Email permutation

Also called: Email pattern guessing, Email permutator.

Given a person's name and a company domain, a permutator lists the likely formats: jane@, jane.smith@, jsmith@, janes@, smith@ and so on. You then verify each to see which the mail server accepts.

Permutation works only where verification can tell the difference. On a domain that rejects unknown addresses, a 250 reply for jane.smith@ and 550 for the others is a strong result. On a catch-all domain every guess is accepted, so verification proves nothing and the guess is the riskiest kind of address you can send to.

For local businesses, permutation is less useful than it sounds. Many small firms run on one shared inbox, many are catch-all, and the owner's name often isn't on the website. An address the business published itself on its contact page beats a guessed one almost every time.

If you do send to guessed addresses, keep them as their own segment, never mix them with published addresses, and stop at the first sign of elevated bounces.

Example

For Jane Smith at smithdental.com, a permutator suggests jane@, jane.smith@ and jsmith@. The server rejects two and accepts jane@, and it also rejects a random test address, so jane@ is graded verified.

In Leadraft

When a website shows no address, Leadraft may suggest a likely one from common patterns, only when the domain has a working mail server, and checks it like any other email. Its source is shown as a pattern guess.