How to Contact the Sharks from Shark Tank

You’ve been a fan of “Shark Tank” for so many years. How much of a fan? You find yourself doing things like saying, “And for that reason …. I’m out” when people ask you to do things. You’ve also used the phrase “in perpetuity” in conversation. Thanks, Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary.

Now you want to contact them, but you’re not sure about the right way to do that. Sure, you could have a one-in-a-million chance encounter with one of them in a restaurant. But you don’t want to live your life hoping for a miracle. Instead, you can use these methods to contact them – just don’t cross any lines, OK?

Social Media

Many Sharks like to post on various sites and apps. They may put their thoughts on various news or business trends on places like Twitter or post a photo or video of them or their family on Instagram, or may post think pieces on Linked In.

Sometimes they have their own @ handle and they do their own social media posts while others may have a social media worker do it for them.

So … what to do? The first thing to do is to do some research. Look at their posts. Do they just take a “Post it and Forget It” approach or do they post something and then reply to some people who leave comments?

If it’s the second one, then you could try to post something relevant to what they are posting. Don’t just try to introduce yourself and tell them what you want. They get SO many requests a day.

Instead, try to build up a reputation as someone who is on the ball. They may like that you have intelligent things to say. They may even reply or “like” the comment.

If someone like Daymond John, who is known as “The People’s Shark” for a reason, sees that you’re not just asking for something, they may be inclined to hear what you have to say a bit down the road.

Also, pay attention to the times that the Sharks interact with others. They may have a video where they are answering questions from people. John has been known to have impromptu meet-ups – though that may have changed given the circumstances of 2020 and beyond.

You may also demonstrate on your own page that you have a talent that they like – you could draw them or post writings about something that is about their business. Show them what you can do for them rather than what they could do for you.

While some apps do allow you to send a direct message to anyone,even celebrities, just sending one out of the blue is going to get you ignored at best and possibly even blocked at the worst.

So, just try the above if you’re going to go the social media route. It may seem slow, but patience is a virtue, after all.

Their Personal or Business Websites

Some of these Sharks have their own websites. If you feel like you have something that would be perfect for them or a skill that would fit at their company, then you could use this avenue.

You’re going to have to go through a gatekeeper here, most likely. Just use their contact pages on their site and write something concise and to the point. Don’t fill it with fluff like “You’re my FAVORITE Shark.”

Then there are some who have blogs. Mark Cuban is one – he regularly posts on his own personal site – Blog Maverick. You could reach out to him through that. If they like what you’ve got to say, then you might get a reply back from them.

Again, remember, try to provide something for them rather than hold out your hand for something. They have a strong radar for when someone just wants to use them.

Email Them

Some Sharks have public email addresses. Cuban is one of those, too, so if you want to reach out to him that way, that’s also a possibility. Emails are much less intrusive than phone calls. Yes, you do run the risk of being lost in a sea of other emails, but that’s the risk that you take when you try to contact them using any particular medium.

There are two things that you have to combine when you are using any of these contact methods – patience and tenacity.

Shark Tank” has been something that has catapulted these people into a higher stratosphere of fame and adulation than what they got just from the business and sports world – though Cuban was the closest to a known quantity before he joined the show.

That means that they have a LOT of people reaching out to them .. and that’s just for their normal everyday business. Now add the ones from people that they don’t even know … like you … and the odds are even rougher.

That doesn’t mean that you should be discouraged. You should be determined … but you should also be polite. Don’t bombard them with multiple emails/messages a day/hour. There really hasn’t been a time when a Shark has said, “I wasn’t sure, but when I got their 745 emails in a day, I was curious.” Instead, they hit the block button and move on with their lives.

The important thing is to have a firm idea of why you want to contact the Sharks. They are busy people and they have precious little time to go through all the emails, texts, and direct messages that they get.

Also, don’t assume that just because they “liked” a reply that you did to a post that you are suddenly best buddies. That’s guaranteed to get you on their bad side and can make you look foolish.

Getting in contact with a Shark can feel like a lottery ticket win. Make the most of it.