Use Wildcards In Google To Uncover Company Email Address Formats
One of the stumbling blocks when launching an EECB is figuring out the company email address format. There is actually a very easy way to do this. Just use wildcards in Google. What are those? We’ll tell ya, inside…
First, figure out what is going to come after the @ symbol. Often this is the same as their main company website. But just to be sure, I like to go to the investor relations section of the website and look for a sample email address.
With that in hand, type *@companywebsite.com into your Google searchbox. The * is a “wildcard” that tells Google to return all results with anything before @companywebsite.com. Google should present you with several pages showing all sorts of company email addresses. From those, you should be able to figure out the email address format, or formats.
Now you can combine the format with the company executive roster, which you can find by looking under “Management” in Google Finance or by looking under the “About Us” or “Company Profile” or some other similar section on the company website, and start launching those EECBs! If there’s multiple formats, you’ll want to make a version of each person’s name using each format. Many of the emails may bounce, but some can get through, bringing you closer to customer satisfaction.
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.