IN TOUCH EXPLAINS WHAT WENT WRONG WITH TOM & KATIE!

Pasetsky’s Cover Critique

How do you know that Richard Spencer’s In Touch had a strong sale last week?

Well, they basically have the same story this week.

In case you don’t feel like clicking through, In Touch reported that Tom & Katie were dunzo.  (Inside the mag, the story detailed how the fairytale was over.)

So this week we find out….

What went wrong.

There are no NEW DETAILS on the cover that make me as a reader believe that I’m getting something new from the In Touch news organization.

The dek is really weak!  “The truth about what’s tearing them apart.”  It says NOTHING.

Also – there are pictures everywhere showing Tom & Katie celebrating Suri’s birthday.  So Tom & Katie are celebrating Suri’s birthday and breaking up?  The reader won’t buy this.

And ALL the insets on this cover are BORING.

Drew’s man “kissing another woman.”  Who cares?

Ashlee Simpson “drinking while pregnant.”  She should know better — if this is true.  But more importantly, the readers don’t really like Ashlee so why put this story on the cover – especially if you have to put a question mark at the end of the line.

Bottom Line: The days of soap opera covers are over (following the same story the following week with no details in this hyper-competitive 24/7 celebrity news market).  I predict In Touch to see a major drop-off from last week’s sales.