Submission Guide

Whether you’re pitching a story or putting forward someone for a profile, please include:

• A short summary of the story or editorial angle you’d like us to consider.
• The name, title and organisation of the featured person, where applicable.
• A short biography of the featured person or author, either attached or included in your email.
• Any supporting information that helps us understand the story.

We appreciate context. The more we understand your submission, the better equipped we are to evaluate its relevance and editorial potential.

Strong photography makes a significant difference to how a story is presented.

We recommend:

• High-resolution images wherever possible.
• Portraits where the subject is looking directly into the camera.
• Professional or uncluttered environments with simple backgrounds.
• Images that are well lit and in focus.

Image specifications

Our preferred image format is landscape (3:2), with a minimum width of 1080px. Square images may also work depending on the intended placement.

If a high-resolution image exceeds 5MB, please share it through Google Drive, WeTransfer or another download link. Alternatively, include a lower-resolution version for initial review. We may request the original if we decide to proceed.

Where possible, choose images in which the subject can be easily separated from the background. We occasionally remove or replace backgrounds as part of our visual treatment.

Please also note:

• Some photographs may be converted to black and white to align with our editorial style.
• Director Woman reserves the right to select, crop and adapt imagery for publication.

Most leadership profiles are not published directly from a press release.

Our editorial process usually begins with a written Q&A. This allows us to explore a person’s experience, decisions, perspective and work in greater depth, producing stories that are distinctive and aligned with Director Woman’s editorial approach.

If you’re submitting a profile on behalf of someone else, please expect that we’ll request their participation in this process.

Announcements and event-related news may be considered differently.

If you’re submitting a completed article for consideration, please:

• Read a few recent Director Woman articles before writing.
• Write in a clear, direct and engaging style.
• Assume an intelligent reader.
• Avoid unnecessary explanations where specialist audiences would reasonably understand the subject.
• Where additional context is useful, consider linking to an external source rather than interrupting the flow of the article.
• Aim for approximately 1,000–1,300 words, although exceptional pieces may fall outside this range.
• Disclose whether the article has been published elsewhere or submitted to another publication.

We appreciate writing that gets to the point. Rather than building towards the main idea, lead with it.

Every submission is reviewed by our editorial team.

Our editing focuses on clarity, structure, length, style and consistency.

We do not alter the factual meaning of interviews or contributor articles. For written Q&As, responses may be condensed or lightly paraphrased for clarity while preserving the speaker’s intended meaning.

Our review process differs depending on the type of submission.

Interviews, profiles and editorial features

We do not offer draft approvals before publication.

Contributed articles

For completed articles accepted for publication under the author’s byline:

• Contributors receive one review round after editing.
• Changes should be limited to factual corrections or necessary clarifications.
• Once the review is complete, the article proceeds to publication.

Director Woman publishes new editorial features from Tuesday to Thursday.

Submission does not guarantee publication. Timelines vary depending on the nature of the story, editorial priorities and our publishing calendar.

When submitting an article, please let us know whether it:

• Has already been published.
• Has been submitted to another publication.
• Is being offered exclusively to Director Woman.

If an article is accepted, we ask that you inform us before republishing it elsewhere.

Submitting a story does not guarantee coverage.

Director Woman reserves the right to:

• Edit submissions for style, clarity and length.
• Determine headlines, imagery and presentation.
• Decline submissions that do not align with our editorial priorities.

Our editorial decisions are guided by one principle: producing journalism that serves our readers first.

Response times

We aim to acknowledge submissions as quickly as possible. If you have not received an acknowledgement within 48 hours, please first check that your submission was successfully sent to editors@directorwoman.co.za before following up.

Embargoes

If your story is under embargo or tied to a specific launch date, please indicate this clearly when submitting so that we can plan accordingly.

Accuracy

By submitting material, you confirm that the information provided is accurate to the best of your knowledge and that you have permission to share any accompanying images or materials.

Image permissions

You confirm that Director Woman has the necessary permission to publish any photographs or media supplied with your submission.

Fact-checking

Director Woman may independently verify claims, dates, titles and other factual information before publication.

Availability

For profile features, please ensure that the featured individual is available to respond to follow-up questions if required.