap into audience curiosity: Ask your listeners what they’d love to know. Pull questions directly from emails, comments, or social posts.
3. Connect it to the moment: Tie questions to current events, industry news, or cultural shifts. This keeps the conversation timely and unique.
4. Flip the perspective: Instead of asking about their advice, ask what bad advice they often hear in their field and why it doesn’t work.
5. Use personal anchors: If you and your guest share a background, hometown, or experience, build a question around that connection for a more natural exchange.

Talks podcast question generator

If you want a head start on crafting questions, use the Talks podcast question generator. 

Just enter the topics of your podcast episode, hit ‘Generate’, and you’ll get a fresh batch of interesting podcast interview questions you can use straight away or tweak to fit your voice for a great interview.

For example, if you type in “business coach helping people scale to six figures”, here are five great podcast questions to help you prepare for the interview:

1. Can you share a specific success story of a client who went from struggling to reach six figures to achieving success with the help of your coaching?
2. What are the common challenges that business owners face when trying to scale their businesses to six figures, and how do you address these challenges in your coaching?
3. How do you tailor your coaching approach to meet the unique needs and goals of each individual client aiming to reach the six-figure milestone?
4. What key strategies or techniques do you emphasize in your coaching to help entrepreneurs overcome obstacles and accelerate their path to a six-figure income?
5. How do you stay current with industry trends and best practices to ensure that your coaching methods are always effective in helping clients scale their businesses to six figures?

These interesting podcast questions are starting points. All original, relevant, and easy open ended questions to adapt to your style for your next podcast episode.

Episodes Your Listeners Won’t Want to Miss

Interesting podcast questions for your podcast are the fuel that keeps your episodes alive. They get guests talking non-stop and leaving your audience wanting more.

The list of open-ended questions above gives you plenty of firepower to make the interview unforgettable, but the real magic comes when you mix in your own curiosity and instincts.

The easiest way to make this happen? Stop hunting for guests and let them come to you. 

With Talks, you can connect with the best podcast hosts and guests for your show, schedule interviews without the back-and-forth, and focus on asking questions that actually matter.

Set up your free Talks creator profile today and start booking the people who make your show stand out.