Networking without feeling pushy, social media manager here

A friend suggested informational chats and I do not know how to ask. It has been weighing on me all week. Some people reply with short answers. How do you phrase the request?

I wrote three short lines: who I am, why them and a small ask for fifteen minutes. About one in four said yes.

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.