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With the popularity of podcasts on the rise, there are plenty of creators you can listen to and learn from as you begin your own podcasting journey. Interview podcasts are a great place to start!
Interview podcasts offer unique conversations and perspectives, allowing you to learn from the ideas and strategies of some of the world's most talented people. When you listen to interview podcasts, you can develop your knowledge across a broad range of subjects.
If you have or are planning to launch your own podcast show, interview podcasts are even more valuable. By listening to a variety of interview podcast episodes, you can improve your interviewing and engagement skills, supporting your podcasting content.
There are so many amazing interview podcasts available, which can make it challenging to find the best ones. That's why we've compiled this list! These are 20 of the best interview podcasts you can start learning from in 2024.
What is an interview podcast?
An interview podcast is a show based on a conversational interview format. These podcasts often include revealing conversations about life, art, fame, or another relevant topic.
Generally, podcasts that focus on interviews welcome new guests each episode to join a consistent host or hosts for a long-form conversation. This format has a unique way of engaging listeners, providing in-depth insights into fascinating stories and experiences.
More conversational and relaxed, interviews allow hosts and guests to address even challenging topics authentically, creating a sense of behind-the-scenes reality for audiences.
What makes a good interview podcast?
The best interview podcasts are clear, engaging, and real. These podcasts include interviews with valuable special guests who contribute new and interesting perspectives to topics.
Producing a great interview podcast often comes down to the skill and persona of the show host or hosts. Podcasts hosted by engaging, authentic, and likable people tend to address conversations effectively in ways that encourage audiences to keep listening.
The key to a good interview show is often the interview itself! To produce a great interview, it’s important to do your research, understand your interviewee, and practice good interview preparation skills. Whenever possible, it’s also best to plan your podcast interview questions ahead of time, thinking about the questions that will generate interesting responses and matter to your audience.
The interview form is a great way to bring something new to every podcast episode, answering big questions and regularly providing a unique take on hot-topic issues and ideas.
20 best interview podcasts to listen to
Want to start listening to interview podcasts but overwhelmed by your choices? You're not alone! There are plenty of great shows available, each catering to different target audiences and interest niches.
To get you started, here are 20 of the best podcasts in 2024 that you can tune in to today.
1. WTF with Marc Maron
Host: Marc Maron
WTF with Marc Maron is an award-winning interview show that prides itself on a star-studded guest list and the revealing conversations it delivers. Welcoming writers, actors, comedians, musicians, artists, and more, this show covers plenty of subjects, giving insights into the lives of a range of celebrity guests.
What to learn: This podcast's probing interview style allows the host, Marc Maron, to get the most out of interviewees.
2. Anna Faris is Unqualified
Host: Anna Faris
Anna Faris is Unqualified is a modern spin on relationship advice, with each new episode inviting a new guest to contribute completely unqualified perspectives on life and love. This format addresses a unique subject matter, giving an interesting and consistent foundation to guide every conversation.
What to learn: This show focuses on a specific niche, helping it target a clear audience and interest group.
3. Song Exploder
Host: Hrishikesh Hirway
Song Exploder is a music-driven podcast, where new music artists arrive every week to answer questions and dissect the meanings and histories of a song. This show offers background information for avid music fans, including behind-the-scenes details about the songwriting and production process.
What to learn: This podcast is clearly targeted, helping it consistently reach the right listeners with content that matters to them.
4. Don't Keep Your Day Job
Host: Cathy Heller
Don't Keep Your Day Job is focused on entrepreneurship and a positive mindset. Every episode of this show offers a new reason to build confidence. Cathy interviews a range of guests, including authors, entrepreneurs, life coaches, business leaders, and everyday heroes. The result is a glimpse of the real-life experiences shared by diverse people.
What to learn: This podcast is message-driven, allowing it to frame its interviews around this consistent concept every week.
5. Circular Economy
Host: Catherine Weetman
Hosted by Catherine Weetman, the Circular Economy podcast uses an interview-driven format to update listeners on the latest circular economy developments. Episodes of the show include guest appearances from business owners, social innovators, and industry experts, who each offer their knowledge and opinions to the issue.
What to learn: This show is educational, inviting qualified interviewees who have something valuable to add to the conversation.
6. Fresh Air
Host: Terry Gross
The Fresh Air podcast, available on the NPR network, is a deep-dive interview show, welcoming guests from all walks of life. Asking big questions that generate insightful answers, host Terry speaks with skilled and interesting interview candidates in every single episode! Fresh Air has won plenty of accolades for its work, including the Peabody Award.
What to learn: This show demonstrates the value of effective interviewing skills, using great questions to drive fascinating responses.
7. Smartless
Host: Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett
Smartless is a show designed around the interview format, inviting a new guest to chat about life and comedy in every episode. This podcast offers an element of surprise, with only one of the three hosts knowing who the week's special guest will be ahead of time.
What to learn: This podcast shows how effective comedy can be combined with interviewing skills in unique ways.
8. Vox Conversations
Host: Sean Illing & Jamil Smith
Vox Conversations sets out to answer big questions about the universe, from understanding the science of coffee to navigating complicated friendships and relationship dramas. New episodes of this show include diverse interviewees and topics that invite listeners to change their perceptions of the world.
What to learn: This podcast is an example of how in-depth interviewing can be used to drive intimate conversations.
9. How I Built This
Host: Guy Raz
How I Built This is a show about entrepreneurship and idealism, including special guests from some of the world's biggest businesses. Every episode is a chance to learn about the trials and tribulations of the brand-building journey from the best, most talented innovators on the planet.
What to learn: This show talks about major success stories, providing you within insight into what it takes to build a business--or a podcast.
Did you know Guy Raz uses Riverside for his podcast recordings? Learn more or start recording professionally too!
10. The David Chang Show
Host: David Chang
The David Chang Show offers a little bit of everything! Each episode includes a new guest interview, discussing food, fame, art, culture, music, sports, identity, and more. With a range of amazing interview candidates, the podcast has a broad scope, keeping it interesting for audiences.
What to learn: This podcast relies on the value of authentic conversations and great guests to generate unique and engaging content every episode.
11. The Radio Diaries
Host: Joe Richamn
The Radio Diaries is a unique approach to audio communication, with each episode introducing an ordinary person with an extraordinary story. Every week, this show invites someone from a different walk of life to share their experiences and perspectives with listeners across the globe.
What to learn: This podcast demonstrates the importance of diversity in interviewing, including non-celebrity interviewees.
12. The Joe Rogan Experience
Host: Joe Rogan
The Joe Rogan Experience is one of the most successful podcasts right now. This show is an unfiltered approach to the interview format, with each week bringing fresh perspectives from a range of celebrities eager to talk about their thoughts on arts, culture, media, news, life, and more.
What to learn: This show demonstrates how successful effective interviewing skills can be when applied well to the podcast format.
13. The Unmistakable Creative
Host: Srinivas Rao
The Unmistakable Creative is a show about life in general! In each episode, audiences hear stories and advice from talented creatives, entrepreneurs, and change-makers. Their inspiring stories are always accompanied by practical tips about setting goals and achieving success.
What to learn: This podcast shows the importance of offering actionable value in your interview episodes.
14. On Being
Host: Krista Tippett
On Being with Krista Tippet is all about life, science, healing, spirituality, and creativity. This show is driven by the biggest questions about the universe, with new guests arriving every week to offer their responses. Interviews are inspirational, aiming to offer fresh perspectives on the world.
What to learn: This show uses a clear niche in a broad way, ensuring that it stays on topic without running out of things to say.
15. The Knowledge Project
Host: Shane Parrish
The Knowledge Project is a chance to develop new risk-taking, critical-thinking, and decision-making skills. Each episode provides lessons and insights designed to help audiences reach their full potential. Guest interviews are a regular occurrence, all working toward the same goal.
What to learn: This show demonstrates the power and value of audience-focused content creation strategies.
16. Beyond the Shelf
Host: ChefsBest
Hosted by ChefsBest, the Beyond the Shelf podcast is an insider's look at the food and beverage industry. In every episode, professionals from the hospitality sector share their stories and experiences. Guests range from high-powered CEOs to marketing and retail team members, helping to represent a diverse array of perspectives.
What to learn: This podcast shows how a single topic can be approached from a variety of different angles in interview format.
17. Chicks in the Office
Host: Ria & Fran
Chicks in the Office is a show about entertainment media, including conversations about the latest pop culture news and events. Hosts Ria and Fran regularly welcome celebrity guest interviewees. This means that audiences get the inside scoop on some of Hollywood's best dramas.
What to learn: This show demonstrates how celebrity status can driven listeners to consume new podcast content.
18. Delicious Ways to Feel Better
Host: Ella Mills
Delicious Ways to Feel Better is a wellness show designed to help listeners live and feel better. This podcast includes actionable information about health and wellness concepts, from self care and mental health to nutrition, exercise, and more. Host Ella often welcomes special guest interviewees to chat about their own wellness goals and experiences.
What to learn: This show is clearly niche-driven, demonstrating the power of effective and consistent podcast branding.
19. Table Manners
Host: Jessie & Lennie Ware
The Table Manners podcast is hosted by a brilliant mother-daughter duo. This show is focused on food, family, and conversation. Weekly guests drop by for a bite to eat and soon start talking about their thoughts on politics, music, culture, and more. The result is a fascinating insight into the lives and experiences of many unique people!
What to learn: This podcast demonstrates how authenticity can be established to create realistic and engaging audio content.
20. The Adam Buxton Podcast
Host: Adam Buxton
Hosted by comedian Adam Buxton, The Adam Buxton Podcast is motivated by humor, offering comedic approaches to a range of topics. Episodes include funny interviews, but also serious, and often rambling conversations with a variety of guests, including famous singers, actors, artists, writers, and more.
What to learn: This show is an example of how comedy can be used to produce highly engaging podcast episodes.
FAQs on the best interview podcasts
If you still have questions about interview podcasts, don't worry! Below are our responses to some of the most common questions we receive.
Who is the best interviewer of all time?
Interviewing is a subjective skill, as there are so many ways to execute it well! People's unique interviewing styles mean that it's impossible to name any single interviewer as the best. However, highly talented and respected interviewers include Oprah, Joe Rogan, Guy Raz, John Oliver, and Conan O'Brian.
How do I find an interview for a podcast?
If you want to start producing interview podcast episodes, the first step is to find some interview candidates! When you're just starting out, it's a good idea to look for other creators in your niche who may be willing to swap podcast time. You can also contact professionals or relevant industry experts in your subject area.We also recommend saving everything in a spreadsheet so you can keep track of who you’ve reached out to and scheduled an interview with.
What are good interview questions for a podcast?
The best interview questions will vary depending on your podcast's theme and niche. However, it's always helpful to ask your guests questions about themselves and their experiences, especially as these things relate to your podcast topic.
What podcast has the best guests?
Plenty of podcasts have great guests! Some podcasts have many celebrity interviewees, while others focus on the unique perspectives of everyday people. There's no one podcast that has the best guests overall. All interview podcasts have their own guest achievements!
Ready to start interviewing guests on your own podcast? It's important that you keep your recordings crisp and clear to ensure you can effectively represent guest stories.
Fortunately, Riverside can help! To capture studio-quality podcast audio, try using Riverside.fm today.
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