How to find a CEO’s email address or phone number

As a sales rep or SDR professional, your life is easier when you can identify and connect with the right decision-maker. When you engage a CEO, you can be confident that this individual can sign off on significant purchases — which means any time and energy you spend reaching out is well worth it. 

Unfortunately, since everyone in sales wants to talk with the CEO, finding that person’s contact information isn’t always the easiest thing in the world. 

After all, these folks receive hundreds upon hundreds of emails every day as it is. If their contact information was readily available, that volume could easily climb into the thousands.

If you’re curious about how to find a CEO’s email address, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn several tricks you can use to surface a chief executive officer’s contact information — along with tips on how to communicate with CEOs effectively once you’re able to connect.

How to find a CEO’s contact information

So, how can you find a CEO’s email address? Some combination of these seven tactics should point you in the right direction.

1. Search LinkedIn

If you’re looking for a CEO’s phone number or email address, browsing LinkedIn is a great place to start. First, head over to their profile; some folks opt to add contact information directly to their profiles. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, consider pitching them via InMail if you’re a Sales Navigator user. You might also want to check out their other links on LinkedIn; maybe they have a personal website, and you can contact them there.

Learn more about how to find someone’s contact information on LinkedIn.

2. Leverage sales intelligence and prospecting tools like LeadIQ

Did you know that you might be able to find a CEO’s contact information simply by adding Chrome extensions to your browser?

For example, the LeadIQ Chrome extension uses data from partnerships, the public domain, our community, and a proprietary algorithm to find and verify contact information. 

The LeadIQ extension can find the email address and mobile number for the profile you’re viewing or mirror your LinkedIn or LinkedIn Sales Navigator search results for an easy bulk capture experience. 

3. Find their ‘gatekeepers’

Unless the CEO is a solopreneur, chances are they have some sort of gatekeeper — a chief of staff, a secretary, or an executive assistant, for example. If you want to get in touch with a CEO, going through these intermediaries may be a smart place to start. 

Once you’ve identified a target account, research the CEO’s executive assistants and start building relationships with them. If you can’t find out who those people are, cold call the company directly and ask to speak with them.

4. Ask for a referral

Do you have any connections in common with the CEO you want to get in touch with? Reach out to these folks and ask them whether they can introduce you. Wouldn’t you help a former colleague or an old friend who asked you the same?

If you’re interested in going this route, use this template to jumpstart your outreach:

Hi [First Name],

Long time, no speak! I hope you and yours are doing well.

I have been wanting to get in touch with [CEO’s Name] for a while now, and I just saw that you were connected to [him/her] on LinkedIn.

If you’re open to it, would you mind doing a quick intro?

No worries if not — it’s totally understandable either way. But if you did help me out, I’d certainly owe you one! 😉

Thanks so much — we should catch up one of these days.

Cheers,

[Your Name] 

5. Use Google search

Tried all the above tips and still striking out? Maybe you’ll find gold through a quick Google search. If you use this method, try a variation of search terms, like:

• [Full Name] email address
• [Full Name] phone number
• [Full Name] contact information

Refine your searches even further by getting familiar with Google search modifiers. 

6. Search the company website

It’s so obvious that it might slip your mind. Sometimes, CEO contact information can be found on the company’s website on an About Us, Our Team, or Leadership page, or some variation thereof. While most CEOs keep their contact information relatively under wraps, others are more open and are very interested in having people reach out to them in pursuit of growing their businesses.

7. Send a direct message on other social media sites

Not having any luck on LinkedIn? Maybe the CEO you want to talk to prefers other social media sites instead. Find out where they maintain the most active presence — maybe on X, Substack, or Medium — and try to contact them there. Sales success is often easiest when you meet prospects where they spend most of their time.

Tips for effective communication with CEOs

Hooray! After some internet sleuthing, you’ve found the contact information of the CEO you want to try to pitch. Use these tips to speak to them in their language and increase the chances you close a deal.

1. Understand their preferred method of communication

CEOs often have distinct preferences for communication. Whether it’s email, phone, video calls, or face-to-face meetings, respecting and utilizing their preferred method increases the likelihood of a productive conversation. By recognizing the CEO’s preferences and catering to them, you demonstrate attentiveness, which can lead to smoother, more effective communication.

2. Build a relationship

Productively communicating with a CEO is much easier when you’ve already established a personal connection. Beyond expressing interest in their business, it’s important to demonstrate that you care about their insights, achievements, and the challenges they face. Building rapport with CEOs helps establish trust — making it easier to navigate complex discussions, which can lead to a more collaborative business relationship. 

3. Know their priorities and provide value

CEOs are always focused on business objectives and what they can do to take their companies to the next level. As you begin engaging executives, make sure to tailor your messaging to make sure it aligns with their priorities. By demonstrating how your offerings contribute to their strategic concerns, you can increase the chances you capture their attention and pique their interest.

4. Ask simple questions that resonate 

Whenever you’re engaging with CEOs, simplicity in communication is key. After all, executives are pulled in a million different directions every day, and their inboxes are constantly flooded with emails. So, be concise and to the point. Ask relevant questions that resonate with their vision and their challenges. By spending time crafting clear, straightforward messages, you show that you respect the CEO’s time and are cutting to the chase — something that will no doubt be well-received. 

Now that you know how to find a CEO’s email address for free, what will you do next?

As you can see, there are several tactics you can use to surface CEO contact information without breaking the bank. 

While getting a CEO on the line is great, what you do after that is what’s most important. 

By understanding the executive’s pain points, learning how to speak their language, and engaging them where they are most comfortable, you can increase the chances your outreach is successful.

Ready to start digging up CEO contact information? Request a demo of LeadIQ to see how we can help you accelerate your efforts on that front.