Women Who Podcast - How to start, run and grow your podcast · Alison Fraser

Systems and workflows for your podcast with Dolly DeLong

·43 min·2 clips

75% of the time I get bookings because of that personalized video—people want to know you're a real person.

Dolly DeLong, host of the Systems and Workflow Magic podcast, joins Alison Fraser to explain how intentional systems enable her to run multiple businesses and family life. DeLong is a family photographer and systems educator who works only 20-25 hours weekly by design. She argues that without foundational systems, balancing her entrepreneurial work with being present for her husband and children would be impossible. DeLong’s first essential system automates client inquiries for her photography business using Dubsado, sending an instant automated reply with a price guide and website links. Her "secret sauce" is a personalized Loom video sent the next business day, which she claims converts 75% of inquiries into bookings. For her podcast, she batches recordings quarterly, using Dubsado to automate guest scheduling, reminders, and collection of bios and headshots. She communicates with her podcast editor solely through Slack and organizes all audio files in a structured Google Drive. DeLong also creates marketing graphics in Canva using templates and schedules them in advance. A key insight is that systems allow for significant output within limited time, like recording two months of podcast episodes during her son's naps. She emphasizes that personalized videos make her stand out in a saturated market by showcasing authenticity, even if her kids interrupt. DeLong advises against hiring help too quickly, noting it took her years to comfortably onboard three contractors. She recommends planning podcast content at least one month ahead to maintain consistency without last-minute stress. Interestingly, she finds over-planning can be a detriment, as being too far ahead may cause you to miss timely, relevant topics for your audience. The conversation is practical and educational, focused on actionable steps rather than theory. The tone is supportive and conversational, with both hosts sharing their own experiences and workflows openly. This episode is ideal for solopreneurs, especially parents, who feel overwhelmed by operational tasks and seek concrete strategies to save time. Listeners who prefer high-level inspiration over granular, technical advice might find the detailed system walkthroughs less engaging.

As heard by us

A practical systems lesson for podcasters managing guests, launches, and day-to-day admin.

This episode stays close to the work itself, and that is what makes it useful. Dolly DeLong lays out how she balances podcasting with a family photography business and family life, then shows the systems that keep launches moving and the follow-through from falling apart.

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Why you'd press play

You need a calmer podcast workflow that keeps guest prep out of your inbox.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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