I'm 10 years-old, it’s Summer and I’m at my sleepaway camp in the Berkshires. The camp's theater director, Chuckles, has just told all of the indoor kids (you know, the kids who choose air conditioning over sun tanning, play practice over canoeing, juggling over archery) that a "very important man" was coming to speak to us.
His name: Kevin Bacon.
This was pre Apollo 13, pre-6 degrees of… and we were 10 years old, thus we did not know who this was.
Chuckles explains: he’s the star of Footloose. We did not know what this was.
Chuckles perseveres with the reveal of the very important man and explains that Kevin is coming to talk to us for a special Q+A about life as an actor. It was going to be an interview style talk and Chuckles has prepared all of the questions in advance. Each camper in attendance will pick a pre-written question out of the hat and read it to Kevin.
Let’s freeze this story for a moment: If all of this was taking place in 2019, Chuckles would definitely have a podcast. And Kevin Bacon wouldn’t have been coming to camp for an in-person one-off interview. No way. All of us indoor campers would have been the studio audience for a live taping of this podcast. (Chuckles with Chuckles?). And, based on my childhood experience (see below), all of the podcast interview questions for Kevin Bacon would have come straight from a quick Google search.
Unfreeze: My story takes place in 1992, I really don’t know how Chuckles finds the questions to ask KB. Whether they were from a book on interviewing or copied from previous magazine and television interviews, they are now typed up on little slips of paper and put into a top hat for us to pick out of. I draw one out of the hat, and study it. I practice reading it out loud, silenting mouthing each word. When I feel fully prepared, I raise my hand. Kevin Bacon points at me and I ask my question:
There have been several movies that you've auditioned for where you did not get the part. What movies were they and how did you feel after they went on to be a huge success?
Kevin Bacon is silent. He stares at me. For a long time.
The room is so quiet you can hear people swallow. It feels like an hour before his response. But then he looks at me and says, "That is not an appropriate question to ask a professional actor." Kevin Bacon looks away for a beat and then turns back to address the next camper with a hand raised.
I am devastated. Humiliated. Angry. I want so desperately to tell him that I did not come up with that question. I picked it out of a hat! When the interview session ends, KB runs out to pick up his kids from the day camp part of camp and I can never explain myself. I am crushed.
I’ve told this story many times on stage and I’m sharing part of it with you right now to to spin it as a morality tale of sorts.
If you are prepping for an interview (and in this case a podcast interview) make sure that you come up with a unique set of questions for each interviewee.
Canned podcast interview questions are likely backfire on you, your guest and your audience. They could lead to a canned response or worse — a "thank you, next.”
If the possibility of insulting Kevin Bacon isn’t reason enough, I’ve come up with five additional reasons to go the extra mile with your guest research.
1. A curated set of podcast interview questions is fun!
Instead of asking super general questions or repeating questions that you asked previous guests, take some time to research your guest in advance of their scheduled interview time. Choose the areas of their life that excite you the most and frame questions in a way that will allow them to go into further detail and share stories. While prepping for your guest’s interview, make sure to listen to them on other podcasts. Try not to ask the same questions that were already asked previously. Don’t be afraid take an off-the-beaten path route to your questioning.
The only exception to a “the no canned questions” rule is creating a very specific question that is unique to your show. Repeat this question to each guest that comes on it will become your podcast’s signature interview question. It will be a fun way for your devoted listeners to stay connected to your show from episode to episode.
2. Unique, open-ended questions lead to great stories.
Once you have your set of curated questions, make sure to structure (almost) all of them as open-ended questions. Think of questions that begin with Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. You can also frame a question as a story prompt that begins with “Tell me about the time…” This will allow your podcast guests to answer in story form. And stories are a great way for you and your audience to connect with your guest. Once you’ve given them the time and space to share their stories, you can follow-up with more specific questions (perhaps they feel more closed or leading, that’s okay). And this can further illuminate pieces of the story that deepen the conversation. And speaking of conversations…
3. Keep it conversational.
When prepping for your interviews, think of your guest as an interview partner. Instead of coming up with exact questions to ask, you can outline what direction you'd like your interview to go, and then come up with a story to share, or a theme to discuss that will organically lead to a two-way exchange. Your interview can be a space for you and your guest to exchange stories. If you share a story, your guest will feel more comfortable sharing a story in return. When there’s reciprocity and an off-the-cuff exchange between two people in a podcast interview, your listeners will stay engaged and will be eager to hear what happens next.
4. Passion doesn’t come in a can.
If you take the time to do the pre-interview research and come up with a set of podcast interview questions (or an outline for a conversation) that spark curiosity in you, your passion as the interviewer will shine through. And when you're passionate, your guest will be more invested in connecting with you. In this previous blog post about guests preparing to be interviewed, I referred back to Terry Gross' interview on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour. In that interview she speaks a lot about passion:
“Unless you are passionate, unless you connect to the material, why the hell are you talking to this person? Like the meaning of art is that it means something to you, that it brings out something to you, that it makes your life better. That you know it makes you connect to people who are like you and to people who aren't like you. That it brings you pleasure, that it's reflective, all of it. And unless you can express that in your questions, then what's the point?”
5. If the question feels uncomfortable to ask, ask it.
If your questions are too general, your interview is most likely going to stay surface level and fall flat. If there is an interview question that you are itching to ask, but you are nervous because you don't know how your guest is going to respond, take the leap and ask it. While I was interviewing family members for Rashomon Season 2, there were many times where I second-guessed my questions and was scared to ask them in fear that my interviewee would be offended or unwilling to go deep with the conversation. But every single time I took the risk and asked the question, the interviewee answered in an open, honest, and deep way. This led to a better interview for the remainder of our time together — ultimately leading to a better story in my final podcast episode!
Looking for examples of great interview questions? Check out these podcasts. Make sure you listen for inspiration sake and come up with your own unique questions for guests.
It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders (Tuesday episodes)
Looking for more blog posts on podcasting? Read these:
How To Conduct Podcast Interviews That Show Your Guests' Brilliance
6 Steps to Prepare for a Superb Guest Interview Role on a Podcast