It's way more than coverlines

"If I wasn't here, I'd be working on cover lines like
'Mattress Moves So Hot His Thighs Will Go Up in Flames.'
-- Kate White

NEW YORK -- Kate White, the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan has some rules about covers and she shared them this week at the 20th Annual DMA Circulation Day. What is normally a fairly technical discussion among direct marketing associates (hence, DMA) about rate bases and auto renewals, turned into a lively seminar about what makes good Cosmo covers tick.

For instance, her second rule is to choose your own cover "cocktail" -- what goes into giving your cover its persona. Take the model. White's yardstick is simple. "Would I or one of my readers want to drive cross-country with her?" she said. "I wouldn't put Sharon Stone because at the very least, when you got home, she'll steal your boyfriend."

To read the rest of White's rules, in a report from DMA Circ Day, go here.