Waitlisted participants are backups. They accepted an invite after the slot or quota was already filled, and they are not automatically booked in if a spot opens later. Re-inviting them is always your call.
How a participant ends up waitlisted
You invited more than one person to the same session, and someone else accepted first.
Your quota was already met when they accepted their invite.
Either way, the participant is told they're waitlisted as a backup. You're never charged for people beyond your set quota, so over-inviting is safe and we recommend it.
Will waitlisted participants be invited automatically?
No. If a spot opens up (a cancellation or no-show), waitlisted participants stay where they are until you re-invite them. Use the dropdown next to their name and select Invite to lock them into an open session. See How to tackle cancellations and participant no-shows.
What the waitlist is for
It's a ready-made shortlist of people who wanted in and are likely free around your session times. When a slot opens mid-fieldwork, start here before going back to the wider list.
How do I get guaranteed backup participants?
A waitlist is not a guarantee; nobody on it has committed to holding time for you. If your research is high stakes (in-person days, expensive stakeholders in the room), the reliable pattern is:
Purchase extra quota spots beyond your intended sample. For example, quota of 12 for 10 planned interviews.
Book in your backups as confirmed participants and tell them they may not be needed.
Mark backups as Complete even if their session doesn't run, so they're paid for holding the time.
Inviting in stages
If you want a soft start, you don't need to pause anything: set your full quota with hand-picked selection, invite a few participants first, review how sessions go, then invite the rest later.