Editorial & research standards
How we research, and stand behind, every word.
Booking a keynote speaker is a real financial decision, so the information we publish has to be trustworthy. This page explains how Headliner researches speakers, sources and dates every fact, reviews its editorial work, and fixes mistakes — the discipline behind every profile, guide, and shortlist. For the standards our whole site is held to, see our editorial standards.
Last updated: July 2026
The standard
Six rules we hold every page to
Each is a rule we can be held to — they govern what we publish, how we source it, and what we refuse to claim.
01
We research from public sources — and cite them.
Every speaker profile and every guide is compiled from public, verifiable sources: official sites, published interviews, books, talks, reputable press, and public event records. We do not publish claims we cannot trace back to a source, and our researched articles carry a numbered list of the references behind them so any reader can check our work.
02
We date what we know.
Facts age. Fees, availability, roles, and recent work all change, so we stamp profiles and articles with an “Updated” date and refresh them on a schedule — priority pages most often. If a date looks old, treat the detail as a starting point and confirm the current position with us.
03
We shortlist on a rigorous, data-informed process.
When we recommend speakers, we do not send a catalog dump. We study the audience, the agenda, and the outcome you are after, then match speakers on genuine fit through a rigorous, data-informed shortlisting process — and we show the reasoning behind the names. Fewer names, chosen better, with the “why” attached.
04
A named human reviews the work.
Our researched articles carry an author and a “Reviewed by” credit, not an anonymous byline. Speaker content is written to a documented dossier standard and checked before it publishes. We would rather ship fewer pages that are accurate and accountable than a wall of unchecked, machine-generated text.
05
We are honest about fees and availability.
We never invent a number. For public figures we show cited public fee ranges or “Fee on request”, because a real fee moves with date, format, travel, and negotiation — quoting a stale figure for a real person would be misleading. Availability is confirmed per event; we never imply exclusivity we do not have.
06
We say what we will not do.
We do not fabricate testimonials, invent awards or memberships, display “as seen in” logos we have not earned, or manufacture a relationship with a speaker we do not represent. A false trust signal is the fastest way to lose trust — so if we cannot show it truthfully, we do not show it.
Corrections
Found something wrong? Tell us.
We work hard to be accurate, and we still get things wrong sometimes — a fact moves, a role changes, a source turns out to be mistaken. When it happens, we want to fix it quickly and openly.
If you spot an inaccuracy on any speaker profile or article — including a speaker or their representative who wants a detail corrected or updated — let us know and we will review it against the public record. When a correction is warranted we update the page and revise its “Updated” date. We would always rather be corrected than be wrong.
Report a correctionRigor you can check. Speakers you can trust.
Tell us about your event and we’ll come back within four business hours with a researched, best-fit shortlist — with the reasoning shown.