Cold messages to people in my field, do they work? - 23 weeks in

I sent 4 messages on a professional network and got two replies. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. I worry about bothering people. How do you phrase the request?

Do not apologise for asking. Most people remember someone who helped them.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 13 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.