Why vague requests get ignored
"Can we network?" and "I'd love to pick your brain" fail for the same reason: they ask for an undefined amount of the other person's time on an undefined topic. Busy people say yes to requests they can immediately picture saying yes to -- a specific ask, a specific topic, a specific amount of time. Vague requests get left in the inbox, not because people are unwilling to help, but because responding requires them to do the work of figuring out what you actually want.
The email template
Subject: 15-minute question about your move into [role/industry]
Hi [Name],
I'm a [current role] at [company, or "a [size] company in [industry]"], and I'm exploring a move into [target role/industry]. Your path from [earlier role or context] to [current role] stood out to me because [specific reason -- one sentence].
Would you be open to a 15-minute video call so I could ask a few questions about what the day-to-day is really like and what you'd do differently if you were starting over? I'm free Tuesday or Thursday afternoons, but happy to work around your schedule.
Either way, thanks for reading -- and for sharing your experience so publicly.
Best, [Your name]
The LinkedIn message template
Keep LinkedIn messages shorter than email -- people read them on their phone between other things.
Hi [Name], I'm exploring a pivot into [target role/industry] and your background in [specific thing] is exactly the path I'm trying to understand. Would you be open to a 15-minute call so I could ask a few questions? Happy to work around your schedule. Thanks, [Your name]
If you share a mutual connection, mention it in the first line -- "[Mutual contact] suggested I reach out" dramatically improves response rates over a cold message with no shared context.
What makes a request specific enough
A good ask names a topic a stranger could say yes to without thinking hard: "I'm trying to understand whether moving from engineering into product management at a Series B company makes sense" is answerable. "I'd love to learn from your career journey" is not -- it could mean anything, which means it's easy to defer indefinitely. If you can't name your specific question in one sentence, you're not ready to send the request yet -- spend five more minutes getting clear on what you actually want to know.