Interview Research Funnel
Study the existing record, then design questions that add depth
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 97%
The Interview Research Funnel moves from broad source collection to differentiated questions. Begin with the guest's primary material, especially books or audiobooks, then review a range of prior interviews to understand recurring stories, established positions, and unanswered edges. Map that material against the purpose of your own show and the expertise most valuable to your listeners. Only after this review should you draft questions. Preserve useful proven topics, but use follow-ups to reach a more detailed layer; also identify angles that popular interviews have not covered. Because the host can anticipate familiar answers, attention can shift from discovery during the recording to purposeful sequencing and depth. The result is an interview that benefits from the guest's existing body of work without simply reproducing it.
Origin
Taha described the research process used by her producers and herself before Young and Profiting interviews, including books and roughly ten prior guest interviews.
Core principles
- 01Strong questions begin with comprehensive source review
- 02Existing interviews reveal both proven topics and missing questions
- 03Research should serve the listener rather than display the host's knowledge
- 04Depth comes from extending prior answers instead of repeating them
How to run it
- 1
Collect primary material
Read the guest's book or listen to the audiobook and gather authoritative material that explains their core ideas.
Pro tip Record recurring concepts and claims as you review.
Watch out Do not substitute a short biography for the guest's actual work.
- 2
Sample prior interviews
Listen to multiple existing conversations, including the guest's most popular appearances, to hear how they explain their ideas aloud.
Pro tip Taha reports listening to roughly ten prior interviews.
- 3
Map expertise to audience
Decide which parts of the guest's expertise fit the show's purpose and would create the most value for listeners.
Pro tip Design around what the audience should understand or be able to do afterward.
Watch out Research breadth is not a reason to force every discovered topic into one episode.
- 4
Find the unanswered edge
Identify questions absent from popular interviews and subjects that previous hosts left at a superficial level.
Pro tip Look for assumptions, missing examples, and unexamined implementation details.
- 5
Sequence for depth
Arrange familiar entry questions and original follow-ups so the guest can establish context before entering new territory.
Pro tip Use anticipated answers to prepare precise follow-up prompts.
Watch out Do not make the interview sound like a test of whether the host knows the guest's biography.
In the wild
Taha's team submits research before the recording. She reads or listens to the guest's book, reviews about ten prior interviews, identifies the expertise she wants to draw out for her listeners, and then creates questions that either have not been asked or push a familiar subject further.
→ Guests recognize the preparation, while listeners receive more than a repeat of the guest's standard interview.
Common mistakes
Writing questions too early
Drafting before reviewing the guest's body of work produces obvious questions and misses opportunities for depth.
Showing off the research
The purpose is to draw out useful information, not to make the guest or audience admire the host's preparation.
Is it for you?
Best for
Hosts interviewing well-covered experts whose existing books and appearances provide a substantial research trail.
Not ideal for
Breaking-news interviews where source material is unavailable and preparation time is measured in minutes.
From the transcript
“I probably listen to maybe ten interviews that my guest has had in the past”
“I basically look at all the different content that they have out there and think about what I want my podcasts to be and what…”
“I know what nobody has actually asked them before or I'll dig deeper on a topic they might have talked about on another show”
From the episode
YAPLive: Ask Hala Anything!
YAPLive