Guest Booking Template for Podcasts and Shows (Downloadable Calendar + Outreach Cadence)

Stop chasing guests. Use one calendar and a repeatable cadence that runs itself.

Booking, confirming and prepping podcast guests wastes hours every week for hosts and small teams. Missed time zones, last-minute tech failures, and ad-hoc reminder emails create friction — especially when you scale. This guide gives you a ready-to-import calendar template, a tested outreach cadence, staggered notification settings, and a downloadable prep checklist so you can book guests reliably and free up time for content.

What you'll get (fast)

• One multi-event .ics calendar template you can import to Google, Outlook, or Apple Calendar (copy the block below to a .ics file).
• Actionable email templates for booking, following up, confirming and prepping guests — ready to paste into your CRM or Gmail.
• A proven staggered reminders schedule to reduce no-shows and tech issues.
• An editable prep checklist and day-of run sheet for producers.

Why this matters in 2026: trends you need to adapt to

In late 2025 and early 2026 two clear trends accelerated that affect guest booking workflows: high-profile hosts and broadcasters are expanding into digital audio and video channels, and platforms are consolidating publishing pipelines. For example, celebrities joining the podcast space and broadcasters negotiating platform deals means producers now juggle more cross-platform release schedules and higher expectations for production quality.

"Ant and Dec are to host their first podcast..." (BBC, Jan 2026)

"The BBC and YouTube are in talks for a landmark deal..." (Variety, Jan 2026)

Those moves increase pressure on hosts and small teams to run professional, repeatable guest logistics. Meanwhile, calendar automation and AI assistants are now widely available in 2026 — use them to scale your workflow rather than replace human judgment.

How to use this guide (quick start)

1. Copy the .ics block below and save as guest-booking-template.ics — import into your calendar app.
2. Tailor the event fields (time zone, recording link, producer name) once in your calendar.
3. Use the outreach email templates and send them via your email system or CRM sequence.
4. Enable the staggered notifications described below and add a day-of producer check.
5. Follow the prep checklist with the guest 48–24 hours before recording.

Downloadable calendar template (copy into a .ics file)

Below is a compact multi-event iCalendar (.ics) template. Copy everything between the <pre> tags into a new text file named guest-booking-template.ics, then import into Google Calendar, Outlook, or Apple Calendar. Edit the sample dates/times and the {{PLACEHOLDERS}} before sending invites.

BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//calendars.life//Guest Booking Template v2026//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:REQUEST

BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:booking-{{ID}}@calendars.life
DTSTAMP:20260118T080000Z
DTSTART:20260201T150000Z
DTEND:20260201T160000Z
SUMMARY:Recorded Interview - {{GuestName}} (Recording)
DESCRIPTION:Host: {{HostName}}\nProducer: {{ProducerName}}\nRecording link: {{RecordingLink}}\nTech check: 15 mins before\nPrep doc: {{PrepDocLink}}\nNotes: {{Notes}}
LOCATION:Online / Zoom
RRULE:FREQ=NONE
BEGIN:VALARM
TRIGGER:-P7D
ACTION:DISPLAY
DESCRIPTION:Reminder: Recording in 7 days
END:VALARM
BEGIN:VALARM
TRIGGER:-PT48H
ACTION:DISPLAY
DESCRIPTION:Reminder: Recording in 48 hours
END:VALARM
BEGIN:VALARM
TRIGGER:-PT2H
ACTION:DISPLAY
DESCRIPTION:Reminder: Recording in 2 hours
END:VALARM
END:VEVENT

BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:pre-interview-{{ID}}@calendars.life
DTSTAMP:20260118T080000Z
DTSTART:20260125T150000Z
DTEND:20260125T153000Z
SUMMARY:Pre-Interview / Briefing with Producer - {{GuestName}}
DESCRIPTION:Quick call to run through topics, logistics and tech.\nChecklist: Intro, Topic list, Media rights, Promotion dates.
LOCATION:Online / Zoom
BEGIN:VALARM
TRIGGER:-P1D
ACTION:DISPLAY
DESCRIPTION:Reminder: Pre-interview in 24 hours
END:VALARM
END:VEVENT

BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:social-release-{{ID}}@calendars.life
DTSTAMP:20260118T080000Z
DTSTART:20260208T100000Z
DTEND:20260208T103000Z
SUMMARY:Episode Release & Social Push - {{GuestName}}
DESCRIPTION:Confirm metadata, quotes and social handles.\nAssets: audiogram, show notes, guest bio.
LOCATION:Internal
END:VEVENT

END:VCALENDAR

Event structure explained (what each item does)

• Pre-Interview / Briefing — 30 mins, 1–2 weeks before recording depending on guest profile. Use to confirm topics, outline safe topics and gather short bio and promotion assets.
• Recorded Interview — the session itself. Embed the recording link, tech-check time, and attach the prep doc so it's always on the invite.
• Release & Social Push — this ensures the guest is looped in on publishing and can prepare their audience posts.

Staggered notification schedule (reduce no-shows)

A simple staggered sequence reduces no-shows and last-minute tech problems. Use both calendar notifications and email/SMS for high-profile guests.

• 7 days before — confirmation email, attach prep doc.
• 48 hours before — tech check link + reminder to test audio/video (email).
• 24 hours before — calendar notification + SMS reminder for VIPs.
• 2 hours before — calendar notification that tech check is in X minutes; producer pings guest in chat/Slack/WhatsApp.
• 15 minutes before — final calendar pop-up and host/producer ready status update.

Outreach cadence: Email templates and timing

Below is a tested 6-step outreach sequence. Replace variables like {{GuestName}}, {{HostName}}, {{RecordingWindow}} before sending. Keep messages short and personalized.

1) Initial outreach (Day 0)

Hi {{GuestName}},

I host {{ShowName}}, a [short description]. We’d love to have you on to discuss {{SpecificTopic}} — we record remotely and it takes ~45 minutes. Are you available in the week of {{RecordingWindow}}?

If that works, I’ll share a short prep doc and a few proposed dates. Best,

{{HostName}} • {{ShowName}}

2) Follow-up (3 days later)

Hi {{GuestName}},

Following up on my note about joining {{ShowName}}. We can be flexible on timing and will handle booking, tech checks and social assets. Would love to make this easy for you.

Available times: {{TwoToThreeSlots}} — tell me any that work and I’ll send an invite.

Warmly,

{{HostName}}

3) Final follow-up (7–10 days later)

Hi {{GuestName}},

No pressure — just checking once more. If now isn’t right, tell me a better window and I’ll circle back then.

Thanks,

{{HostName}}

4) Acceptance -> Confirmation (on acceptance)

Fantastic — thrilled to have you. Below are the confirmed details:

• Date/Time: {{ConfirmedDateTime}} (Time zone: {{TZ}})
• Recording link: {{RecordingLink}}
• Producer: {{ProducerName}} ({{ProducerEmail}})

We’ll do a 15-minute tech check 15 minutes before recording. Attached is a short prep doc — please add any notes or topics.

See you then,

{{HostName}}

5) 48-hour prep email

Hi {{GuestName}},

Quick checklist before we record:

• Confirm you can join at {{ConfirmedDateTime}} ({{TZ}}).
• Check that your mic and camera work — here’s a quick tech test.
• Reply with any topics, links, or corrections to your bio.

Producer {{ProducerName}} will reach out 30 mins before to confirm the recording link.

6) Day-of SMS / short email (2 hours before)

Hi {{GuestName}} — quick reminder: we’re on in 2 hours at {{ConfirmedDateTime}}. Tech check at {{TechCheckTime}}. See you soon! — {{ProducerName}}

Confirmation reminders & invite text (copy‑paste)

Use this calendar invite body so the guest has everything in one place.

Subject: {{ShowName}} recording with {{HostName}} — {{ConfirmedDateTime}} ({{TZ}})

Hi {{GuestName}},

Thanks for joining {{ShowName}}. Below are the details:

Host: {{HostName}}
Producer: {{ProducerName}} — {{ProducerEmail}}
Recording link: {{RecordingLink}}
Tech check: {{TechCheckTime}} (15 minutes before)
Duration: ~45–60 minutes
Prep doc: {{PrepDocLink}}
Promo notes: Please share any handles, titles or links to include in show notes.

Please check your mic/camera in advance. If you’d prefer audio-only, let us know.

Thanks — looking forward to it!

Prep checklist for guests (editable)

• Confirm timezone and dial-in link or browser compatibility.
• Choose a quiet, well-lit room and use headphones where possible.
• Close background apps that use CPU or bandwidth (Zoom, Teams, Dropbox sync).
• Clear talking points: 3–5 key messages; avoid long scripted responses.
• Share any sensitive topics to avoid or any embargo details for announcements.
• Provide headshot, short bio (2–3 lines) and social handles for show notes.

Advanced strategies for 2026 (scale without chaos)

Use these strategies as your guest pipeline grows:

• Self-serve booking pages: For public-facing shows consider a vetted Calendly or in-house booking page that writes events directly to a production calendar and triggers automated reminders and pre-interview forms.
• AI-assisted polishing: Use AI to summarize pre-interview notes and auto-generate question bullets for the host, but always add a human review for tone and accuracy.
• Cross-platform release planning: If your show distribution spans YouTube, social clips, and audio platforms (a growing trend in 2025–26), schedule release and social push events in the same calendar so marketing and production align.
• Privacy & consent tracking: Keep a simple consent checkbox or short form attached to the calendar invite for guests to confirm permissions for clips and transcriptions.
• VIP workflows: For high-profile guests use a concierge approach: SMS confirmations, a producer call 48 hours prior, and a premium tech check on the day.

Case study: small team, big guest pipeline

Meet a fictional small production team: Host A (solo host) and a two-person ops team producing a weekly interview show and occasional high-profile guests. Before standardizing, they spent 8–12 hours per week coordinating bookings, with frequent reschedules and no-shows.

After adopting the template and cadence in this guide they:

• Reduced reschedule-related admin by ~60% (producer time reclaimed for editing).
• Cut no-shows by following the 7-day/48-hour/24-hour/2-hour reminder sequence and adding one SMS for VIPs.
• Improved episode quality because guests had clear prep materials and a pre-interview briefing.

Those gains came from standardization, not more tools — a single calendar and predictable reminders created the operational margin the team needed.

Import tips: Google Calendar, Outlook & Apple

Google Calendar

1. Save the .ics text above as guest-booking-template.ics.
2. Open Google Calendar > Settings > Import & export > Import the .ics into the calendar you use for production.
3. Edit each event to add personalized fields like {{GuestName}}, recording link and producer details.

Outlook (web & desktop)

1. File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Import an iCalendar (.ics) file.
2. Choose whether to import into your primary calendar or a production-specific calendar.

Apple Calendar

1. File > Import, choose the .ics file and select the destination calendar.
2. Set local notifications and check time zone conversion for guests.

Final checklist before you send the first invite

• Set up a production calendar and import the .ics template.
• Create a simple intake form for public bookings (name, role, topic, promo assets, preferred windows).
• Customize email templates with your show voice and variables for merge fields.
• Decide who sends the day-of SMS (producer or host) for VIPs.
• Run one dry run with a friendly guest to test the entire chain from booking to release.

Wrap up: small changes, big operational wins

In 2026, when shows push content across platforms and guests expect concierge-level experience, a small, repeatable system wins. Use this calendar template and outreach cadence to make guest logistics predictable. Standardization reduces friction — and when your process runs smoothly, you can focus on what matters: better conversations and audience growth.

Get the files and start today

Copy the .ics block above into a file named guest-booking-template.ics and import it into your calendar to test. For editable CSVs, Google Sheets templates, and more polished campaign sequences (ready for CRMs and Calendly), download the full pack at calendars.life/downloads or email templates@calendars.life for bulk onboarding help.

Actionable next step: Import the .ics, send one test invite to a colleague, and run the tech check flow once. If you want, reply here with your show profile and I’ll suggest the three best reminder settings for your exact workflow.

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