Rihanna Could Die Says InTouch

Buy the current issue of InTouch Weekly HERE!

InTouch either is the best position of the week or the absolute worst position.

Here’s why.

It’s the ONLY magazine featuring the Rihanna/Chris Brown scandal as a full-cover.

Usually, that bodes well for a magazine’s success on the newsstand, especially for a hot story like this one.

So how will InTouch do this week?

Not so well.

InTouch has done a poor job of advancing this story.

The dek that leads into the story feels old, e.g. “Rihanna claim that Chris abused her for months. Court papers allege he threatened to kill her.”

The reader who is following this story is well aware of both of these details.

The main line “Friends Fear It Will End in Death.” I thought that the day the story broke, which feels like months ago. Again, the story feels old.

In addition, this story appears to be losing heat online.

I’ve been tracking the searches for this story daily and there simply isn’t a huge amount of interest.

Sure, readers will want to know some type of update but at this point they won’t buy a full-cover unless there is a dramatic new development.

It’s simply been over covered.

Bottom Line: InTouch in trouble

Related: Celebrity Weekly Cover Critiques

March 11th, 2009 8:12 am