I’m the CEO of Shapeshift. Since 2019, I’ve founded two podcast companies and have spent thousands of hours interviewing, producing, and coaching CEOs on how to podcast.
As a business, there are two reasons to start a podcast:
Excuse to network and build relationships with guests
Build a long-term brand and fan base over time
But the biggest flaw of podcasting is that there’s no built-in distribution, which means:
Podcasts only spread through word of mouth or by
Piggybacking off of trending formats (short-form video) on algorithmic platforms (LinkedIn, YouTube, Substack etc)
Ultimately, the only way to maximize the k-factor of a podcast episode is to extract clippable moments — practical insights and polarizing opinions — from the guest.
These are the stories that listeners will tell their friends over coffee, and are the best candidates to go viral on social media.
Whenever I’m interviewing guests, I try to shape my questions into narratives where I can make the listener feel like they want to stop what they’re doing and to take a note. I’m always trying to get someone to stop driving, pull their car over, and bookmark what the guest is saying.
If my guest is a true domain expert and can speak at multiple layers of depth and specificity, then I know I can tell a story where the listener feels like they’ve gained invaluable knowledge and where the guest feels like the conversation was thoughtful and worth their time.
Here is my essential list of questions to get the best soundbites from a guest.
What's an outcome that would make this a home run for you?
In an ideal scenario, if a customer has finished listening to this, what would you want them to naturally do?
What’s the call to action?
What is the feeling you want to leave them with?
What are your controversial opinions or hot takes around your industry’s trends?
What trends are BS or fads?
What are some pain points that you or your peers / your customers are feeling today?
In what specific contexts do they experience the pain? What are some specifics?
How are you / your peers / your customers solving this problem today?
What are the pros and cons of each alternative?
If competitors exist, what’s the difference between your company’s approach and theirs? Use this as an opportunity to counterposition your business. What makes you different versus better?
What is your / your company’s superpower?
How do you approach doing [ thing that they are an expert in ]
What’s the 101 crash course on [ thing that they are an expert in ]
What’s something that people commonly get wrong about [ thing that they are an expert in ]
What are common critiques of your approach that are true?
What are some of your rituals or routines that help you do [ thing that they are an expert in ]
What’s the cost of doing [ thing that they are an expert in ]
Happy interviewing!
Shapeshift is a podcast production company telling the stories of people on the authentic path.
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