How do I ask for an informational chat? - what worked for you?

I want to talk to people in a new field but I hate cold messages. This is my first time dealing with any of this. I want advice, not a job directly. How do you phrase the request?

Follow up with a thank-you and a short update. One of my chats led to a referral a month later.

Keep everything in writing and save the confirmation numbers. It saved me later.