The BEST networking tip you’ll ever receive:
Want more replies from your networking messages? Stop making big asks up front. Too many people lead with questions like: “How did you get from X to Y?” “How did you get the experience to do Z? “I’d love to pick your brain for 30 minutes.” This is a lose-lose situation for your contact. They only have two options here. First, they could take 2 minutes to send you a fluffy BS answer. But they know it’s fluffy. They left stuff out. They know you won’t get the max benefit, and that doesn’t feel great. Second, they could sit down for 30 minutes and lay out a full deep dive. It’ll have all the details… But it’ll cost them 30+ minutes of their life. With bosses, colleagues, friends, family, hobbies, etc to worry about? That’s too expensive to spare on a random stranger. So don’t make big asks up front. Make small, specific asks instead. Here’s how: 1. Choose a topic you’re curious about 2. Brainstorm two actions or outcomes 3. Send them a message asking for their opinion on the two items 4. Make sure they can reply in <60 seconds For example, want to break into UX design? Your note might say: "Hi [Name], I came across your profile while I was looking for people doing impressive work in the UX space. I'm hoping to transition from [Industry] to UX and am working to position myself as best I can. In order to efficiently build my skills, would you recommend A or B below: A. Take a UX course on Coursera B. Audit my target company and come up with 3 ways to improve their UX Please don't feel the need to reply in depth, just mentioning A or B is perfect." You'll get a heck of a lot more replies.