Why these work
Generic templates get generic ignore rates. Every message below does one specific thing: names a real reason you're reaching out to this person, asks for something small and low-pressure, and makes it easy to say yes in under 30 seconds. Swap in your real details. Anything left as "[bracketed]" should not survive into what you actually send.
1. Cold email to an alum
"Hi [name], I'm a [year] at [school] studying [major], and I found your profile through the alumni network. I'm interested in [team/role/company] and would love 15 minutes sometime in the next couple weeks to hear about what your day-to-day actually looks like. Totally understand if you're slammed, happy to work around whatever's easiest for you."
2. LinkedIn connection note
"Hi [name], fellow [school] [major] here, saw you're on the [team] at [company]. Would love to connect and maybe ask a couple questions about your path there sometime."
3. Informational interview ask
Send after they've accepted your connection request. Don't ask for a call in the same message as the connection request itself.
"Thanks for connecting! Would you be open to a quick 15-minute call in the next week or two? I'd love to hear how you ended up on [team] and what's been most different from what you expected going in. Happy to work around your schedule, just let me know what's easiest."
4. The thank-you
Send within 24 hours of any call or interview.
"Thank you again for taking the time today. I really appreciated hearing about [specific thing they said, not "your team"]. It's made me even more interested in [specific detail], and I'll keep what you said about [X] in mind. Hope we stay in touch!"
5. When they never wrote back
Silence isn't a no; most people mean to reply and then don't. One follow-up, sent about a week later, is normal and expected, not annoying.
"Hi [name], following up in case this got buried! No worries if now's not a good time, just wanted to bump this back up. Would still love to grab 15 minutes if you have it."
The 20% rule
Expect roughly one reply for every five messages you send, and treat that as a good rate, not a disappointing one. The people who land three or four solid conversations usually sent thirty messages to get there, not five.