Being a writer isn’t easy. One of the most common challenges is “that” elusive source or interview: the one that you (or an editor) relies on to make a piece solid. It’s usually the most difficult one to find.

“That” source can be famous or high-level, though can also be someone with outdated contact information. Sometimes, a source has faded into the background – or deliberately obscured their contact info.

How do you get in touch with sources who can’t (or won’t) be found?

Here’s what you do.

Sometimes, You Just Ask

Celebrities and public figures aren’t always completely hidden. The first places to visit are personal websites (and their Contact page). There’s no guaranteed response, but it should be your first avenue.

When I interviewed Hollywood character actor Jim Hoffmaster, it took the search to his official social media page. Apartheid struggle stalwart and first South African state capture witness Vytjie Mentor was nice enough to allow an interview when I asked.

If this doesn’t work, time for a different approach.

Agents, Companies & Foundations

Public figures (like politicians, celebrities, and investors) can have a barrier between them and incoming messages. You may need to send a request to the agent, company, or registered foundation.

I had to go through the FW de Klerk Foundation for commentary about him and the card-playing of his youth.

Investor John Nicolakakis from Roman’s Pizza answered via his company’s correspondent so we could set up an interview about investors.

Advanced Search Engines

Search engines are great at digging. They’re the fastest librarian you could meet.

Include names or addresses in quotation marks for an exact search, going deeper than general results. Settings can refine it more, such as by timeframe. Use the prefix “site:URL” with your tags to search specific forums or websites for results deeper into the same domain only, like “site:fundsforwriters.com journalism.”

If you can’t find an email address, use [at] as replacement for the @ symbol in searches, where this tag is used as spam protection for search bots.

Niche engines like Pipl, Instant Checkmate, and Spokeo are made for people-specific searches.

Forums

Contact information can hide in someone’s history, somewhere they have posted before. Forums are popular, and aren’t mainstream social media. Sources who aren’t very active on social networks, might have an active presence somewhere else.

If a forum appears where they have made recent posts, contact them there and save yourself some time. Sometimes, you’ll have to create an account to use the message feature.

Since the game of bridge is a niche of mine, I keep accounts on sites like BridgeWinners and IntoBridge where I can reach bridge players away from traditional social media. I’ve accomplished many interviews on Great Bridge Links like this!

LLCs, Trusts, or Companies

A Limited Liabiliy Corporation (LLC), a trust, and most other companies have to be registered and have to submit an address for correspondence. Registration data for an LLC is public, and can be looked up by country.

Databases like the US Department of Business Services, CIPRO (ZAR) and GOV.uk (UK) allow company lookups.

These resources give you information that isn’t always on company sites. If the address only goes to a webmaster, search the company, and see what else is there.

Site Digging

If someone has posted information and then removed it (usually from a website), the original is still absorbed in the internet. The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine takes regular screenshots of the internet via a network of bots. These screenshots are available for millions of pages.

Search blogs and sites this way, especially when you think that something has been obscured or altered.

Sometimes website domains can be searched through a traditional WHOIS domain lookup.

Impossible? No Way

There is nobody out there “impossible” to speak to. We all communicate, though some circles are smaller, difficult to reach, or just naturally private. Always ask yourself if you’ve really checked everywhere. A little research can lead you to anyone.

BIO: Alex J. Coyne is a journalist, author, and proofreader. His features have been published in a wide array of international publications: Caribbean Compass, Bridge Canada, People Magazine, Writers
119419479 © Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime.com