Google’s move into podcasts has been a slow burn, from introducing them into Google Play Music, through to incorporating them into the Assistant and finally introducing their own podcast app. Today, Google is announcing a new Podcast Creator Program in partnership with podcast network PRX to promote more diverse content creation.
Google says that the Podcast Creator Program is aimed at ’empowering and training underrepresented voices through an accelerator program, educating a global community with free tools, and showcasing participants’ work as a model for others’.
The program will see up to $40,000 allocated to teams to travel to ‘Podcast Garage in Boston, MA’ in the US to take part in a 20-week training program that will offer ‘support in the form of editorial input, technical assistance and workshops on marketing, promoting, budgeting, visual branding and best social media practices in starting up a podcast’.
To take part in the program, Google and PRX have opened up applications to potential podcasters from around the globe until November 18th. The main criteria for being selected in the program includes
- Represent a range of geographies, backgrounds, views, voices and styles
- Either self-identify as marginalized in the podcasting landscape – whether due to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, economic background, sexual orientation, age, physical abilities or some other reason – or intend to reach an audience that self-identifies as marginalized in the podcasting landscape
- Have a fresh and compelling podcast idea
- Are interested in making their podcasts sustainable in terms of growing revenue and audience
If this sounds like you, or your team then you can apply to take part on the PRX/Google Podcasts Creator Program website right here.
