There’s always that time when you need to shoot someone an email but can’t find their email address anywhere. You can put a lot of effort into finding this piece of contact information, and your efforts may sometimes not yield results. The last thing that you can do is to make a guess, but thankfully, there are other ways to go about this.
For one, you can invest in an email finder tool, or you can take your time searching the Internet for your prospect’s contact information. However, if you’re strapped for cash or don’t have much time on your hands, you might want to scour the places where people are most likely to display their email addresses: social media.
Proven ways to find email addresses through social media
Social networks can be a wealth of information if you know where to look. First, though, a caveat: not everyone will have a social media profile and some people may have multiple profiles. As such, you should use social media with caution and respect the privacy of others.
Now, when looking for email addresses through social media, here are a few good methods for you to try out.
Use a social media search engine to find the person’s profile
A social media search engine can be a valuable tool for finding not only someone’s profile but also people’s email addresses. Sometimes, all it takes is a keyword to uncover posts where your lead has inadvertently provided their contact information. However, social media search engines may sometimes be too wonky or restrictive in this regard. In such cases, it wouldn’t hurt to use search engines designed to find someone’s posts, mentions, and similar social media activity.
Look for their email address on their profile or website
If you’re trying to contact someone, but you don’t have their email address, one of the best places to look is their social media profile. Many people list their email addresses prominently on these platforms, making it easy to get in touch. In addition, even if someone doesn’t have their email address listed, you may be able to find it by looking at the website associated with their social media profile. In many cases, their email address will be listed there.
Ask mutual friends for help in finding the person’s email address
Another great way to find your lead’s email address is to ask social media friends if they have it. This is probably a shot in the dark, but if you happen to have any mutual friends with the person you’re trying to reach, it’s worth asking if they have the person’s email address. They may not want to give it to you outright, but they may be willing to pass along a message for you. And even if they don’t have the email address, they may be able to provide helpful clues as to where you might be able to find it. So if you’re stuck trying to track down someone’s email address, don’t be afraid to ask for help from mutual friends.
Ways to find email addresses on specific social media platforms
Each social media platform has its own set of features and quirks. This means that you will have to treat each platform differently if you are looking to find someone’s email address. For starters, let’s explore how this can be done on major social media platforms.
Most personal profiles on Facebook are private, and there is often no way for you to find your lead’s email address. However, if they are running a Facebook page, you should start your search from there. They are likely to display their email address in their page’s about section or at least drop a link to their site where you might find their email address.
Instagram is a hit-or-miss when it comes to finding email addresses. If you’re lucky, your lead may have their email address displayed in their bio or one of their posts or comments; that, or it may not be available at all. Often, though, they may also list their websites in their bio, and you can follow those links and attempt to find their email.
Finding email addresses on Twitter can be quite tricky. Sometimes, it’s just listed outright in the user’s profile, but most of the time, you will need to look deeper. Their email address may be found on one of the sites they’ve posted or may be found in an old tweet. As such, you may need to view all their tweets to uncover their email address, and tools like All My Tweets come in handy in this case. Here’s how you find your lead’s email address on Twitter through All My Tweets:
- Log in to your Twitter account.
- Plug in your lead’s @ handle, and see all their tweets unfold before your eyes.
- Hit Ctrl+F or Cmd+F on your keyboard, and type in their possible email address domain, and you might just run into a tweet where they’ve posted their email address.
This Facebook for professionals is quite straightforward with their user’s emails. You may find it in the Contact section of their profile or on their website link. If neither of those is available, you can always use an email search tool — you will be surprised at the number of such software that works on the platform.
YouTube
On YouTube, all you need is a Google account. You can log in, then check out your prospect’s YouTube channel. Visiting their About section often yields a hidden email address that you can reveal after a quick captcha check.
Tiktok
Users of this popular short-form video-sharing platform sometimes display their email addresses on their bio. Alternatively, they may link their website or profiles on other social networking sites instead.
Contacting them directly through social media if you can’t find their email address
If all of these ever fail, why not just contact your prospect via their social media channel instead? Many people use social media sites as a way to connect with family, friends, and acquaintances, so it pays to be courteous and go through proper introductions as you seek to get in touch with them.
It helps to first warm up to them. Give them a follow and comment or react to their public posts, then wait for some degree of engagement before you send them a polite private message. You may end up with your request granted or not be able to get through them at all; you never know how things will turn out, but it definitely is worth the shot.
Summing up
Even if you can’t find the person’s email address, that doesn’t mean you can’t reach out to them. Try contacting them through social media or asking mutual friends for help. If nothing works, you can always go the direct route and respectfully message them via social media with whatever request you have in mind.
