How German publisher News.de found new audiences, new revenue and a new sense of stability
News.de, a leading German digital publisher, needed to reduce its dependence on Google and reach new audiences without adding editorial workload. By partnering with Ekkow (formerly Nordot), they unlocked premium distribution channels, especially MSN, and achieved:
- +30% in revenue growth since joining the Ekkow network
- 8.3%-16.7% of all traffic now coming directly from MSN
- MSN became their #1 referral source through Ekkow
Impact
- Opened new, high-value audience channels
- Reduced dependency on Google search traffic
- Strengthened brand visibility across premium syndication networks
All with zero additional work for the newsroom. Since 2008, the Leipzig-based publisher has grown into one of Germany’s digital news staples quick on breaking news, sharp on entertainment, and trusted across lifestyle and tech. But the more you grow, the more you depend on the platforms that helped you get there. And in 2024, news.de knew something had to change.
“We can’t depend on Google alone”
For years, like thousands of publishers around the world, news.de’s audience growth had relied heavily on Google: Search, Discover, the usual pillars. But the traffic sources that once felt reliable had become unpredictable, with no clear explanations in sight.
Distribution is a clearly controlled strategy that fits within the publisher’s existing content strategy, not as a replacement for it. That’s what News.de was looking for. In particular, they wanted to reach people outside the usual discovery channels and to diversify revenue without diverting the newsroom’s energy. And above all, they wanted to stop waking up every morning wondering whether an algorithm update had undone a month of work.
What News.de asked for
The brief to Ekkow was to reach new audiences beyond Google and social search, to grow revenue by tapping into premium environments, to keep editorial workload exactly where it was, to avoid complicated tech integrations and to maintain full control and attribution.
We started by optimizing their content feed then by connecting them to premium platforms especially MSN, one of the world’s most reliable, high-value editorial distribution ecosystems.
We then automated the entire syndication flow for News.de articles to appear where new readers actually are. Then the last phase, performance tracking and ongoing optimization to ensure steady growth in an ever-changing distribution ecosystem.
And just like that, through a lightweight automated integration and Ekkow's expertise, news.de’s journalism started to travel farther than ever. Within a few months, the impact was real but more importantly distribution is now delivering a stable, predictable new income stream.
From a heavy reliance on Google to a healthy mix of diversified revenue streams
Even better if you ask us, through our partnership, MSN is now their #1 referral source.
“By working with the experienced team of syndication experts at Ekkow and their network of media distribution partners, we were able to transform our entire business model from a heavy reliance on Google to a healthy mix of diversified revenue streams. We still have a lot planned with Nordot and are excited by the amazing possibilities to grow audiences and ad impression,” - Corina Lingscheidt, Managing Director at News.de
News.de’s journey reflects that growth shouldn't be just about producing more content and that sustainable revenue shouldn't come from chasing algorithms, but from planting your journalism in stable, premium environments.
