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I don't find #1 very good advice. The "celebrities" are the ones who you most need in your network, and you need to bite the bullet, navigate the crowd, and get

I don't find #1 very good advice. The "celebrities" are the ones who you most need in your network, and you need to bite the bullet, navigate the crowd, and get at least a few minutes of facetime with them so they know who you are. Sending a cold email without having introduced yourself is going to get near-zero responses. Working a huge room may be overwhelming the first few times, but it gets much easier the more events you go to. Also disagree on #3 - sending very similar follow-up emails to a bunch of people is not too much effort and you need to do it within 24 hours so they don't forget you. Agree on preferring 1-on-1s as opposed to group events, but most conferences / networking events offer exactly this kind of setting.

dmd149 15y ago
It depends on how memorable you are to the celebrities. I a hundred people are talking to him and you manage to get a minute in, it's still unlikely he'll remember you. Cold e-mails get a pretty good response rate depending on a) who you're trying to contact and b) how you write the e-mail. E-mail non-celebrity types, compliment them on their work, and offer to help them in some way. It works more than you might think. As for follow-up e-mails, I find only a small percentage of them convert into a meaningful relationship. That's why I believe it pays more to only talk to a few people for a longer period of time and following up with them via e-mail. Unless you have a unique way of standing out, the best way to get remember as an introvert is having a longer conversation with someone.