Growing a business is no easy task; you will run into lots of challenges, and if you’re not well equipped, you may have a hard time succeeding. One of the obvious ways to grow your business is to simply advertise your product to as many potential customers as you can with minimal cost, and one proven and effective way of doing so is by generating leads.

In a marketing sense, lead generation is an approach to convert prospects into someone who has an indicative interest in your business or product. There are various ways to generate leads, as well as different types of leads. However, before you can start building and generating leads, you must find a way to reach your prospects first. And the best way to reach them is by simply getting emails from various social media sites, especially on LinkedIn.

So, why LinkedIn? Simply put, it is where you will find professionals leveling up their business. It is also a platform of choice for Fortune 500 companies, which means that there is a high chance that you’ll find your target audience here. In short, if your business requires company emails for your targeted campaigns, then this is the best place to start.

What Is LinkedIn Email Scraping?

Let’s begin from the basics. LinkedIn email scraping involves extracting email addresses from LinkedIn profiles. It’s a helpful method to connect with leads, customers, or partners who use LinkedIn, especially in B2B scenarios.

There are two main approaches to find emails from LinkedIn: the manual method and the automated method. The manual approach requires visiting each profile individually and copying the email address if it’s visible to the public. In contrast, the automated process uses software tools that can save you a lot of time.

Crawlbase, offers an efficient way to find LinkedIn emails of your B2B leads. Moreover, it provides a solution that LinkedIn itself doesn’t offer, making it possible to access email addresses.

Now, let’s get to the main thing: A step-by-step guide on how to use LinkedIn email scraper.

An Easy-To-Follow Guide for Extracting Emails

The main objective of this article is to help you acquire company leads through LinkedIn. We will show you a step-by-step guide on how to utilize the Crawlbase products to crawl user profiles and their respective company pages and extract the emails from the company domain.

To help you get started, allow us to briefly discuss the two main APIs that we will be using to accomplish our goal:

Crawling API – This will be the main tool for our project. It will allow us to crawl and scrape publicly available profiles on LinkedIn efficiently and without getting blocked.

Leads API – Once we have obtained the domain of a company using our Crawling API, we will be able to use the Leads API to crawl the company domain for fresh leads. Fresh means the information that will be extracted is live and not cached or stored from any database, which will eliminate any worries about getting invalid or outdated emails.

The two API products that we have mentioned will serve as the backbone of our LinkedIn email scraper. To demonstrate the effectiveness and flexibility of these APIs, we will be coding in Node.js and utilizing the Crawlbase Library with the help of Cheerio to scrape the data needed for our project.

Use node.js to Crawl User Profile and Company Pages on LinkedIn

For the purpose of this article, we will be using Visual Studio code as it is one of the most popular and accessible editors that can be used on most operating systems.

Before we dive into coding, let us prepare our project structure and be sure to install all prerequisites.

  1. Create a new Node.js project (example name: LINKEDIN)
  2. Install the Crawlbase library for Node.js, open the terminal, and execute npm i crawlbase
  3. Install the Node Cheerio library, simply enter npm i cheerio
  4. Create a js file for the Crawling API. (example: Start.js)
  5. Create a secondary js file for the Leads API. (example: Leads.js)

Once done, let us start writing our code in the first .js file that we have created (Start.js). Our first two lines will declare all the constants and require the necessary API class in this project.

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const { CrawlingAPI } = require('crawlbase');
const cheerio = require('cheerio');

The next line will be important as it will hold the value of your Crawlbase token:

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const api = new CrawlingAPI({ token: 'normal_token' });

Now, we can write a simple API call based on the Crawlbase library to crawl a LinkedIn user profile of your choice. We will also utilize cheerio in this part to parse the returned HTML source code to scrape the most recent company of the user and then display on the console log the URL of the company profile.

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api.get('https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhgates').then((response) => {
  if (response.statusCode === 200) {
    const $ = cheerio.load(response.body);
    const companyURL = $('.experience__list a');
    const output = companyURL.attr('href');
    console.log('Company page: ', output);
  }
});

The next part of our code will scrape the “output” of the previous part. This will allow us to get the actual link of the company, and from there, the Crawling API will again do its trick to crawl the company’s LinkedIn page. Cheerio will then parse the HTML the second time and display the actual website of the company.

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// Previous code
api.get('https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhgates').then((response) => {
  if (response.statusCode === 200) {
    const $ = cheerio.load(response.body);
    const companyURL = $('.experience__list a');
    const output = companyURL.attr('href');
    console.log('Company page: ', output);

    // New code
    api.get(output).then((response) => {
      if (response.statusCode === 200) {
        const $ = cheerio.load(response.body);
        const website = $('.basic-info-item__description a');
        console.log('website: ', website.text());
      }
    });
  }
});

This js file is now complete, and once executed, the program will scrape your targeted LinkedIn profile. It will return the LinkedIn page URL and the website of the user’s company, as our example shows below:

Output:

JavaScript File Output

Use Crawlbase’s Leads API to Get Fresh Emails

Now that we have obtained the company’s website, our next step is to use Crawlbase’s Leads API to scrape and find emails from the LinkedIn company domain. Go ahead and open the second .js file you have created at the start of this guide and utilize the Leads API, as you can see below:

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const { LeadsAPI } = require('crawlbase');
const api = new LeadsAPI({ token: 'private_token' });

api
  .getFromDomain('gatesfoundation.org')
  .then((response) => {
    console.log(response.leads);
  })
  .catch((error) => console.error);

Please note that you must omit the http:// and enter a valid domain to get a successful API response.

JSON response

At this point, we have completed our LinkedIn email scraper. As you can see, using the API is very straightforward. With just a few lines of code, we are able to scrape and find emails from LinkedIn. However, this does not end here.

Crawlbase cares for every client, be it developers or non-developers. So, we have developed a tool that everyone can use without the need to write your code. The Leads Finder is an easy-to-use tool with a simple user interface to quickly find emails by simply entering the target company’s domain. It works just as great as the API as you would see in this example:

Crawlbase Leads Finder

Email scraping involves gathering email addresses from the internet, which is a practice commonly associated with email spammers in the online world. Depending on the reason behind email scraping, it can be considered illegal and a violation of privacy and data security.

Email scraping is often executed using bots and crawlers that find LinkedIn emails to create lists. These lists are frequently sold to marketers and various interest groups. LinkedIn, hosting a vast number of professional email addresses, is a prime target for such practices.

LinkedIn, being an interactive platform, requires an email ID for user registration. Given its extensive user base, email spammers view LinkedIn as a lucrative source for scraping emails from unsuspecting individuals. Despite protective measures in place, spammers often succeed in their efforts.

However, many LinkedIn users prefer to keep their email addresses private, primarily due to privacy concerns. Therefore, LinkedIn offers the option to hide email addresses from the public. This means that anyone interested in obtaining your email address must request it directly or resort to unethical scraping techniques.

Advantages of LinkedIn Email Scraping

Using a LinkedIn email scraper is a strategic approach that offers numerous advantages for businesses and professionals. Let’s see how LinkedIn email scraping can benefit you in B2B marketing, recruiting, market research, and more. Find emails from LinkedIn to enhance your outreach, streamline data collection, and boost your competitive edge. Have a look here:

Cold Outreach for New Business Opportunities

Email marketing is a potent tool, but its success depends on creating engaging messages. The challenge is to find emails from LinkedIn that belong to prospective clients. LinkedIn email scraping enables you to compile an extensive and targeted email list according to your niche. With various LinkedIn email scraper tools available, choosing the one that aligns with your industry is super important.

Effective Recruiting

Emails in recruiting go beyond the conventional approach. While many job seekers actively search for opportunities, some exceptional candidates remain undiscovered. Sending personalized emails to such people can provide them with job prospects that match their skills and qualifications. LinkedIn email scraper ensures a pool of potential candidates to target.

Structured Data

Web scraping is a valuable method for obtaining well-organized and error-free data. This approach delivers meticulously arranged information suitable for diverse applications. Unlike manual data collection, which is prone to errors, LinkedIn email scraper and data crawling tools provide consistent and reliable results.

Speed and Efficiency

In a business environment, efficiency is essential. LinkedIn email scraper offers a quick and efficient solution for obtaining high-quality data with minimal time investment. This allows you to focus on more critical tasks that drive business growth.

Enhanced B2B Sales & Marketing Leads

LinkedIn email scraping is a primary strategy for gathering potential B2B leads. Find emails from LinkedIn to empower your B2B marketing efforts on the platform, enabling you to connect with your target audience and expand your business network.

Forge Business Partnerships

If you’re seeking new business opportunities, our LinkedIn email scraper provides a channel to establish connections with relevant professionals in your industry. These connections can lead to various collaborative efforts, including partnerships and branding opportunities.

Market and Competitor Research

LinkedIn email scraper is a valuable tool for gathering information about your industry and competitors. It helps in collecting data about potential customers, including their job positions and company size. Simultaneously, you can analyze your competitors’ marketing strategies, sales tactics, and LinkedIn Lead-Generation processes. This information is valuable for informed decision-making and strategic planning.

As evident, LinkedIn email scraping is a versatile technique with multifaceted benefits for business development and expansion in various domains.

Tips for Maximizing Your LinkedIn Email Scraper

LinkedIn Email Scraper can be powerful tool for connecting with potential clients, partners, or job candidates. To ensure you’re using this tool effectively and responsibly, consider these best practices and bonus tips:

Precision Matters: Before you start scraping, define your target audience precisely. Knowing your ideal recipients allows you to find emails from LinkedIn more strategically, resulting in a higher response rate.

Use LinkedIn Filters: LinkedIn offers advanced search filters that let you narrow down your audience. Utilize these filters to focus your scraping efforts on profiles that align with your goals.

Personalize Connection Requests: When sending connection requests, include a personal message. Explain why you want to connect and how the recipient will benefit. A personalized approach increases the chances of your request being accepted.

Scrutinize Privacy Settings: Respect users’ privacy settings on LinkedIn. If someone has chosen not to share their email, avoid aggressive scraping efforts and opt for a more personalized approach.

Data Security: Ensure the security of the scraped data. Use a reputable LinkedIn email scraper and protect the data you collect. Data breaches can have legal consequences, so handle your email list with care.

Local Regulations: Be aware of data privacy regulations specific to your location. Some regions have strict laws about collecting, storing, and using email addresses.

By adhering to these best practices and bonus tips, you can use LinkedIn email scraper effectively and ethically. These tools are valuable for connecting with your target audience, but they should be used responsibly to maintain the integrity of your outreach efforts.

Conclusion

On LinkedIn, as you may already know, public information is the data shown to anyone that will visit the site without logging in and is also visible on public search engines. Users can customize their profile settings and set limits on how much of the information can be displayed publicly. In generating leads, this public information is crucial if you wish to have a successful marketing campaign.

In summary, if your strategy is to reach out to more companies, then Crawlbase can play a big role for you and your marketing team. By using our API combined with Artificial Intelligence, you can easily crawl and scrape publicly available data on LinkedIn, as well as extract fresh emails from company domains with the help of the Leads API, all while protecting your crawler against CAPTCHAs and blocked requests.

So, if you want easy-to-use, fast, and reliable scraping tools for your future projects, be sure to check out Crawlbase Crawling and Scraper API.