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

I want to talk to people in a new field but I hate cold messages. I want advice, not a job directly. Did any turn into leads?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 8 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.

I asked what they wish they had known at my stage. People enjoy answering that.