Travel Leaders reports it will begin offering its advanced Media Interview Training (MIT) course to members who are seeking to build bridges with their local consumer news media. Each MIT graduate automatically becomes a member of Travel Leaders’ Communicators Council, receiving leads on news media requests that can help further cement their credentials as travel experts, Travel Leaders says. In turn, those leads frequently translate into news coverage, often resulting in added credibility for the agency and even new business for participants.
“Our public relations activities on behalf of Travel Leaders members are all driven by one purpose: to drive new business through their doors,” stated Roger Block, president of Travel Leaders Franchise Group. “Our Media Interview Training program allows us to further develop our invaluable relationships with consumer news organizations by connecting them with Travel Leaders who are authoritative and knowledgeable.”
“Being a member of the Travel Leaders Communicators Council has provided many opportunities to be interviewed by the New York Times, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal,” noted Jeff Krudop of Travel Leaders, Fort Wayne, IN. “What is really exciting is hearing from family, friends and clients who see or hear the interview and they realize, ‘Hey, that’s my agent!’ It sure has helped with credibility and referrals, too.”
Initially, Travel Leaders offered its intensive, one-day advanced media training to its Advisory Board members, as well as Travel Leaders members from over 15 markets nationally where the franchise organization has a significant presence. Now, the highly specialized training is being made available to all Travel Leaders agents.
According to Block, the objective of this comprehensive training is to help Travel Leaders members feel more comfortable in establishing themselves as the travel experts in their area while also serving as a key Travel Leaders spokesperson with local and national media outlets.
“I was quoted in USA Today and Crain’s Business News – and I’ve also received coverage in the Cleveland Plain Dealer numerous times and have appeared on a local Cleveland morning show ‘Good Company’ three times,” noted Kim Gray from Travel Leaders, North Olmsted, OH. “Both the local Cleveland newspaper and the TV show helped our phones ring. Even my regular clients called and actually mailed the articles to me letting me know they saw me in the media.”
Travel Leaders has scheduled four additional MIT seminars through the end of 2010, including on September 15, October 13, November 11 and December 8. Because of the highly-specialized nature of the seminar provided exclusively for Travel Leaders, attendance for each is strictly limited to the first six registrants for each session.
Visit www.TravelLeaders.com.