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

I sent 11 messages on a professional network and got two replies. I have read a lot of threads here and could not find my exact situation. I want advice, not a job directly.

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

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 3 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.