Andreea Coscai is the founder and editor of Eurowaves — this interview has been lightly edited for style and readability
Andreea Coscai: Eurowaves is, not to sound cliché, the first European podcasting newsletter, and my goal for it is to connect different European podcasting industries to see what the connections are, what the missing links are, and how we can come together more. It’s been an amazing ride so far. Everyone has been so supportive, as people are in the podcasting industry. So, I’m just trying to see how I can be helpful and contribute to the growth.
Sam SethiL: When did you come up with the idea?
AC: Just for context, I’m originally from Romania - but I was very much involved in the US podcasting space. I was living there for five years. I have been back in Europe for about a year and a half, and what I’ve been doing since I came back is trying to figure out how the Romanian podcasting landscape is, what I can bring to it, and what can be done really from everything I’m learning from the US podcasting space. And it’s pretty limited. So, that was disappointing, but at the same time, it’s exciting, because there are a lot of opportunities.
I said, okay, let me not just stop at Romania, I want to go beyond that. I want to see what’s going on in Europe. And to my surprise, there are so many amazing projects going on, so many podcast production companies, even cross border collaborations, which is one of the things that I’m most excited about. So that’s kind of how the idea came together.
SS: So what’s your strategy for growth in for EuroWaves?
AC: It’s the same as podcast growth, I would say, because podcast growth is all about making podcast friends. And that’s the industry as a whole. So my strategy for EuroWaves is continuing to build those connections, which is like the vision of the newsletter itself. It’s kind of self-fulfilling almost. And then yeah, continuing to also support other newsletters at the same time, amplify them, amplify other creators, connect them, and then it happens.
SS: Is there going to be a podcast?
AC: Oh, great question. I had not thought of before, but I will think about it for sure.
SS: Given your years of experience in the US, now you’re back in Europe. What do you see going to happen in 2025?
AC: Well, my hopes are for international collaboration, because I think there’s just so much that we can learn from one another. As I’m meeting with more creators from Europe and trying to compare with what I know from the US, even the monetization models are very different.
For example, Europe is very much subscription-based. So, you know, that’s something that could be more implemented in the US. Obviously the US industry is already at another level, but I think there’s always more room for growth and everyone’s looking to diversify their income stream. So maybe paying closer attention to that and then vice versa, probably putting more so an emphasis on narrative podcasts in Europe as well - and a lot more play with multi-language. I’m personally a language nerd, so I’m biased about that. I think podcasts can be a great way to practice your language skills. And AI is definitely helpful in that sense. That’s the hot topic in podcasting these years, but I think it needs to be used carefully so that we still pay attention to the cultural differences, the nuances and, you know, any kind of references that would make sense for a German listener would not make any sense for a Romanian listener. So you cannot just translate directly.
SS: How does Eurowaves make its money then? Are you going to go subscription? Are you going to stay open?
AC: I will definitely stay open for the most part. I think that’s part of my personal ethos as well. And it’s been a trend in all the work I’ve done so far. I’m also the founder of Her Time Romania, which is an NGO in Romania focused on leadership for young women and their personal and professional development. And so we did have some paid events and paid opportunities, but the main goal was really making education accessible for everyone. So that’s definitely my goal for Eurowaves as well.
What I would love though is to partner up with some brands, companies, creators who would love to promote their work. And as I mentioned, Eurowaves is all about amplifying what’s in the podcast community.
SS: And will we see you in Dallas at Podcast Movement or will we see you in London at the London Podcast Show or where else might we see you?
AC: I am planning to come to the Podcast Show. I would obviously love to come to Podcast Movement as well. also because that’s where Tink Media folks gather up usually, and we need to meet more often face to face because our energy just, you know, virtually is already amazing.
I was also thinking of Radiodays Europe, which is another amazing conference. As you know, it’s in Athens this year. I also share in my newsletter for anyone listening who is in Europe or is visiting Europe at whatever point of the year. I do share different events happening in, you know, Lithuania, Germany, Belgium, all over. So if you happen to be taking a trip somewhere and you’re a podcaster, you might find an event and yeah, it’ll be included in the newsletter.
EuroWaves is free on Substack.