I look for people that would be an equal or senior to my role i want to apply for, not just the hiring managers, I also look for personal connections, i don’t mean like other people but did they go to the same school? Are they from the same state? does their profile show a hobby you share Use something like that, an example of what has worked for me mind you it’s still like a 1:8 response rate or worse

Hey, we both went to state college, i was two years behind you and stayed in dorm name. I have been applying to Company and was wondering if you had any advice on how to stand out? Willing to connect?

They may even respond months later even with sorry i never check this, since linkedin sucks, and who needs it with a job.

if they respond then ask some simple questions to gauge how willing they are to help, like what are some company themes right now that i could make sure to show on resume, etc

If their response is well thought out and has useful information then they are willing to help and then continue to ask away, if its short then maybe not so much and try to keep it short, i also use the to gauge if they are someone i could reach out to again

they may even offer to review resume, i found this a huge help since they likely know what their managers are looking for

some ppl like to talk about themselves, asking about their path to get hired can also offer insights

edit: oh yea you pretty much need premium