How Do You Get LinkedIn Connections When You Don’t Know Anyone?
If you’re sitting on LinkedIn with zero connections and feeling a little stuck, you’re honestly not alone. A lot of people assume LinkedIn only works if you already have a big professional network, old coworkers, classmates, or industry friends ready to connect. But that’s not true. Plenty of freelancers, creatives, career changers, and small business owners start from exactly the same place: basically nowhere.
And if you’re a photographer trying to reach local realtors and businesses for commercial work, LinkedIn can still be useful. You do not need to fake relationships, add random people with no strategy, or feel awkward about starting from scratch. You just need a practical way to build relevant connections slowly and naturally.
So let’s break it down like we’re texting through it: who should you connect with, what should you say, and how do you make LinkedIn useful when you don’t already know anyone?
First, is it weird to connect with people you haven’t met?
No. On LinkedIn, that’s normal.
LinkedIn is not the same as a personal social platform. It’s built for professional networking. That means it’s completely acceptable to connect with people in your industry, local business owners, marketing people, real estate professionals, and other photographers, even if you’ve never spoken before.
The key is this: be relevant, polite, and intentional.
If you’re a photographer looking for commercial work, your goal is not to collect random numbers. Your goal is to build a network of people who make sense for your business.
Who should you connect with first?
If you don’t know anyone personally on LinkedIn, start with people who are still connected to your work in some way. Think less about friendship and more about professional relevance.
- Local realtors who might need listing photos, headshots, or branding images
- Real estate agency owners and team managers
- Small business owners in your area
- Marketing managers for local brands, hotels, restaurants, clinics, and retail businesses
- Event planners and venue managers
- Interior designers, architects, and builders who may need photography
- Other photographers who work in adjacent niches and may refer overflow work
- Past clients, even if they weren’t “formal” corporate clients
- Friends, classmates, family members, or acquaintances who do use LinkedIn, even casually
That last one matters more than people think. Even if someone isn’t in your target industry, an early connection still helps establish your profile and gets you moving.
What should your profile look like before you start connecting?
Before sending requests, make your profile feel complete enough that people understand who you are. You don’t need it to be perfect. You just want it to answer the basic question: “Why is this person connecting with me?”
Here’s a simple checklist:
- Professional photo: clear, friendly, and current
- Headline: not just “Photographer,” but something more specific like “Commercial Photographer Helping Realtors and Local Businesses Create Strong Visual Branding”
- About section: a short paragraph explaining what you do, who you help, and what type of work you’re looking for
- Location: important for local outreach
- Portfolio link: website, gallery, or booking page
- Services: mention real estate photography, commercial photography, branding shoots, headshots, etc.
LinkedIn has its own guidance on building a strong profile, and it’s worth a quick read: LinkedIn profile help center.
How do you send connection requests without feeling awkward?
Keep it short. You do not need a big pitch in the connection request.
Here are a few easy message examples:
- To a local realtor: “Hi, I’m a local commercial photographer expanding into real estate and would love to connect.”
- To a business owner: “Hi, I work in commercial photography and enjoy connecting with local businesses in the area. Would be great to connect.”
- To another photographer: “Hi, I’m a photographer focused on commercial work and real estate visuals. Thought I’d connect with others in the field.”
- To someone you vaguely know: “Hi, we’re both local to the area and I’m building out my professional network here. Would love to connect.”
That’s enough. Friendly, clear, no pressure.
If LinkedIn doesn’t always give you the option to add a note, that’s fine too. Just make sure your profile itself clearly communicates what you do.
How many people should you connect with?
Start small and relevant. Maybe 10 to 20 quality connection requests per week. You don’t need to force speed here.
Ask yourself:
- Are they local?
- Are they in real estate, marketing, or business?
- Could they realistically need photography now or later?
- Would it make sense for them to see my work?
If yes, send the request.
This approach is much better than adding hundreds of random people. A smaller, more relevant network is usually more useful, especially when you’re building a service-based business.
What if people ignore your requests?
That will happen sometimes, and it’s not personal.
Some people barely use LinkedIn. Some ignore everyone. Some only accept people they’ve met. That’s normal. You only need a decent percentage of good fits to say yes.
Think of LinkedIn like local outreach, not popularity. You’re not trying to win everyone over. You’re just trying to become visible to the right people.
How do you find people to connect with?
Here are a few practical ways:
- Search your city + “realtor”
- Search your city + “real estate agent”
- Search your city + “marketing manager”
- Look up local real estate agencies and see who works there
- Search businesses you’d like to photograph and find owners or team members
- Check people who engage with local business posts
- Join relevant LinkedIn groups if they’re active in your niche
You can also review general networking advice from LinkedIn here: How to build your network on LinkedIn.
Should you post content too, or just connect?
Yes, post a little. Not because you need to become a full-time content creator, but because it helps people understand your work.
Simple posts are enough:
- Before-and-after examples of a shoot
- A few tips on what makes real estate photos convert better
- A short post about why updated business photography matters
- Behind-the-scenes from a local commercial shoot
- A quick introduction post saying who you are and who you help
For example, you could post something like: “I’m a local photographer focused on helping realtors and businesses create clean, professional visuals for listings, branding, and marketing. Looking forward to connecting with more people in the area.”
That alone can make your new connections more likely to respond later.
If you want to understand how strong visuals affect property marketing, this article from the National Association of Realtors is useful: National Association of Realtors. And for practical visual marketing ideas, video explainers on YouTube can also help, like this search for real estate photography tips: YouTube real estate photography tips.
What if you need connections quickly for a business page?
If your main issue is that LinkedIn wants a minimum number of connections before certain page features become available, then your first goal is simply to build a basic professional network as fast as possible without making it spammy.
Try this:
- Connect with any real-life contact who has LinkedIn, even if they rarely use it
- Send requests to local realtors and business owners
- Connect with people in related industries like design, staging, and marketing
- Add past clients and former contacts from any work setting
- Publish a short intro post so your profile doesn’t feel empty
This usually gets things moving faster than people expect.
A simple mindset shift that helps
You do not need to begin LinkedIn with a built-in network. You just need to begin with a clear reason to connect.
In your case, that reason is solid:
- You’re a photographer
- You serve businesses locally
- You want to work with realtors and commercial clients
- LinkedIn is one place where those people are already spending professional time
That is enough. Seriously.
So if you’ve been feeling like zero connections means zero chance, it doesn’t. It just means you’re at the first step, and the first step is usually quieter than people expect.
Final thoughts
If you’re starting from zero on LinkedIn, the most useful thing you can do is build slowly, connect intentionally, and make your profile clear. You don’t need to know famous people. You don’t need a big employment history. And you definitely don’t need to pretend you’re more established than you are.
You just need to show up as a professional, connect with people who make sense for your business, and give the platform a little consistency.
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