Social media runs on trends. One of the recent ones on Instagram and TikTok are photo dumps. Here’s everything you need to know about them, with a handful of tips and examples.
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What is a photo dump?
A photo dump is pretty much what it sounds like – a collection of multiple photos posted together. Think of it as an Instagram or TikTok diary – which is what photo dumps essentially are. Meant to record moments of our lives or a certain period of time that come together to create a certain aesthetic.
In theory, these should be uncurated photos from your phone camera roll – like, for example, a casual mix of photos from last month. In reality, they’re often picked to look like they’re random (though, of course, we’ll never know if they truly are.)
Still, it’s a pretty low-effort selection. The whole idea behind the photo dump trend is to post unedited (or at least not excessively edited photos) that convey some sort of mood or vibe, like random pics from vacation, the whole month of September, winter, etc.
On Instagram, it often comes in the form of carousel posts (but can also be a Reel with quickly changing photos.) And on TikTok, you can also find photo dump templates you can use to create a collection of photos.
(You can even find instructions on what should go into a photo dump, really showing curated photo dumps are absolutely a thing.)
Why are photo dumps so popular?
First of all, they’re a social media trend, and all sorts of weird things can become a trend out of the blue, so there’s that. (I know, that’s as far from a scientific explanation as it can get. Sorry.)
But they’re also tapping into a larger trend that makes people post “raw,” unedited content, just like in the old days when we didn’t have all those AI filters to sometimes wholly change our appearance.
A photo dump feels like taking a peek into the creator’s actual camera roll. It’s often used to convey a specific aesthetic vibe. And it’s easy to make – it’s not supposed to be extremely well thought out and put together. So, basically, anyone can make a photo dump.
And when it comes to brands, photo dumps let them create more “human,” candid content that’s relatable and takes much less effort to make.
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Where can I post photo dumps?
Photo dumps became especially popular on visual platforms (quite obviously), so they’re most often seen on Instagram and TikTok.
The #photodump hashtag on Instagram has 3.6M posts by now, and TikTok has lots of videos and video templates created by users to post your photo dumps there.
How to do a photo dump on Instagram or TikTok
Creating an Instagram photo dump
You have at least two ways to create photo dump posts on Instagram:
- Publish a carousel post. Prepare the photos you want to include and start creating a post. When adding your photos, tap the multiple photo icon on the right-hand side below the photo. This will let you select more photos. You can add up to ten photos, and you can also add videos (you can mix both images and videos within one post.)
Here’s what a photo dump carousel post looks like on Instagram:
- Another option for a perfect photo dump on Instagram is creating a Reel like this one:
To create one like this, add your photos to the real and pick a sound that fits. Alternatively, you can select one of the ready-made templates that already have things like transitions and sounds added for you. That’s definitely the least effort-consuming way to do it.
Creating a photo dump on TikTok
On TikTok, the thing is equally easy. You can pick a ready-made photo dump template – use TikTok search to find one that you like. Here’s an example:
You can also create your own TikTok by starting with a photo and then editing your TikTok to add more photos and pick a sound to go with them. In the photo mode, you can add up to 35 still images that people will be able to swipe through as they see your TikTok.
Scheduling a photo dump in an external tool
With NapoleonCat, you can schedule and automatically publish your photo dump posts for both TikTok and Instagram.
With NapoleonCat’s Instagram management tools for business, you can:
- create a carousel post right in the content calendar and schedule it for a selected date
- add your Instagram Reels and Stories with your photo dumps and schedule them to be published later
- moderate the engagement under your photo dump posts, including replying to comments and removing spam.
Scheduling an Instagram Carousel in NapoleonCat
By using the TikTok management tools for business, you can:
- add your TikToks for publication on selected days
- and moderate the engagement they (hopefully) generate.
This way, you can plan to post multiple photo dump posts over time, create them at once, and then have a content series planned for weeks to come.
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Simplify Social Media
Management with One Tool
- Manage & reply to comments and DMs in one place.
- Monitor ad comments from multiple accounts.
- Automate answers to repetitive questions.
- Schedule posts to multiple accounts, on desktop.
- Analyze performance and monitor hashtags.
- Keep track of your competition.
- Create or schedule in-depth reports in seconds.
5 ideas for your photo dump
1. Any month/season photo dump
Use the photo dump to document your past month. For example, if it’s October, you can go for a “fall” vibe with a pumpkin spice latte, warm sweaters, yellow leaves, candles, and that kind of thing.
Here’s an example of some photo dump ideas for the fall (a.k.a. autumn):
A photo dump for December could, on the other hand, show holiday vibes with snow, lights, Christmas trees, cozy fireplaces, you get it.
Any of these is a good opportunity to squeeze in your product in different settings and different vibes.
2. Vacation photo dump
If your team has traveled to different places over the summer (and maybe they have photos with your product in it, which, by the way, is a cool idea for some lighter social media content), then you have lots of material to work with for a summer-themed photo dump.
You can also ask your customers to send you their vacation photos – and again, it’s a great opportunity for a product placement customer campaign.
3. User-generated content photo dump
Speaking of your customers, collecting content from them is always a good idea. And one way you can use it is by doing photo dumps:
- of your customers with your products
- of their reviews of your product or service
- of their content submissions, etc.
And this way, you’re also increasing the shareability of your content (especially on Instagram), as the customers whose content you included might get excited by it and want to show it to their followers, for example, on Instagram Stories.
4. Product photo dump
If not vacation and customer photos, then what are some other casual ways in which you can present your product(s)? Use these cues to help generate ideas:
- Are there any seasonal holidays around the corner (Halloween, Christmas, etc.) that you can use as your theme?
- Look through the trending sounds and templates on TikTok and Instagram. Are there any that you could use? (Using a trending sound has the additional bonus of potentially giving your photo dump much more exposure.)
Either could be a great starting point for creating something cool and fun.
5. Office life photo dump
To show your brand from behind the scenes and also for employer branding purposes, document your team as you work and create occasional photo dumps of your office life.
20 captions for your photo dumps
Just a little photo dump to brighten your day 📸✨
Memories worth sharing in this photo dump 💫
A little bit of this, a little bit of that – enjoy our photo dump adventure! 🌟
Behind the scenes of my life, wrapped up in this photo dump 🌹📷
Diving into the archives for this epic photo dump 🌊📸
A snapshot of our world in a single photo dump 🌎📷
Embracing the beauty of the everyday in this photo dump 🌸📸
So many moments, so little time. Check out our photo dump 🕰️📷
Smiles, sunsets, and a sprinkle of chaos – our lives in a photo dump 🌞📸
These pictures tell a story words can’t capture. Enjoy our little photo dump 📚📷
Just a little photo dump to brighten your day ☀️📸 #MemoriesInPictures
Flipping through the pages of my life, one photo at a time 📖📷 #PhotoDump
Nostalgia overload in 3, 2, 1… 🕰️📸 #ThrowbackThursday
A snapshot of the good times 📸💫 #GoodVibesOnly
Captured moments and candid smiles 😄📷 #LifeInPictures
Behind-the-scenes of our everyday adventures 🌟📸 #BehindTheScenes
A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and a whole lot of memories 📸✨ #SnapshotOfLife
My camera roll called, and it said, ‘Share these moments!’ 📱📸 #PhotoDiaries
Feeling cute, might delete later… just kidding, these memories are keepers! 🙃📷 #NotDeleting
Because some moments are too precious not to share 📸❤️ #LifeInFrames
Psst, you can also find caption inspiration for your photo dump posts and reels right on Instagram and TikTok.
Simplify Social Media
Management with One Tool
- Manage & reply to comments and DMs in one place.
- Monitor ad comments from multiple accounts.
- Automate answers to repetitive questions.
- Schedule posts to multiple accounts, on desktop.
- Analyze performance and monitor hashtags.
- Keep track of your competition.
- Create or schedule in-depth reports in seconds.
Ready to post your photo dump?
Now that you know what’s behind the trend, you can go for your perfect photo dump. Find a vibe and start collecting “random” photos in your camera roll you can later use to create your photo dump.
(Who knows, maybe they’ll actually be random?)
Good luck!
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