You've got a lead, you've got their LinkedIn – but now you need their email. Whew, I’ve been there too! As the largest professional social media platform, LinkedIn is a treasure trove of valuable email addresses.

The only catch? They aren't always readily available, so you need to do a little legwork to get your hands on them. In this article, we’ll look at the most practical ways to find someone’s email address on LinkedIn.

1.  Scrape Sales Navigator with Findymail

Findymail will take care of finding someone’s email on LinkedIn for you by scraping the LinkedIn contacts for their email addresses, automatically cleaning the data and exporting the email addresses in a clean .CSV file.

You’ll get the correct email addresses for your LinkedIn leads while saving time. Plus, your mailing domain will stay clean of spam because you’ll see fewer bounces with verified addresses. All you have to do is pick the right people and brew a strong cup of coffee.

  • Click here to install Findymail's Chrome extension
  • Click on the puzzle piece to pin the Findymail Chrome extension.
  • Now click on the Findymail extension in your Chrome browser to log in
  • Complete your search on Sales Navigator
  • Download your list by clicking 'Export CSV'

And there you have it! A neatly organized spreadsheet containing all the essential information you need, including names, titles, companies, and, most importantly, verified email addresses for your leads.

2. Use the Findymail Chrome Extension

You can also visit the lead’s LinkedIn profile and power up your Findymail extension to retrieve their verified address within a few seconds:

Now you’re ready to start emailing leads and closing deals! You can also have a look at other email finder extensions here.

3. Run a Manual Search with Sales Navigator

You can also just manually search with Sales Navigator. You can conduct targeted searches and apply filters based on profile information posted to LinkedIn.

To make the most of Sales Navigator, you need to master its Boolean search functionality. This search technique enables you to combine keywords and operators to refine your search results.

Imagine you're looking for potential leads in sales or growth roles who hold high-level positions. You could use the following Boolean search query:

(Head OR Chief OR VP) AND (Sales OR Growth) NOT (Intern OR Assistant OR Consultant)

In this example, you're combining different titles such as "Head," "Chief," and "VP" with relevant keywords like "Sales" and "Growth." By excluding terms like "Intern," "Assistant," and "Consultant," you narrow down your search to more senior professionals who are likely to have valuable contact information.

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Manual searching with Sales Navigator can be effective, it may not be ideal for bulk searches.

Again, I suggest combining it with a Sales Navigator scraper like Findymail to get the most out of it.

4. Review Your Lead’s LinkedIn Profile

One of the simplest ways to find someone’s email address on LinkedIn is by looking at their contact information on the platform.

Here, you’ll click on 'Contact Info' on their profile page and find the email address on the dialogue box that opens (if they shared it).

Not even I am a fan of making my email accessible to strangers on LinkedIn

While this method for finding someone’s email on LinkedIn is relatively simple, it's not foolproof.

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You only have access to this information for your first-degree connections, so you’ll need to send a connection request and cross your fingers that the lead accepts.

Some LinkedIn users choose not to make their contact information publicly available. This means you might not have access to an email address, even if the lead accepts your request to connect.  

5. Download Email Addresses of Your First Degree Connections

Did you know that LinkedIn lets you extract information from your account, including the contact details of your first-degree connections?

  1. Head to your LinkedIn account and click the 'Me' profile icon near the top-right corner.
  2. Look for the 'Settings & Privacy' option.
  3. Click 'Data Privacy'.
  4. Find the 'How LinkedIn Uses Your Data' section.
  5. Click 'Get a Copy of Your Data'.
  6. Now, choose which data to extract. Focus your attention on the connections because that's where the email gold is.
  7. Select the connections option and hit the 'Request Archive' button.

After you enter your password, LinkedIn will compile the requested data and send it to your email address. Now, you just need to go through to pick out the email addresses you want.

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This method is only good for pulling emails from connections you already have. If you’re looking for new leads and emails, another method might be a better option.

6. Search Their Name on Google

When all else fails, turn to the mighty Google for assistance in your quest to find someone's email address. This technique, called dorking, harnesses the power of Search to find those hidden gems.

Here are a few ways you can leverage Google to find LinkedIn emails:

  1. Look for the person's website or company: Search to see if they have a website that includes contact data.
  2. Try out some targeted searches: Do specific search queries that combine the person's first name, last name, and domain to increase your chances of finding their email address. You can try something like firstname + @gmail.com or firstname + @company.com. You’ll need to experiment with different variations.
  3. Utilize the "site" search command: Another handy technique involves using the "site" search command. For example, you can try a search query like “[email protected] site:www.website.com." This narrows down your search results to the specific website, and Google will search the entire site for it.

I recommend this only if you have no connection with the lead on LinkedIn and no other method has worked.

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If you do find an email this way, be sure to throw it in Findymail to make sure it’s legit and valid!

7. Ask Them In a Private Message

Sometimes, the simplest solution is to just ask for what you need. However, because many people are reluctant to share their contact information online, it's important to approach this method with finesse and respect.

Before reaching out, ensure that your LinkedIn profile is in top shape. It should be a polished representation of your professional identity. Ensure you have an appropriate profile picture, an engaging headline and summary, and what value you offer. Get a few recommendations from your previous customers if you can! Basically, you want to convince them that they should give you their email address, and if your profile is well-presented and professional, you might succeed.

When sending the message, personalize it to build rapport. Take a moment to research their background, interests, or recent achievements. Mention something specific that caught your attention and made you want to connect further.

In your message, be transparent about your interest in obtaining their email address. Explain the purpose and value behind it. In short: treat it like you would a cold email!

If you’re running a massive outbound outreach campaign, you won’t be able to message thousands of potential leads. Stick with this option only if you have a highly curated list of key leads or a few high-value prospects whose information you can't find any other way.

8. Find the Email Pattern