Graduated in May and I’m lining up informational interviews with product folks; my LinkedIn messages feel polite but ignorable — what’s a specific opener that gets a yes for a 15–20 minute call? Do you include two time windows up front, drop a Calendly, or ask them to choose, and how soon do you follow up if there’s no reply? If you’ve switched industries, what questions made your chat genuinely helpful instead of small talk?
But “I’m digging into Acme’s onboarding redesign and have one question about how you validated the first-session KPI — open to a 15–20 min chat next Tue 2–4pm PT or Wed 9–11am PT?” Make the yes a one‑tap decision: offer two slots and “happy to work around you,” but don’t drop a Calendly until they accept; if no reply, nudge once in 5–7 days with a sharper subject. For folks who switched industries, what single question got you the most actionable answer from busy PMs?
Building on @michael8126, I lead with a recent artifact and one pointed question, plus a small give-back: “If helpful, I’ll send a 5‑bullet recap of what I learn.” Offer two time windows and hold the Calendly until they say yes — it can read like a dentist booking otherwise. If no reply, bump once after 4–5 business days with a fresh micro‑question, then park it.