Hey @SudMav! Here are a few things that have worked well for me over the years when dealing with companies:

• Email generally works better than calling.

It gives them time to route your question to the right person and respond properly. Phone calls usually end with “can you send that through in writing,” so you may as well start there.

• Keep it tight.

Two or three well‑framed questions get answered far more often than a long list. If you need more detail, you can always follow up later.

• Be explicit about your intent.

A simple line like “I’m just trying to understand the announcement better, not looking for anything price‑sensitive” lowers the temperature and makes it easier for them to respond.

• There’s no downside to saying you’re a retail investor.

It helps them calibrate the level of detail and they’re used to dealing with retail holders.

• Ask questions that show you’ve read the announcement.

Referencing a specific paragraph or line shows you’ve done the work and aren’t fishing.

• Some questions simply won’t get answered.

Sometimes they can’t add anything beyond what’s already disclosed. It’s not personal — it’s just compliance.

• If you’ve already tried to find the answer yourself, say so.

A simple “I’ve done some research on this but couldn’t find a clear answer” shows respect for their time and usually improves the response rate.

In general, the clearer and more respectful the question, the higher the response rate. Companies are usually happy to help when they can, as long as the request is reasonable and well‑framed.

In closing, what I usually do is write out what I want to say first, then paste it into Copilot to see if anything can be tightened or clarified. I make a few adjustments based on that, only then send the email. It keeps the message clear, concise and respectful, which tends to get better responses. It’s exactly what I did with this post.

It depends on the size of the company, imo. If you send Matt Comyn an email don't expect a reply, but for smaller companies often times you will be the only person who has reached out to management. Most CEO's are naturally salespeople, so they usually enjoy the opportunity to talk about their business.

I think it's best to send an email with your questions. I had one CEO ring me from his beach holiday in Broome to answer some basic questions I had about the P&L (and I noticed on the earnings presentation a few weeks later he sure did have a great tan!).

Sometimes you just get ignored though. That in itself is a good gauge of management.

Also turning up in person at AGM for a smaller company can be a great way to introduce yourself to management. You may find you are the only person there.

Great suggestions. In my experience, persistence pays. When i get ghosted by management, i just keep sending emails :) Doesn't always work, but sometimes i think they agree to an interview just to shut me up

If you don't ask, you don't get.

I have found smaller companies tend to be more accessible. I rarely had issues getting in contact with companies even when I wasn't in buy/sell-side roles.

Start with an intro email saying you have a few questions and would like to set up a time to have a quick call. If you only have one or two questions, send them in the intro email.

It easier if the company provides a direct email to the MD. If its a generic one, email to that and ask to get in touch with the person at the co you are trying to talk with.

If all else fails and you have done your work, call the company.

Thanks @Foxlowe @UlladullaDave @BkrDzn for the tips. Its really valuable to me and I have made sure to save this somewhere safe so I remember to use it as a baseline for future growth and development.

I will definitely do a bit more work to make sure that I have covered all bases before I reach out and look silly to the company. Still happy for any other suggestions that other

Hope everyone in the community has a safe and enjoyable easter break

Right back at you @SudMav - Happy Easter everyone. I always start my enquiry emails off with either "I'm a happy shareholder in your company", or "I've held shares in your company for xxx years" or alternatively, "I manage a family office investment fund and we have been invested in your company at various times" before launching directly into my question(s). I agree with the others here that keeping things brief and concise is best, because even if people are busy, they are more likely to reply within a reasonably short timeframe if they can see what you are after within the first couple of lines.

I tend to avoid providing details of my shareholding, if I do indeed own shares in the company, because it's best to let them think you may own much more than you actually do own and are therefore worthy or a response. Some people would reply to you anyway, but there will always be some people who will only reply if they think you might have a decent shareholding, so not providing exact numbers of shares held is usually a good strategy. It's good to say you hold their shares, just not how much, or what name they are held under.

Also, where appropriate, I often phrase some queries like this: "I'm not sure how much information you would be able to share with me about this, but anything you can share would be greatly appreciated."

Adding something like that in - where appropriate - tends to (in my experience) result in a higher number of responses - i.e. not every email I send gets a reply, but when I make it clear that I'm not expecting them to provide insider information or break their continuous disclosure obligations, it seems to result in more replies than ignored emails.

But yeah, keep it brief, and tell them you hold shares, or else that you do occasionally invest in them, if you do, but don't provide too much detail about your holding (when you've got one), unless you're already a substantial holder (with 5% or more of the company) in which case absolutely tell them what you're holding!!

Just wanted to post a follow up thankyou to all those who contributed to the thread on this one a month ago. Last week I reached out to the management of OZM and it turned out to be a great experience, as the clarifications really test my assumptions on OZM's future roadmap to Stage 2 and the MD's approach for mining start-up activities.

It wasn't as daunting as I thought it would be after I did the prep work, and will be contacting another company later this week to ask some other questions on their project.

As I don't work in the industry, this thread really helped me out as I probably wouldn't have had the courage to contact them so without your tips and tricks.