I want to contact an influential person for taking an interview.
It’s hard to say without knowing the exact details, but on the whole I would say that if you’re seeking an interview with somebody influential, then your best course of action would be to approach them formally. I would probably make the initial contact by letter, rather than by e-mail, and definitely not via social media.
Do you have a particular reason for thinking that social media might be a good choice in this instance?
Most people don’t see messages they get on social media from people not in their friends list. I would go with an email. No one sends actual letters anymore.
I assume it depends on the situation and who is that person. Also, which kind of network do you have. But I assume it is better to send an email asking for an interview. That is more respectful.Maybe you can try to message him/her on prof social network like XING.
If you are looking for a formal conversation, it’s always better to chat through email or LinkedIn. You can conduct an interview through Skype or Hangouts ( the second one is even better in terms of connection). I won’t suggest using a social network, but it still depends on what kind of formal relationships you have.