Networking without feeling pushy - what worked for you?

I want to talk to people in a new field but I hate cold messages. I am in Columbus, in case local advice matters. I want advice, not a job directly. 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 10 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.