Overview
Verification Signals show journalists exactly what's been confirmed about your profile. Instead of a single checkmark, your profile displays individual signals — one for each check you've passed. Each signal confirms a specific aspect of your identity and professionalism, providing journalists and publishers a holistic picture of what's been verified.
Verification Signals is active for all expert profiles. However, experts are not required to pass a certain number of signals, nor do they need to provide select, optional profile elements if they do not wish to.
Verification Signals never affect your ability to use the platform. You can create an expert profile and respond to opportunities with any number of confirmed signals. When signals are confirmed, they can help you stand out as a stronger, more credible source to journalists and publishers.
Key benefits
More transparency. See exactly which parts of your profile have been verified, not just a yes-or-no badge.
Stronger trust with journalists. Each confirmed signal shows journalists specifically what's been confirmed about you.
Control over how you appear. Only your confirmed signals are shown to others — unconfirmed checks are visible to you alone.
Automatic updates. Checks re-run automatically whenever you edit related details on your profile.
How to verify your profile
The Current Verification Signals
Your profile can currently display up to seven signals:
Identity found in professional database — confirms that a record matching your name and one of your email addresses (profile or account email) appears in an independent professional database.
LinkedIn profile valid — confirms your LinkedIn URL is a working personal profile link (not a company page or a post link).
Profile email verified — confirms your email is consistent with your identity: your email username aligns with your name (or your email domain is based on your name), your email domain matches your company's domain when you list a company website, and you've completed the one-time consent step.
Verification link provided — confirms a secure link (starting with https://) is present on your profile. We ask that this link show your name, role, and company for journalists reviewing your profile, but the check itself confirms the link's presence and format.
Headshot is a person — confirms your profile photo shows exactly one real person. Logos, placeholder images, group photos, AI-generated images, or stock photos won't confirm.
Valid company anchor text — confirms your company name aligns with your company website address.
Connectively profile — confirms your profile is set to public.
Verification Signal Steps
1. Create Your Expert Profile
Add complete information to your profile, including a professional email address. The email address you use must:
Match a People Data Labs (PDL) profile, OR
Match your name and company domain format
For example: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Shared or general email addresses, such as [email protected] are not supported.
2. Verify Your Profile Email (if different from account email)
If your profile email is different from your account email, you'll need to complete a one-time verification step:
A "Send verification email" button will appear once your email's name and domain checks pass
Click the button to send a verification email to your profile email address
Click the link in the email to confirm consent — this is permanent once completed
If your profile email matches your account email, consent carries over from your sign-up automatically
Check your inbox (and spam folder) if you don't see the verification email.
3. Automatic Signal Checks
The system automatically checks:
Your name and email against a professional database
Your LinkedIn URL validity
Your email alignment with your name and company domain
Your verification link format (https required)
Your headshot for a real person
Your company name alignment with your company URL
Your profile's public visibility
4. Signals Display and Visibility
Your confirmed signals display on your profile for journalists and other viewers to see. Any unconfirmed checks are visible only to you — other people never see what hasn't been confirmed. This lets you know exactly where you stand without unconfirmed checks being on display.
5. Update Your Profile as Needed
Checks re-run automatically whenever you edit the related profile field. There's no button to request verification — just make sure the information on your profile is accurate and complete:
Editing your name re-runs the professional database and email checks
Editing your profile email re-runs the professional database and email checks
Editing your company URL re-runs the email and company anchor checks
Changing your LinkedIn URL re-runs the LinkedIn check
Changing your verification link re-runs the verification link check
Changing your profile photo re-runs the headshot check
Changing your profile between public and private updates the Connectively profile signal
Keep in mind that removing information counts as an edit. For example, if you delete your verification link, that check re-runs against an empty field and will show as unconfirmed until a secure link is added back.
6. Check Unconfirmed Signals
If a signal isn't confirmed, it means the check couldn't verify it from your current profile information. Only you can see unconfirmed signals, and they never affect your ability to use the platform.
To get a signal confirmed, review the related profile field and make sure it's accurate and complete. The check will re-run automatically when you save your edit. If you believe a check made a genuine error, you can reach out to our support team with details and we'll take a look.
FAQs
Why did the checkmark change to signals?
A single checkmark could only say "verified" or nothing at all — even when most of your profile checked out perfectly. It forced an all-or-nothing verdict that didn't reflect reality. Verification Signals rebuild verification in richer detail, showing you exactly which checks have been confirmed rather than a one-size-fits-all badge.
Do I need signals to use the platform?
No. Verification Signals are completely optional and never gate platform access. You can create a profile, pitch, and respond to opportunities either way. Signals exist to help you stand out as a stronger, more credible source to journalists and publishers.
What signals does Connectively check?
Verification Signals confirm:
Your identity against an independent professional database (name + email match)
Your LinkedIn URL validity
Your email consistency with your name and company domain, plus consent
The presence of a secure verification link
Your headshot shows one real person
Your company name aligns with your company website
Your profile is set to public
We verify the format and presence of external links, not their contents.
Can I re-run my verification?
There's no button to re-run verification — checks run automatically whenever you edit the related profile field. Just make sure your profile information is accurate and complete, and checks re-run on save.
Why can't I send the verification email?
The "Send verification email" button appears once your email's name and domain checks pass. If you don't see the button, it means those checks aren't passing yet — update your profile email so it aligns with your name (and your company's domain, if you list a company website). Once those checks pass, the button will appear.
If you've already sent the verification email, check your inbox and spam folder for the one-time link. The button is replaced with a note showing the email has been sent.
What if a signal shows unconfirmed?
Each signal reflects your current profile information. An unconfirmed signal means the check couldn't verify it from what's there right now. It never affects your ability to use the platform, and only you can see it.
For the professional database check: the database doesn't cover everyone, and new records can take time to appear.
For the email check: the most common reason is the consent step hasn't been completed — look for the "Send verification email" button.
For other signals: review the related profile field (e.g., does your LinkedIn URL point to your personal profile? Is your headshot a real photo of just you?) and make sure it's accurate and complete. The check will re-run automatically when you save an edit.
Do journalists see my unconfirmed signals?
No. Other people see only your confirmed signals. You can see all of your own signals — confirmed and unconfirmed — so you always know exactly where you stand. Unconfirmed signals never display to journalists or other viewers.
What database do you check against?
We use People Data Labs (PDL) for the "Identity found in professional database" signal. All other signals are checked against the information on your profile.
Will I get support if there's a mistake?
Automated analysis can occasionally get things wrong. If you believe a signal failed something it should have passed (for example, the headshot check not confirming a photo that clearly shows just you), contact our support team with the details and we'll take a look. If the system made an error, we'll correct it.