Okay, so I wanted to spice up my podcast, make it a bit more… clickbaity. I figured, “Hey, controversial questions, that’s the ticket!” So, I started brainstorming.
First, I grabbed a pen and a notebook – old school, I know, but it works for me. I just started jotting down anything that came to mind. No filter, just pure, potentially offensive, thought-provoking stuff.
Brainstorm Bonanza
I spent a good hour just free-writing. My hand was cramping, but the ideas kept flowing. Some were terrible, some were okay, and a few were, dare I say, gold. Okay, maybe bronze, but still shiny!
- I listed out current hot topics: politics, social issues, celebrity gossip, you name it.
- Then I tried to twist those topics into questions that would make people go, “Ooh, did they really just ask that?”
- I even doodled little angry faces next to the really controversial ones. Don’t judge, it helps!
After the initial brain dump, I took a break. Needed to clear my head, grab some coffee, and maybe apologize in advance to my future listeners. When I came back, it was time to refine.
The Editing Gauntlet
This is where it got tricky. I had a huge list, but I needed to weed out the ones that were just plain stupid or unnecessarily mean. The goal was to be provocative, not a total jerk.
I read each question out loud, imagining how a guest might react. Would they be intrigued? Annoyed? Walk off the set? (Hopefully not that last one.)
- I used different color to * for “Keep,” another for “Maybe,” and a big, scary red for “Absolutely Not.”
- Some questions I reworded to be less harsh, but still edgy. It’s a fine line, people!
Finally, after much deliberation, I had my list. A curated collection of questions designed to spark debate, generate buzz, and maybe, just maybe, get me a few more downloads. Wish me luck – I’m gonna need it!
