How can you handle last-minute cancellations from podcast guests?

Graciously. Sometimes, unexpected events come up. At first, I used to get pissed, but I realized it got me nowhere. So, to mitigate this, I always have a backup plan. I reach out to 2 guests in the same niche; if one cancels, fine; if no one cancels, great! The more, the merrier.

Cancelations unfortunately happen, but you should work to minimize the impact by having a few episodes in your back pocket. Try to have content planned for a few weeks out, with episodes recorded and ready to go, so that if someone cancels, it does not affect your publishing schedule

Cancellations are a fact of life - It's a smart idea to keep a list of "potential guests" emails & phone numbers handy for this exact reason. Have a last minute cancelation? Send a bulk email out to ppl who have expressed interest in being a guest & tell them there is only one slot for an interview - first come, first serve.

I do bulk recording of epsiodes. So I always have recordings ready for the next 4-5 weeks so that I do not run out of content for the week's publishing schedule. I also make sure in my email communication that I do not tolerate re-scheduling more than once.

Cancellations happen in the world of podcasting. It's best to be gracious and empathetic when a guest cancels last minute. You'll likely need that same grace at some point in the future. Make sure you have "Plan B" activities related to the show that you can work on in the event a last minute cancellation happens. Also, make sure you have 6 to 8 episodes in inventory that you can pull from.

We're talking about people, human beings with real lives, routines, issues, and commitments. Being flexible is a must if you want to host interviews. But I'd also have systems and boundaries in place so you also protect your time and energy. Rescheduling is okay, but rescheduling 5x is not. That's a red flag.

I’ve had guests cancel and reschedule 2-3 times before actually recording. What I’ve learned is to not take it personally and to just go with it. Adjust. Adapt. If you’re on a schedule then find a different guest in the meantime.

Revisiting a topic or previous guest can be a creative way to create new content quickly. Reflecting on a past episode could connect you with new audience members who have not yet gone through your whole catalog of episodes. Also, you might be able to add new perspectives to the original episode because your thoughts have changed or new information has come out since the original recording.

One of the top reasons podcasters stop is that they don't prioritize having a collection of podcast episode ideas handy. It's important as a host to have a backup. You might want to think your audience will be considerate if you miss an episode, but the truth is that if you aren't showing up when you say you will, your audience loses trust in you and will find another show to listen to. Here are some of my favorite ways to brainstorm new content: 1 - Use your podcast market research as a baseline for creating new content ideas. Didn't do podcast market research? I promise it's worth it. 2 - Use search engines to see what topics your listener is interested in. 3 - As your audience for topics they would want to hear from you.

Having a guest cancel can be an opportunity to try a solo episode. Listeners love getting to know the host more over time because that's who's driving the show. If you're not ready to script out a solo episode, you can also have a team member come in and interview YOU. Build that connection as a host, it pays off in the long run.

You should always have some back up topics and segments in the can so you can have emergency content to release. When I ran a podcast, I had one of my brothers pass away. Because I had a couple of segments pre-recorded and at the ready, all I had to do was record an introduction and bam, podcast released.

Have a queue of episodes. Ideally, for non time sensitive podcasts, you should have between 4 and 6 episodes ready to go at any given time. This means that guest cancellations have no impact on your content flow. Treat guest prospecting like sales prospecting. Realize that you may have to talk to 10 people for every 1 that makes the cut for your show. Have a funnel and work people through it on a regular basis to ensure that they can be the highest quality guests possible. Additionally, having an evergreen "emergency episode" is also something that works well. Often this can be done solo, without a guest about a topic that will play well any time in the next 90-180 days. This can be used if your queue runs dry, but as a last resort.