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

I sent 4 messages on a professional network and got two replies. Thank you in advance. Some people reply with short answers. How do you phrase the request?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 6 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.

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