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

I want to talk to people in a new field but I hate cold messages. Any experience at all would help. Some people reply with short answers. What did you ask?

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

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