Email remains one of the most powerful tools for professional outreach. As per HubSpot’s report, 80% of buyers prefer to be contacted by email, so email outreach should definitely be a part of your strategy. Professionals rely on email to build meaningful connections, and LinkedIn’s 1 billion members worldwide make it a goldmine for professional information, including emails.

But not everyone displays their email addresses publicly. Is it still possible to get access to them ethically? Yes! In this blog, we will walk you through various step-by-step methods to extract email addresses using LinkedIn profiles, starting from the simplest techniques and moving to more advanced methods.

Understanding LinkedIn's Privacy Settings

LinkedIn provides privacy settings that dictate who can access an individual’s email address. Understanding these settings is essential before attempting to find emails.

How LinkedIn Users Control Their Email Visibility

1. Click on the Me icon on your LinkedIn homepage.
2. Select Settings & Privacy from the dropdown menu.
3. Explore the Visibility and Data Privacy sections to manage email-sharing preferences.

Key Features to Know

• Who Can See Your Email Address: Users can limit email visibility to 1st-degree connections, their entire network, or no one at all.
• Profile Visibility: Controls what information is publicly accessible, both on LinkedIn and external search engines.
• Profile Viewing Options: Allows browsing anonymously or with a revealed identity, affecting how others perceive visits.

Method 1: Finding Emails Manually

1. Check the 'Contact Info' Section

• Navigate to the person’s profile page.
• Click on "Contact Info" (under their profile picture).
• If they have made their email public, you will find it here.

Note: Email visibility depends on the user’s privacy settings.

2. Boolean Search

If the email is not visible on LinkedIn, Google might have it. Boolean search techniques refine your searches for better results.

Boolean Search Example

If searching for Michael Smith’s email at IBM, type:

"Michael Smith" "IBM" ("email" OR "contact" OR "@ibm.com")

This retrieves results containing both the person’s name, company, and any associated email addresses.

3. Deduce Email Patterns Using Company Domains

Most companies follow standard email formats. If you know the company’s domain, you can guess their email based on common structures.

Common Email Formats

• firstname.lastname@company.com
• firstinitiallastname@company.com
• firstname@company.com
• lastname@company.com

💡Pro Tip 1: Combine LinkedIn and Google Results

Start by finding the relevant LinkedIn profiles and gathering company domains. Then, verify these details on Google using Boolean searches. This two-pronged approach can often lead you to accurate email addresses faster than going down either path alone.

💡Pro Tip 2: Use Email Permutators to Derive Email Addresses

Instead of manually guessing emails, you can also use email permutators like Mailmeteor, Voila Norbert, SalesBlink, or Email Permutator+ by Metric Sparrow.

An email permutator is a tool that helps you generate possible email address combinations. All you need is the person's name and the company’s domain (e.g., @company.com). The permutator creates multiple variations of the email address based on common company formats, saving you from the tedious task of manual guessing.

How to Use Email Permutators:

• Collect Basic Information: Let's say you're trying to reach Alexandre Douville, a marketing manager at BrightSpark Solutions. The company's domain is @brightspark.com.
• Choose an Email Permutator Tool: Use tools like Mailmeteor, Voila Norbert, SalesBlink, or Email Permutator+ by Metric Sparrow to generate potential email combinations for free.
• Enter Details into the Permutator: Input Alexandre’s first name (Alexandre), last name (Douville), and the company’s domain (@brightspark.com) into the email permutator.
• Generate Potential Email Formats: Click on permutate, and the tool will generate common email patterns based on Alexandre Douville’s name and company domain, such as:
  
  • alexandre.douville@brightspark.com
  • a.douville@brightspark.com
  • alexandre@brightspark.com
  • douville@brightspark.com

Now you have a list of potential email formats to test and verify.

Method 2: Using LinkedIn’s Built-in Features

1. Export First-Degree Connections to a CSV File

LinkedIn allows users to export their first-degree connections (including emails, if public) into a CSV file.

Steps to Export Contacts:

1. Click on "Me" (Profile Icon) > Settings & Privacy.

2. Select "Data Privacy" > "Get a copy of your data".

3. Choose "Connections" and request a download.

Note: This method only retrieves emails of connections who have allowed their email to be shared.

2. Sending Personalized Connection Requests

If the email isn’t public, try connecting with the person directly.

• Send a personalized connection request with a short, specific reason.
• Once they accept, check their "Contact Info" section again.

Example Connection Request Templates

For Networking:

"Hi [Name], I came across your work at [Company] and found it really insightful. I’d love to connect and exchange ideas!"

Follow-up Message to Ask for Email:

"Hi [Name], thanks for accepting my connection request! I’d love to continue this conversation over email—would you be open to sharing yours?"

Personalized requests increase acceptance rates.

Method 3: Using Email Finder Tools and Chrome Extensions

There are many problems with manual extraction of data. It’s slow, prone to human error, and often leads to inconsistencies that can skew insights.

As businesses grow, this method just can’t keep up, and will most likely cause delays and missed opportunities. That’s where you can leverage automated tools like email finder extensions for accuracy.

Popular Email Finder Tools

1. Kaspr

Pros:

• Real-time data collection through a Chrome extension.
• A massive B2B contact database with over 500 million emails.
• Fully GDPR and CCPA compliant.

Cons:

• The free version has limited features.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $49.80 per month.

Data Accuracy:

• Kaspr’s data retrieval is hit-or-miss. In tests, it only retrieved full information for about 21% of leads, with many results being incomplete or outdated.

2. Wiza

Pros:

• Turns LinkedIn searches into email lists quickly.
• Supports bulk email verification.

Cons:

• The free plan is quite limited.

Pricing: Free for up to 20 emails; paid plans start at $83/month.

Data Accuracy: Moderate to high accuracy, depending on the source.

3. UpLead

Pros:

• Promises a solid 95% accuracy rate on verified emails.
• Over 50 search filters for targeted outreach.

Cons:

• Doesn’t provide phone numbers.

Pricing: Plans start at $99/month.

Data Accuracy: Excellent due to continuous updates.

4. Skrapp

Pros:

• Easy to use and supports bulk email extractions.

Cons:

• Limited searches on the free plan.

Pricing: Free for up to 100 emails/month; paid plans start at $19/month.

Data Accuracy: 90% for email verification.

5. AeroLeads

Pros:

• Supports bulk searches and integrates with popular CRMs.

Cons:

• Can be a bit buggy during large-volume searches.

Pricing: Free for up to 10 credits; paid plans start at $39/month.

Data Accuracy: 97%.

6. Hunter.io

Pros:

• Great for email verification and easy to navigate.

Cons:

• Limited free searches each month.

Pricing: Free for up to 25 searches/month; paid plans start at $34/month.

Data Accuracy: High, especially for verified emails.

7. Anymail Finder

Pros:

• API integration for developers; solid email-finding features.

Cons:

• Pricing might be steep for some.

Pricing: Starts at $9/month.

Data Accuracy: High (97%), especially with API use.

8. SalesQL

Pros:

• Affordable and easy to use, great for smaller teams.

Cons:

• Limited functionality beyond LinkedIn integration.

Pricing: Free version; paid plans start at $39/month.

Data Accuracy: 70-80%, according to user feedback.

Major B2B Email Databases

If you’re looking for big B2B email databases, these are the heavy hitters:

1. ZoomInfo

A huge database packed with millions of contacts and companies, offering detailed profiles.

2. LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Perfect for finding leads within LinkedIn’s massive network, with advanced search features.

3. Clearbit by HubSpot

Provides rich data on companies and contacts, perfect for sales teams needing detailed insights.

4. Cognism

Known for its global reach and accuracy, especially focused on compliance.

Some tools, like UpLead, AeroLeads, and Hunter.io, let you run bulk searches, making it easy to gather tons of emails quickly.

Most of these tools integrate seamlessly with CRMs like Salesforce or HubSpot, so you can funnel your new contacts straight into your existing workflows.

Using Tools Responsibly

Now, as much as these tools can help supercharge your outreach, it’s extremely important to stay on the right side of data privacy laws like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act).

Here’s how to keep it clean:

• Get Consent: Make sure you’ve got permission to reach out to people. Being upfront about where you got their info is key.
• Protect Data: Use secure storage for any data you collect and ensure it’s well-guarded against unauthorized access.
• Offer an Opt-Out: Always give people the option to unsubscribe from your communications to stay compliant.

Keeping It Professional and Avoiding Spam

No one wants to be that person spamming inboxes. Here’s how to keep things professional.

• Steer Clear of Spammy Tactics: According to a Gartner report, 7 in 10 of B2B buyers and consumers create junk email accounts just to dodge unwanted emails. So, to keep your emails out of the trash, make sure they're super relevant and well-targeted.
• Quality Beats Quantity: Focus on sending well-thought-out, targeted emails rather than blasting your entire list. This approach not only gets better engagement but also keeps your sender's reputation intact.
• Be Transparent: Let people know exactly how their data will be used, and always offer an easy opt-out option.

Conclusion

Finding someone’s email on LinkedIn doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s a recap:

• Start with the basics – Check "Contact Info"
• Use Google Boolean search to dig deeper
• Leverage LinkedIn’s built-in features – Connect & export contacts
• Try email finder tools like Hunter.io & Wiza
• Verify emails before outreach to avoid bounces

With the right strategies, you can reach the right people, stay compliant, and boost your outreach success!