Expat blogs: The current trend
Creating an expatriate blog is a great opportunity to share one's experience of living abroad while being creative. This can be quite fruitful, as long as you manage to stand out amongst the many existing blogs and websites, and the world of expatriation is no exception to the rule. However, many expat bloggers have given up on blogging lately or are not publishing new posts as often as they used to, or sometimes, not at all. This can be observed by visiting several expat blogs: the most recent publication often goes way back in time. After speaking to some bloggers, we were finally able to understand their reasons for quitting.
Expat bloggers have their say
We needed to talk to the right people to know why there was less fresh content on expatriate blogs, understand how expat bloggers feel today and how they envision the future of expat blogs. Well, it turned out that the best people to talk to about blogging were the bloggers themselves!
What hit us from our discussions with them was that many expat bloggers created their first blog out of their desire to share their own experiences. For others, it was about sharing essential information about life in a host country, where it can sometimes be difficult to find the right information.
Such was the case for Découvrir Israël's creator, who originally wanted to fill the information gap for future expats. Fortunately, or unfortunately, over time, other expat blogs have emerged, which meant that a new generation had arrived! However, those ex-expatriate bloggers are not really giving up. On the contrary, they are rethinking their website and trying to figure out what they really want to share when either creating a brand new website or changing the angle to the existing one. Living abroad also makes people evolve in this sense.
It is also a matter of personal pleasure and hobby. Many have started in their spare time, taking pleasure in sharing with readers what they experience in their host country through their writings or beautiful photos. But not everyone can really keep up a tight writing schedule. And once you're in the business, you get to know the number one rule: “You have to publish often to get accrued visibility.” Consequently, many decide to give up blogging because they often lose the pleasure part of it, especially when success does not seem to be forthcoming.
For others, it was also the Covid-19 pandemic's fault! According to the expat blogger from FromSide2Side, her blog (and others as well) fell into oblivion since that time. People are switching to other channels for faster and briefer content sharing, such as social media. Indeed, many expats now prefer to share their experience not only on their Instagram page but also Facebook and/or TikTok. Those who held a blog at the beginning are now publishing much less, favoring a Story or a short post with a series of photos or videos on social media. And yes! It really is a question of trends: blogs in general (and not only those created by expats) are currently losing importance to social media. The same goes for podcasts and newsletters, which, according to Le Blog de Mathilde's creator, have become a new way of expressing oneself. For her, it is the natural evolution of blogging. Expat blogs may have changed their form, but the subject (living abroad/expat life) is still interesting to deal with and is here to stay for quite a while.
Despite all this, many are resisting the downturn. They still publish regularly and continue to update existing content in order to provide visitors with the most relevant information. This is what the still-active creator of “Tomplanmytrip” confirmed. In fact, he does not intend to quit blogging fo a while.
Other expat bloggers have also decided to rework their content toward something more commercial by offering, for example, consulting services for expatriation projects or even the planning of stays or events' creation.
In any case, we can be sure of one thing: The expat "blogverse" is not totally in decline! It is only taking its breath back on its way to stay in tune with the times.
Perks of having an expat blog
Creating a blog when you are an expatriate has many advantages. The first one is, of course, about sharing your experience and how you feel about your new life abroad. While being useful to others, it can also become your memory lane down which you can, in a few clicks, recall your first steps or the quirkiness of certain situations.
It is also an excellent way to keep in touch with friends and family. This will help them stay informed of your discoveries in your new country and experience your new life along with you.
Moreover, you will be building a new network. If your expat blog is an interesting one, it will appeal to a large number of people, especially those looking to relocate to the country you now call home. The resulting comments and exchanges can quickly multiply and turn your humble expat blog into a real community.
Last but not least, your skills and creativity will be put to the test. With blog writing, you might be setting out on a journey that will teach you more than you think about yourself and your writing skills, which are likely to improve with every article you write.
