What to Do When a Podcast Guest Cancels or No-Shows
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😵
Guest just cancelled. Episode goes live Friday!
Day 1, 9 a.m.
💡
Wait. I have a finished episode in reserve.
Day 1, 9:10
📅
No worries! Would Tuesday 10 or Wednesday 2 work?
Day 1, noon
🎧
Friday went live on time. Guest records next week.
Day 7
- Protect the date first. Swap in a reserve or solo episode within the hour.
- Reschedule within 24 hours. Offer two or three specific times, warmly.
- Prevent the next one. Confirm two days and two hours before, and log every cancellation.
The Podcast Producer & Episode Management Tracker keeps guest status, recording dates, and publish dates in one sheet, so you can see which episodes are ready to swap in. Note each new date and a one-word reason, and patterns show up over time.