Diona is an award-winning freelance copywriter + strategist based mostly in Johannesburg

What I do

I partner with agencies as a senior extension of their team by stepping in during peak workload, supporting pitch work, or staying on for ongoing retainer work.
Whether that means leading the messaging for a full website build, developing long-form thought leadership content, omnichannel funnel copy, or shaping the narrative behind a brand, I work across both thinking and delivery.
I work across brand and content strategy to help businesses define what they stand for and how that shows up in market.
On the brand side, I clarify positioning, audience, differentiation, category framing, and value proposition to define the narrative territory the brand can credibly own.
On the content side, I translate that into an actionable system with messaging architecture, editorial themes, channel strategy, and content mapped to buyer journey and commercial objectives.
I collaborate with art directors and creative directors from the earliest stage of campaign development, working as both creative partner and strategic lens.
I help shape the core insight and define the problem framing, develop concepts, platform lines, headlines, scripts, landing pages, and social rollout to ensure the campaign ladders back to a single narrative.

About

Diona began her career as a conceptual creative and over time, became more interested in the architecture behind those ideas: how positioning is defined, how narrative shapes perception, and how a disciplined strategic foundation supports effective creative work.

She has worked across agency, corporate, and freelance roles, giving her a deep understanding of how brands operate from the inside as well as how they present externally. Her experience spans regulated industries including insurance, fintech, medtech, education, and telecoms, alongside global FMCG brands.

She’s positioned and repositioned brands, conceptualised ideas, won pitches, and brought consistency to chaotic content ecosystems. She’s also written manifestos, headlines, scripts, websites, articles, radio ads, and that line you liked but cut anyway.

Outside of work, some of her projects have been exhibited at the Goethe-Institut, Schnit Film Festival, Mzansi Short Film Festival, Oppikoppi Festival, The Labia Theatre, Four Points Film Project, and featured in Bubblegum Club, Between 10 and 5, Bizcommunity, and in Ja Magazine.

In case you’re wondering, she does feel awkward about writing this bio in third person.