Today, it looks like you can contact virtually any stranger on social media. Still, emailing a person you do not know is a way more professional solution to get your message across. As a result, email remains the primary channel for business communication.
Still, finding someone's email address is not always easy. In fact, even losing or misplacing someone's contact details can pose certain challenges if there is no way to restore them. Luckily, there is a solution to every problem, and you can connect (or reconnect) with people with the following email finding tips.
Check out personal & professional websites
The first and probably the most logical step when trying to contact someone within a specific company is to check their website contact us section. When reaching out to top employees and executives within a small company, this is the surest and the quickest option to get their valid contact details. With large corporations, of course, this tip is not so effective.
Besides, many company websites have nothing but an automated contact form on their contact page. You can (and probably should) try to get your message over this form, but remember that automated emails often end up in spam. Of course, there is no harm in trying, but do not expect a quick response when using a contact form.
Browse social media platforms
One more way to reach out to prospects is via social media. It's no secret that LinkedIn is the kind of platform that allows making any business-related offers. Here, you can reach out to potential partners, prospective job candidates, and even investors. Of course, contacting someone directly over LinkedIn does not guarantee that your message will be seen in time. Luckily, many professionals make their emails public, so you should do some quick search on this platform.
If you cannot find the email you are looking for on LinkedIn, try other social media sites. Of course, Facebook and Instagram are not the best platforms for making a business offer, but they can offer you direct contact details of the people you need.
Try an advanced google search
If none of the above worked for you, try an advanced google search. Include the first and last name of the person you want to contact. If you know their current companies, add that info as well. Google accumulates tons of information on every user, and you may just find the contact you need. Sure, with common names, this process can get a little tricky, but no one will blame you for trying.
Use specialized email finders
All of the above suggestions are 100% free, but not 100% effective. So, when reaching out to strangers on a daily basis, you will need a quick and efficient tool to lookup, search and find email addresses. SignalHire is one of the best examples in this area because it allows searching for people by their name, job title, industry, skillset, etc. And the best part is - you get five searches for free, so if you accidentally misplaced someone's email, you will not even need to invest in a paid subscription.
However, when planning email marketing campaigns or recruiting new job candidates, you will need more than five free searches a month. The good news is that subscription plans on SignalHire.com are flexible and reasonable. Also, you do not have to perform all searches manually via the website's internal database. You can simply install their Chrome extension and get anyone's contact info without closing this person's LinkedIn profile preview. So far, this is one of the best, the most budget-wise tools that ensure 24/7 access to virtually anyone's emails, phone numbers, and links to social media networks.
Guess and verify emails
If you are not looking for emails in bulk, you can try and guess someone's email address. This tip could be useful when you misplaced someone's contact details and cannot restore them. Perhaps, you remember the logic behind this person's email? Most addresses used for professional communication follow the same pattern of first and last name, followed by a mail client. So, it's not that hard to make a couple of guesses and test them via email validation software. Fortunately, most of these services are free.
Ask mutual connections
Also note that you can scan your existing connections and ask for an introduction. Often, people working in the same industry will not mind introducing you to their peers, especially if they believe that your offer could be interesting to the person in question. The same is true for losing someone's email address - mostly likely, you have some mutual social media connections, and you can always reach out to your contacts to restore the information you've lost.
Finally, remember that a combination of these steps usually brings the best results - especially if you are not willing to pay for any email hunting software. The latter is essential for everyday professional use; however, it is always possible to apply a bit of effort and find most contact details you need for free.
