Why your PR newsroom UX might suck | Presspage

Problem is, a lot of PR teams still treat their newsrooms as an afterthought. Outdated layouts, slow load times, clunky navigation... sound familiar?

Here’s the deal:

• 88% of users are less likely to return after a bad first experience.
  
  
• A one-second page delay can cut conversions by 7%.
  
  
• 75% of users judge your entire brand’s credibility based on design.

(Yeah, those numbers sting. But they’re fixable.)

Let's dive into what’s dragging your newsroom down — and tackle how to fix it without needing a full website relaunch.

Mistake #1: You’re still treating your newsroom like a blog

Newsrooms aren’t blogs. They’re high-traffic hubs where your brand’s biggest stories live — launches, crises, wins, major milestones.

If your newsroom functions as a difficult-to-navigate archive (see: press graveyard where PR stories come to die), you’ll fail to engage your audience and lose people…fast!

Fix it:
Think of your brand newsroom like a comms hub — organized, strategic, and easy to navigate. Categorize by topic, campaign, or audience type. Surface big news up top with visual cues like featured stories or highlights.

Pro tip: Make your best content easy to skim — most visitors spend less than 15 seconds deciding if they'll stick around.

Mistake #2: Your UX is stuck in 2015

In 2025, “good UX” isn’t just about clean design — it’s about smart, human design that anticipates the user’s next move.

Still making people download oversized PDFs? Or scroll forever to find media contacts? You’re killing your newsroom’s credibility.

Fix it:
Focus on these modern newsroom UX best practices:

• Design with mobile speed in mind: 53% of mobile users will leave if your page takes longer than 3 seconds to load.
  
  
• Simple, sticky navigation: Keep top categories, press kits, and contacts just one click away.
  
  
• Instant downloads: Press materials (logos, images, PDFs) should be available in a single click — no login, no nonsense.

New in 2025:

• Integrate AI-powered search so users can find the exact release, asset, or contact they need in seconds.
  An AI-powered search bar understands natural language, so someone can type “Q3 earnings PDF” or “head of comms contact” and get straight to what they need. You don’t need to build this from scratch. Many platforms offer this functionality out of the box — or you can integrate a trusted third-party tool.
  
  
• Make your newsroom WCAG accessible — accessibility is no longer a “nice-to-have,” it’s a legal and brand-trust must.
  WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and following them helps ensure everyone, including people with disabilities, can access and navigate your newsroom. That means readable fonts, keyboard-friendly navigation, alt text for images, proper contrast ratios, and more.

Mistake #3: Your story pages are a mess

Nobody wants to open a news article and be slapped with a wall of text and tiny social icons.

Modern newsrooms present stories like mini landing pages — visual, scannable, shareable. With attention spans shorter than ever, it’s important that each release should be easy to skim, packed with pull quotes, rich media, and clear calls to action — more like a campaign page than a press archive.

Fix it:

• Lead with a strong visual. (Hero images still matter.)
  
  
• Block your content. (Short paragraphs, clear subheadings, bullet points.)
  
  
• Make quotes stand out. (Use pull quotes and visual breaks.)
  
  
• Embed assets smartly. (No more ugly attachment links.)
  
  

Bonus tip:
Use video snippets and interactive timelines to boost engagement.

(Presspage makes this insanely easy, just saying.)

Mistake #4: You’re ignoring page speed

If your corporate newsroom moves at a snail's pace, users will bounce — and so will journalists.

Remember:

• A one-second delay = losing 7% of your audience.
  
  
• Mobile users are even less patient.
  
  

Fix it:

• Compress images without killing quality.
  
  
• Use modern hosting and CDN solutions.
  
  
• Trim unnecessary scripts and plugins.
  
  

Also, in 2025, Google’s Core Web Vitals aren’t just SEO checkboxes — they directly impact visibility and trust. If you’re not hitting “Good” on metrics like LCP (Largest Contentful Paint — how quickly your main content loads) and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift — how stable your page layout is while loading), it’s time to fix that. These aren’t just techy benchmarks — they shape how fast, smooth, and trustworthy your newsroom feels.

Mistake #5: You’re not treating your newsroom like a product

Your newsroom should evolve just like any other product or campaign you launch.

The best PR teams are using newsroom UX data (like click rates, bounce rates, top assets) to constantly improve the experience.

Fix it:

• Make sure your PR software includes real-time analytics, so you can track newsroom performance and make informed decisions. From traffic spikes to top-performing releases, knowing what’s working (and what’s not) helps you fine-tune your strategy. Tools like Presspage include these insights out of the box — no extra setup required.
  
  
• Watch where users drop off — and tweak accordingly.
  
  
• Regularly refresh layout, featured stories, and pinned media kits.
  
  

Fact: Only 1% of users say e-commerce websites meet their expectations every time. (Newsrooms are no different. Improvement is never “done.”)

How to improve your PR newsroom (starting today)

• Audit your current newsroom UX — mobile, desktop, accessibility, page speed.
  
  
• Clean up your navigation and put key assets where users actually look.
  
  
• Modernize your story pages: visual-first, scannable, and easy to download.
  
  
• Build habits around UX testing and small improvements, not big overhauls. Using templates is a big help here, so you’re always working with the most optimised version of your page.

How Presspage makes building a high-impact newsroom a piece of cake

Fixing your newsroom UX doesn’t have to be a massive project. Presspage's newsroom software is designed to take the heavy lifting off your plate. It’s built by PR pros, for PR pros — no IT tickets, no agency delays, no waiting around.​

Modular, brand-consistent design

Our newsroom builder uses 40+ flexible modules to help you create a fully branded newsroom that looks and feels like the rest of your website.

Built for speed and simplicity

From drag-and-drop content editing to one-click asset downloads, Presspage makes for fast publishing and a seamless user experience. ​

Makes data useful

Our built-in PR analytics show you what’s working — and what’s not — so you can make smarter decisions and boost engagement. It’s a game-changer if you’ve been stuck using generic marketing dashboards that miss the nuance of PR.

Global reach with local precision

Presspage supports multi-language publishing and hyper-local targeting, allowing you to deliver tailored messages to different audiences while maintaining a cohesive global narrative.

Ready to make your newsroom a real comms hub?

You don't need a full rebrand. You need a PR platform that gets what UX means for modern brands — speed, simplicity, credibility, trust.

Explore how Presspage can help you build a newsroom that actually works: