How the Heidenheimer Zeitung is creating pioneering digital structures with purple

The origins of the Heidenheimer Zeitung (HZ) go back to 1849. As an independent partner in the Südwest Press Network, HZ uses Purple's CMS as a complete solution for its News portal As well as their News app with e-paper functionality. The need for a system change became a strategic starting point for HZ to reposition itself technologically and create sustainable structures.

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The Challenges: Efficient Digital-First Workflows and a Future-Proof App

• Predecessor CMS without WYSIWYG presentation made creative and contemporary editorial work difficult
• User-friendly, future-proof CMS with external maintenance and development required
• The goal is to strengthen your own app as a channel in order to become more independent of third-party platforms

 The way in which the editorial team works should be focused even more on media-neutral production. Editors should focus primarily on creating content and no longer concern themselves with the question of how much space a text has available in print or which print-specific elements are necessary to complete a page. In addition, in the future, the printed newspaper will be created from the content in several development steps with maximum automation. For this goal, the publisher set out to find the appropriate system world.

“We really wanted a real WYSIWYG editor. We wanted colleagues to be able to see what the article would look like later while writing — with a headline, image, teaser, etc. In our previous system, it was not possible to have a preview at the same time while working,” explains Catrin Weykopf, member of the editorial board at HZ.

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As a regional publisher with around 80 employees, it was also crucial for HZ to find a sustainable, user-friendly CMS solution that it could operate with a reliable partner. At the same time, there were high performance requirements, for example for Google Discover, as well as zero tolerance in the event of system failures.

There is also a desire to reduce dependence on external platforms such as Facebook or Google and to strengthen our own direct channels such as apps and newsletters.

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The solution: Intuitive CMS solution for quick and creative editorial work

• Introduction of Purple Editor with intuitive interface for multimedia content
• Introduction of Purple Experience for efficient development of the new website and app
• Integrated AI features with purple prompts for more efficient workflows
• Complete SaaS offering with comprehensive advice and support
• Quick familiarization with the new system and minimal training costs

After a careful evaluation of various solutions, the Heidenheimer Zeitung chose Purple. The initial contact came about as a result of a recommendation from Highberg, which, as a consulting firm, supported HZ as part of the DRIVE project over several years.

The intuitive editor was particularly decisive for the decision. “The new editor makes it possible to integrate images, quotes, videos and social media embeds directly into the text so that the end result is visible as soon as you write. This eliminates the need to switch between different tabs and placeholders, which significantly improves the workflow,” reports Weykopf. This new CMS with the intuitive WYSIWYG editor formed the core of the comprehensive relaunch.

Another decisive factor was providing a complete solution from a single source. Since HZ does not have its own IT department, Purple's SaaS model with comprehensive German-language support offered a significant advantage. The Purple Team's problem-oriented approach was particularly appreciated: “You can say that Purple has a real will to solve problems and find uncomplicated solutions. Our project manager was very hands-on — we really appreciated this commitment,” Praises Weykopf.

The Quick Familiarization of Editors with the New System was therefore noteworthy. “We trained all our colleagues ourselves. In no training session did it take us longer than two and a half hours to explain all the functions that our editorial team needs in everyday life,” reports Weykopf.

In addition, a variety of technology partners were involved, including Stibo DC‑X as digital asset management and JJK as a temporary print system. In addition, RSS feeds were set up for CleverPush as a newsletter tool, Plenigo was integrated for entity management, and digital advertising revenue is generated with Traffective. The structure is supplemented by the automated injection of DPA agency reports via Purple Wires.

Another highlight was the implementation of AI functionalities: “We use Purple Prompts every day. We also have colleagues who want and will expand this even further,” explains Weykopf. The editorial team has so far used AI in everyday life for spell checks, text abbreviations, for creating texts from results lists in sports and for inserting hyperlinks in texts.

The new frontend includes other new features, such as the “News & Stories” section, which allows editors to group articles by subject area. Readers can navigate through a topic carousel and find all articles on specific topics with one click. The homepage page control enables the HZ editorial team to manage these subject areas independently.

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The result: future-proof editorial workflows and an app with a personalized news feed

Today, around 30 editors, including freelancers, use the system every day for their work. The implementation of purple as a new digital-first overall solution brought significant improvements to the Heidenheimer Zeitung.

The rapid recovery of range following the relaunch was particularly remarkable: “We didn't have a long range gap after the restart. After a few weeks, we were back to normal, and after around three months, everything was stable. It also definitely helps us that our articles are visually better presented,” says Weykopf.

According to Weykopf, digital figures also show a positive trend: “We are growing digitally, both in terms of digital subscriptions and e-paper. For us, it is crucial that we have a partner like Purple who takes us into the future and offers innovations on its own initiative. We are a rather small publishing house and need someone who leads the way and reacts to technological trends in a contemporary way.” The Switch to Purple has also sharpened the editorial team's focus on content and saves time when creating it.

A particular advantage for readers is the new HZ app, which now has both a news area and an e-paper kiosk. App users can also personalize the content of the app, i.e. select or deselect departments and thus set up a personal news feed. The integration of CleverPush into the Purple app to send push notifications is also extremely time-saving compared to previous solutions. The integration was seamless and has been working reliably ever since, which is also reflected in the very good opening rates of messages of 6%.

Martin Wilhelm, managing director of the Heidenheimer Zeitung, is also satisfied with the decision for Purple:

“Compared to our previous systems, Purple's CMS is one thing in particular: much better for users — I'll just name two examples: the WYSIWYG mode and the streamlined user interface. And we had the opportunity to gain experience with AI in Purple relatively early on. Plus: Working with the Purple Team is simply great. I often see how good systems fail due to poor communication and collaboration. And it's the other way around here. So I think we can look forward to everything that's yet to come.”

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The Outlook: Sustainable Development and Continuous Innovation

The Heidenheimer Zeitung is planning further developments in the future. The Switch to InterRed as a Connected Print System is imminent. The Introduction of the Dynamic Paywall with UpScore, which the editorial team has been working with in page tracking for years, is also in preparation. “We are very satisfied and at the same time always excited to see what we can improve in some areas with purple. We regard the collaboration with Purple as a long-term partnership that accompanies us in our further digital transformation and supports us through continuous innovation,” says Weykopf.

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