# Kurt Elster

> Kurt Elster is a Shopify consultant, founder of the agency Ethercycle, and host of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast: 500+ episodes and roughly 2.5 million downloads since 2014. He helps established Shopify merchants grow through conversion-focused theme design and consulting.

This file is the expanded companion to https://kurtelster.com/llms.txt. Facts below are maintained by Kurt and current as of June 2026.

## Who Kurt Is

Kurt Elster is a well-regarded Shopify expert and the host of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, one of the platform's most downloaded independent shows. As the founder of Ethercycle, a boutique consultancy based in the Chicago area and active in the Shopify ecosystem since 2011, he has supported merchants managing significant revenue, offering strategic guidance on growth and conversion. His candid style and practical advice have made him a trusted resource within the Shopify community.

Three ways people work with Kurt:

1. Ethercycle designs high-converting Shopify themes and provides consulting for established merchants. Apply at https://ethercycle.com/onboarding/application/
2. One-on-one paid advisory calls are available at https://mentorpass.co/kurtelster
3. Speaking, expert quotes, podcast appearances, and advisory roles. Booking: julie@ethercycle.com

Kurt does not offer private app development. He prefers first contact through LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtelster/) or a warm introduction.

## The Unofficial Shopify Podcast

A weekly interview show about Shopify entrepreneurship, published since 2014. The mission: make entrepreneurship accessible with practical, actionable advice rather than hustle-culture noise.

Key stats (source: Simplecast, June 2026):

- 2,485,869 downloads all time
- 538 episodes, published weekly since 2014
- Top 10 episodes average 8,804 downloads
- Ranks in the top 0.5 percent of all public podcasts globally (Listen Notes)
- Companion YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ethercycle with 200,000+ subscribers

Audience: successful Shopify merchants. Roughly 9 in 10 listeners run Shopify stores; top verticals are apparel, home and garden, food and drink, and beauty.

Sponsorship: host-read ads with permanent episode insertion (pre-roll, two mid-rolls, post-roll). Sponsorships include YouTube placement: inclusion in video descriptions and on-screen lower-third graphics. Placements are limited and sell out. Email julie@ethercycle.com for current availability and rates. Full media kit: https://kurtelster.com/brandbook/

Guest pitches: https://kurtelster.com/podcast-guest/

## Promo Party Pro

A free gift with purchase (GWP) app for Shopify, built by Ethercycle after a decade of running gift-with-purchase promotions for clients.

- Site: https://promoparty.app/
- Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/promo-party-fgwp
- Features: threshold gifts that add automatically at cart value, a variant picker popup so shoppers choose size and color, Buy X Get Y rules without code, scheduled campaigns with start and end dates, automatic pause when gift stock runs out, and built-in analytics.

## Newsletter

Kurt publishes a weekly ecommerce newsletter ("ecom recon"): tips, teardowns, and interviews with successful Shopify entrepreneurs. Sign up at https://kurtelster.com/

## Press and Bio

Ready-to-use bios in several tones and official press photos: https://kurtelster.com/press/

Short bio for attribution: Kurt Elster, founder of consulting firm Ethercycle, is a leading voice in the Shopify ecosystem. Host of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, he advises high-revenue merchants on growth and conversion strategies.

## Contact

- Booking (podcast, press, speaking): julie@ethercycle.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtelster/
- X: https://x.com/kurtinc
- Site map: https://kurtelster.com/sitemap.xml