Direct Questions Increase Responses
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A technique used by podcast hosts Sam Parr and others to get guests to reveal sensitive information by asking direct questions and following up with "because I'm curious."
Core Strategy
- Ask uncomfortable or direct questions (like "how much money is in your bank account?")
- Immediately follow up with "because I'm curious" as justification
- Based on influence principle that giving any reason increases compliance
- Creates higher response rates than asking without explanation
Why It Works
- Disarms the awkwardness of personal questions
- Simple explanation satisfies psychological need for reasoning
- Makes the question feel more casual and conversational
- Leverages natural human tendency to respond when given a reason
Implementation Tips
- Be confident and direct when asking the question
- Don't over-explain or apologize for asking
- Keep the follow-up simple - just "because I'm curious"
- Accept that some people (roughly 50%) still won't answer
Real World Example
- Sam Parr uses this technique successfully on podcast guests
- Gets detailed financial information from entrepreneurs
- Achieves roughly 50% success rate in getting answers
- Has become known for this interviewing style
Key Insight
- The actual reason given doesn't matter - just providing any explanation increases likelihood of response
- Simple psychological trick that makes uncomfortable questions more palatable
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.