How to Do a Photo Dump on TikTok or Instagram
FYI: You don’t need to be an influencer or creator to jump on this trend.
From casual users to small businesses — photo dumps can work for anyone.
The number one rule? There are no rules — this is your opportunity to be a little more casual and show a different (or more intimate) side of your brand.
Here’s our simple four-step plan to perfect the art of the photo dump:
#1: Decide on Your Photo Dump Direction
Do you want to convey a feeling, promote a product, or recap an event? It’s time to define your photo dump goal.
Before you start looking at what content to use, think about what you want to achieve with your audience through your photo dump post.
Speaking of carousel goals, bookmark this blog for inspiration: 8 Creative Ways to Use Instagram Carousel Posts
#2: Curate Your Photo Dump Content
While your photo dump images and videos can feel like a random selection, it’s worth being strategic with the first image in your carousel post.
Kick off your photo dump with an image, GIF, or video that will entice your audience to keep swiping for more.
See how content creator Peyton Dix immediately grabs attention by showcasing a video of Nicole Kidman as the start of her Oscar coverage carousel:
From there, it’s best to include a variety of content types: photos, videos, GIFs, and memes.
Nano TikTok creator Dakota jumped on the trend by sharing a mix of the best tweets and GIFs from a recent Succession episode:
Use photo dumps to illustrate behind-the-scenes content, share an announcement, offer a sneak peek, or to simply show off your personality and humor.
#3. Craft The Perfect Photo Dump Caption
Once you’ve selected your imagery, choose a caption to match.
Remember, your carousel conveys a story, so it’s best to keep your caption short and sweet to deliver a punchier message.
For example, Clémence Lopez perfectly sums up her travels to London with a simple photo dump caption:
Or check out how apparel brand, Gil Rodriguez showcases a roundup of user-generated-content with a simple “You in gil 🤍” caption:
Having trouble coming up with a photo dump caption? With ‘s new AI Caption Writer for Instagram, you can create on-brand captions in seconds — no brainstorming required.
#4. Schedule Your Photo Dump With
Once you’ve got your caption on lock, you can plan and prep your Instagram photo dump with .
Here’s how to get started:
It’s as simple as logging onto , heading to your Media Library, and selecting a few images (or videos) for your carousel post.
From there you can add your caption, rearrange media, edit, and crop your content:
Once you’re happy with your photo dump, choose a date and time, and click save.
When it’s time to post, it will be automatically published — unless you select the “Send Notification” option instead.
For Notification publishing, you will receive everything you need delivered straight to your mobile via the app, so you can manually publish your carousel post in seconds.
And just like that, you’ve created your first photo dump!
