Sex sells. Scandal sells. Car chases sell. But when it comes to magazines, what makes one cover sell better than another is perhaps more formulaic. A new report in WWD reveals that when magazines want surefire wins, they go after the three Ts: twentysomethings, TV, and Twilight. The best-selling issues of magazines such as Lucky, Seventeen, Elle, Marie Claire, and more nearly all featured TV or Twilight actresses in their 20s to early 30s.
What happens when there aren't any young starlets to use? Do like Town & Country or Vanity Fair, and resurrect an old photo of a twentysomething of yore, like Ali MacGraw or Marilyn Monroe, to watch your numbers jump. The formula seems to be pretty solid — except for the instances where Kim Kardashian is your cover star. Chalk it up to overexposure (or humanity finally getting something right), but covers that featured the reality-show star on the cover tanked at the newsstand. We guess that's one way to break the mold. (WWD)
Photo: Courtesy of Allure
