Newsletter for working moms leaps in circulation by turning electronic.

"Follow-Up" reports on the status of newsletters founded about two years ago, which is the critical time frame for success or failure since the publisher has gone through two renewal cycles.

She increased her newsletter's circulation by 3,500 percent when she went electronic two years ago, so editor-publisher Melanie Berry of Executive Baby has decided to remain that way.

"The print edition had a circulation of 1,500 copies," she told NL/NL in a telephone interview, "but now I'm getting 55,000 'hits' a month on my web site, networkingmoms.com."

"I'm now totally electronic," she added, "and I've never regretted the move, but it has been tough to turn a profit."

The income comes from other than subscriptions since readers get the newsletter free.

Berry looks to turning a profit in two ways. Major sponsors, such as Procter and Gamble, pay her from $250 to $400 to sponsor an issue which highlights their advertising.

"Some sponsors sign on to support as many as six consecutive issues," Berry said.

Her second source of revenue is advertising. "It averages about $1,000 or more a month," she said. "I'm not losing money with the newsletter, but I'm not making much either."

She believes, however, the future holds promise for her newsletter. "I discovered that I could reach more people electronically than I could ever hope to reach with print," she said. "So, I made the conversion."

Berry touts her newsletter as "the first and only national newsletter for working mothers." She says it goes all the places a printed publication cannot go: "straight to the heart of person-to-person contact, and the world of immediate resources and instantaneous feedback on issues that strike a 'touchpoint' for women.

Berry writes and designs the newsletter herself, and each issue "is usually built around one article of current interest to working mothers," she said.

It also includes such features as the "Mom-to-Mom Solution Club," where readers can meet and interact; personal stories of journey and inspiration; and "featured lessons" on living.

Berry said her newsletter provides expert advice, resource listings, a directory, and a parenting column.

She believes one of the reasons advertisers have found her newsletter valuable enough to sponsor it is that she customizes an issue around a sponsor's goals.

"They like that," she said.

A working mother herself

When Berry graduated from Furman University, in Greenville, N.C., with a degree in psychology, she immediately went into sales and marketing with a major corporation. She later was promoted into management. Being a working mom herself, Berry knows from experience what mothers need to juggle a career and a domestic life.

This is why, she said, mothers who come to her web site can receive customized features.

"A working mom will come to the web site with such a question as, 'My nanny has just quit. What do I do now'

"Ten or 12 women would undoubtedly respond to that question with potential solutions," Berry said. "So the mother asking the question would get real-time practical help."

What drives them to the web site?

What drives women to her web site in the first place? "I am listed on all major search engines," she answered, "and ranked pretty high because I serve such a niche market. So, for women's issues--parenting, work/family balance, etc.--you'll find that my site comes up near the top of most of the search engines.

"I also have reciprocal links with most of the major and some of the minor players in the women's interest fields," Berry continued.

"You'll even find a link to my site from Procter and Gamble in its work/family balance area of its site. I've researched and found sites that I think would be of interest to my audience and then provided links from my site to theirs, and vice versa.

"I also do some freelance writing for a number of other special interest sites, and they always include a link back to my site," she said.

"My TV and radio appearances and coverage in national newspapers and magazines also help to establish my brand and get visitors.

"All that said," she concluded, "I'd have to say that word of mouth has played a big part. I send out a weekly newsletter (via e-mail) and encourage readers to share it with their friends if they're getting something positive from it. I always have a surge of new members after each newsletter, so I think that is working quite well to get the word out."

Berry's networkingmoms.com also has a link to amazon.com ("Find and buy any book in minutes"). Asked what kind of deal she has with the bookseller, she said, "The Amazon link is an affiliate arrangement. I get a miniscule percentage of sales which originate from my site. I don't really make any money from that but feel that it is a worthwhile times aver to my readers, so I continue it."

"Someday, my profit will come"

Berry, who is the mother of a son who has just started school and a daughter who is in the fifth grade, launched her print newsletter in 1995 and converted to electronic delivery in 1998. She said, "Helping working moms is really a passion of mine, and I sincerely want to help them."

But she also would like her newsletter to show a greater profit.

"I'm not in the red," she said, "but the newsletter hasn't blossomed into the profit I would like it to."