Episode 54: Perks

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The Google Local Guides program is based on users of Google Maps making voluntary contributions to the map. No money is paid whatsoever for the (sometimes quite elaborate) work local guides are performing. From time to time, however, there are some small non-monetary rewards, commonly known as perks. And those are the topic of this episode.

Make sure to stick around until the end of the episode, as I will share some tips on how you might also become eligible for some of the most valuable perks.

SHOWNOTES

TRANSCRIPT

Spotify automatically creates (using AI) transcripts of each episode – I am adding that here, but without having checked in full detail. The content might therefore not be 100% accurate.

0:06

Understanding Local Guides Motivation: Gamification and Perks

Hello, hello and welcome to episode 54 of the Let’s Guide Podcast, the ultimate podcast for Google Local Guides.

The Local Guides programme is based on users of Google Maps making voluntary contributions to the map.

0:22

No money is paid whatsoever for the sometimes quite elaborate work that Local Guides are performing from time to time.

However, there are some small non monetary rewards, commonly known as perks, and those are the topic of this episode.

0:40

Make sure to stick around until the end of the episode as I will share some tips on how you might also become eligible for some of the most valuable perks before diving in.

As usual, I want to point out that I’m not an official representative of Google or the Local Guides team, just a local guide myself.

1:01

Everything you hear in this in this podcast are my personal interpretations of things.

This episode is recorded at the beginning of January 2026 and is therefore describing the situation as it is today.

Should be listening at a later date.

1:18

Things might obviously have changed.

Let’s get started.

As most of you, dear listeners, will know, the motivation to participate and to continue participating in the Local Guides programme is based on a technique called gamification.

1:37

Our contributions as Local Guides bring points and upon reaching certain numbers of points, we upgrade to the next level, exactly as is the case in a lot of computer games, hence the term gamification.

That technique is used because that’s the way things work for most people.

1:56

We do and keep doing things because it brings some kind of reward.

2:02

The Reasons Why Google Doesn’t Pay Local Guides

In a lot of domains in life, the type of reward that motivates us to do things is monetary.

We simply get paid for the stuff we do.

And also in the context of the Local Guides programme, the topic money props up from time to time on Connect Local Guides, Connect, the official forum for local Guides, or on social media.

2:22

Time and again, people complain that they’re not getting any payment for the hard work they put into making all those contributions on Google Maps.

Often times there will be a comparison or a reference to YouTube where Google is paying contributors, in some cases quite a lot.

2:42

Well, in fact, that’s not really correct.

Google is not paying for the mere fact that those Youtubers contribute to YouTube.

Their videos attract eyeballs and those eyeballs are then presented with ads that companies pay for.

2:57

Google is then giving some of that advertiser money to the contributor because their video of course caused the YouTube visitor visitors to see the ads in the 1st place.

And in case you might now think hang on, my pictures on Google Maps are also getting millions and in some some cases even billions of views.

3:17

Let me repeat, YouTube content creators are not getting money for the views of their videos, but some of the money that the accompanying ads are generating.

In the case of Google Maps contributions, there simply is no direct revenue stream linked to those contributions.

3:38

Those views are really a premium example of what is commonly known as vanity metrics.

Go check out episode 40 of the podcast.

It was called The Truth About Views if you found if you want to find out more on that topic.

3:54

For me personally, the most compelling argument against getting money for contributing on Google Maps is that when money is involved, the dynamic of the entire process changes dramatically.

When money comes into play, a lot of the fun aspects often disappear.

4:13

Getting paid will make the relationship more formal and also brings more responsibilities amongst others towards Google but also your local income tax authority.

Another big risk of bringing money to the Local Guides programme is the risk of massive abuse.

4:31

Some people will contribute without any consideration for quality or even truthfulness.

And how credible or valuable will reviews by local guides still be if it’s a known fact that those local guides get paid to write the reviews?

4:47

By the way, if you really want to know, there are some minor ways to make money.

Go check out episode 34.

It was called Making Money with Maps.

Seems I was in quite an alliterative mode that day.

5:02

Uncovering the Truth About Local Guide Perks and Random Rewards

Let’s then turn to the actual topic of today’s episode.

In some cases, the Local Guides programme does bring rewards for the participants, not in strict monetary form as we discussed, but as perks, sometimes also referred to as swag or goodies.

5:21

Before summing up the perks that some of us have already received, I would first like to debunk 2 myths about them that keep cropping up.

The first one, there is no free storage on Google Drive that Local Guides will receive, and the second one, reaching a specific level in the Local Guides programme does not automatically entitle you to get any specific perk.

5:47

Both misunderstandings are based on the fact that they in the very early days of the programme.

Both of these statements were indeed valid claims, but this was stopped years ago and here AI is not really helpful.

6:03

As you might know, one of the problems with AI is that sometimes it keeps serving old, outdated info well here.

Also here, if you ask AI about the Local Guide perks, you might be presented with those two myths about free storage on Google Drive or automatically receiving perks upon reaching specific levels.

6:26

In reality, most perks are awarded for reasons that are not linked to specific levels, and in some cases even in a completely random way.

The ultimate example there is the probably most legendary perk.

The local guide socks for quite a while.

6:44

As far as I could figure out.

Between 2017 and 2021 Google sent out a pair of socks that were a greenish blue with the orange local guides pin on them and also the words local guides.

The those socks were sent to randomly selected local guides.

7:04

It was never 100% clear what the selection was based on.

The only info that couldn’t can be found about it is that the recipients were selected based on a mix of factors including contribution quality always important, consistency equally important, and geographic location, the latter no doubt for logistic reasons.

7:26

Sending multiple shipments to the same area is no doubt cheaper than doing so completely random all over the globe.

Other randomly distributed perks include toad bags.

I’ve also found references to local guides who got the choice between a pair of socks and a toad bag, and certainly also the enamel pins, The most famous and sought after one of those pins is no doubt Pac-Man, that is the yellow stylized figure used within Google Maps, a bit in the shape of a clothes peg.

8:00

Pins were also included in the box that Guiding Stars received.

Guiding Stars was a programme that the Google team set up for a couple of years during the COVID-19 pandemic, when in person events, more about those later on, were not possible.

8:17

The Guiding Stars, about 50 each year, were handpicked by the Google team based on their exceptional contributions in a specific domain somewhere, for example community builders, other sustainability stars.

Each of them received a box containing quite a few exclusive swag items such as travel bags or T-shirts.

8:40

Now that Google has returned again to in person events, as I mentioned, more on those in a minute.

I don’t think the Guiding Stars programme will ever return, but it was of course an awesome perk.

8:54

Earning Badges and Official Recognition as a Local Guide

One type of perk, which is often not really recognised as a perk, is linked to the level you reach badges.

From level 4 onwards, you get a badge that is shown on your Google.

On your Google Maps profile, it’s shown with a star, where the number of points of the star corresponds to the level.

9:16

So at first, upon reaching level 4, you get a White Star on an orange background with four points, and if you reach level 10 that will be a star with 10 points.

Those of course, you do receive upon reaching the next level.

9:34

But other badges are linked to specific numbers of contributions such as pictures or reviews, which can bring, for example, the Master Photographer or the Order Master Reviewer badge.

Check out episodes 21 it was to find out all the details on badges.

9:54

There are also loads of badges to be earned on Local Guides.

Connect, the official forum where the team keeps adding new types of badges from time to time, such as Rd Adding Champion badge introduced recently after the track campaign was such a huge success.

10:12

Make sure to check out everything about the track campaign on Connect, it’s really interesting.

Or the badge you can earn there by completing 3 Local Guides challenges.

Another type of perk is that is linked to being recognised for your efforts as Local Guides is being featured in official Google communication.

10:36

That can be a mailing to all Local Guides or even a guest blog post on the keyword.

The official Google blog I’ll share in the show notes a link to an example where yours truly received that honour of being invited to write a blog post on the keywords.

10:55

So I can testify from experience that is extremely motivational.

Next up, being a moderator on Local Guides Connect also brings some perks.

Check out episode 38 to learn more on that topic.

11:13

But in this context, I definitely should mention the moderator End of year gift.

Around Christmas we receive a nice package from Google which has a yeah, Christmas gifts.

And that have been various things over the years, ranging from a jacket to a travel bag or a drinking bottle.

11:34

And in 2023, all moderators were invited to a special event in Tokyo, something all participants will remember all their life no doubt.

You can pick up some of the vibe of what happened there in a video made by Connect moderator and All Time Local Guides star Adrian Lansong.

11:56

He made that video with clips recorded during that event and then shared it on the Go Local Guides YouTube channel that he is hosting.

12:07

How to Get Invited to Google’s Exclusive Connect Live Events

Which brings us to the perk that all Local Guides are hoping for, being invited to events organised by Google.

Invited as in Google pays for the entire travel and hotel costs and you get to visit the Google offices and talk to members of the Google Maps product team.

12:28

Wow, this used to be 1 global events at the Google headquarters in Silicon Valley from 2016 to 2019.

Originally named Local Guide Summit, later renamed to Connect Live.

Go check out episode 16 of the podcast if you want to find out more specifics on that.

12:51

Participants to those events receive loads of perks there to such as AT shirt, tote bag, pins, stickers, water bottles and more, and in some of the years even a really high value gift such as a Google Pixel phone or a 360 camera.

13:09

After 2019 the event was no longer organised due to the pandemic.

Of course, as I mentioned before, there was a Guiding Stars programme as a kind of replacement, but last year Connect Live returned, albeit in a somewhat different format.

13:26

Instead of 1 big event in California, there were three smaller events, one in New York, the second in Tokyo and the third one in Bangalore, where 50 or so local guides were invited to each.

You can check out episode 51 to find out more what happened during those events, or at least during the New York event where I participated.

13:51

And quite recently an extremely delightful announcement was made by the Google team in charge of the Local Guides programme.

Also in 2026, there will be Connect Live, just as in 2025, there will be 3 regional events, but the specific details are not yet revealed.

14:10

So far, we only know that the locations will be different from the ones used in 2025 and that there will be one in the EMEA region, so Europe, Middle East, Africa, another in the Asia Pacific area and the third one somewhere in the Americas.

14:27

The timing will be similar to what we saw in 2025, May, July and October.

And perhaps the most exciting news is that you can let the Google team know that there are good reasons why you should be invited to one of those three events.

14:46

I’ll share in the show notes, a posts on local Guides, connects a post from Google Kristen with a link to an application form.

There you can just let the team know, hey, I’m raising my hand.

I would like to be invited but you should hurry as the submissions close on January 18th already.

15:09

Of course you need to be aware that I just turned level 6 or my pigs have more than 200,000 views will very likely not be enough to get selected.

Your chances will no doubt increase if you make regular high quality contributions on maps and or if you stand out in some other way.

15:30

And if you’re just only starting as a local guide and feel you don’t have a good reason, apply to apply this time.

Well, for all we know there might be Connect Live in 2027 too.

No guarantee though, a lot can happen until then.

But anyway, you can start planning on ways to make yourself eligible for, for example 2027 events.

15:53

The Biggest Perk: Building Community and Lasting Friendships

Finally, I also want to mention the perks you can get by participating in community events, such as in person meet ups hosted by fellow local guides.

For the bigger ones, such as Euro meet up, it has become a bit of a tradition for the participants to exchange small gifts from their hometown or home country, implying of course that you then also need to bring some of those gifts yourself to give to the other participants.

16:23

In the show notes, I’ll link to a recap post for Eurometup 2025, the most recent one which was hosted in Lucca, Italy.

And it’s the recap post by Co host Luigi that I will link to.

16:38

There you can see what’s happening, what’s going on on those kinds of meetups.

In recent years there have have also been experiments with so-called sponsored meet ups where all the participants received a voucher to order an item from the official Google swag store.

16:57

But I’m not sure that concept will be brought back as the logistics of shipping items all over the world turned out to be quite challenging with for example also taxes, having to paid to local customs and so on.

Anyway, about those meetups, about those community events, If Google, if connect moderators are there, you’re bound to get some stickers with the Google Maps logo or the Local Guides logo and stuff like that.

17:27

Sometimes even Googlers attend those meetups, but that’s also no guarantee.

Such meet ups, no matter if they last a couple of hours or several days, however are a guarantee for enjoying a wonderful time with like minded people and will undoubtedly get you in touch with people that might become friends for life and give you the rewarding experience to belonging to such a vibrant community.

17:56

To me, that is undoubtedly the biggest perk, and in fact of course much more than just a perk as I have indeed gotten to know several extremely wonderful people all over the globe that I would never have been in touch with had it not been for the Local Guides programme.

18:14

So definitely check out Local Guides Connects to find out out if there are any meet ups scheduled in your area.

In the show notes, I’ll include a link to the overview of all upcoming meet ups which is listed always on Local Guides Connect and if you find one, sign up.

18:34

And if there’s none scheduled anywhere near you, certainly consider joining a virtual meet up to already feel the community vibe of the Local Guides community.

And on that notes, I’m going to say goodbye for now.

And should you be listening shortly after the release of this episode.

18:52

All the best for a happy 2026 and hopefully see you at Connect Live 2026.

Should you have any other question, comment or remarks about anything related to Google Maps or the Local Guides programme, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

19:09

You can send an e-mail to Let’s Guide Podcast dot at gmail.com.

Find me on Local Guides Connect as Connect moderator Jan Van Haver and the show notes, as always, can be found on the podcast podcast website letsguidepodcast.com.

19:29

Thanks for listening.

Stay tuned for future episodes.

Game over.

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