Q/A with Rohit Bhargava

Since May-June of last year, I have been assisting Rohit Bhargava with research and marketing for his very first book, Personality Not Included. The process was intense, fun and an amazing learning experience. Rohit is not just a fantastic writer and a brilliant visionary, but also an compassionate and generous mentor. Sometimes though, I cannot help but think that he lives multiple lives! I don't know how he wrote the book in less than 10 months, managed his blog and grew it to be one of the top read marketing blogs and continues to succeed at his full time job as SVP of Digital Marketing at Ogilvy PR!


As part of the marketing promotion for the book, Rohit issued an open call on his blog where he offered to answer 5 questions from any blogger about the book. Here are the few questions I asked but click on the graphic alongside to read all the other interviews. Enjoy!


1) How long has the 'Personality Matters' idea been brewing in your head?

Since I realized I couldn't use the title of the book for the marketing! Actually, the reason I called the marketing campaign for the book "personality matters" and will be using it as the title for the book blog is because if I use "personality not included" then I need to also have the subtitle, otherwise it doesn't make sense.  Why is personality not included?  Where is it?  Etc.  So "personality matters" became the tagline ...


2) And what/ which incident first inspired that idea?

It was essentially driven by my desire to have a strong "elevator pitch" for the book.  Personality matters pretty much summed it up, and if I can convince readers and others that it does matter, then getting the book is the natural next step to find out why and how to have one.

3) How are you using this big idea in your professional life?

 

The most interesting thing about writing a book on personality is the pressure that it puts on you to always have a personality!  Seriously, it has actually encouraged me to think more about how I portray myself and how I write online.  I used to think that using "I" was a big no-no because it was egotistical, and then I realized that writing in the first person was the most personal way that I could portray my ideas online

4) How can I apply this idea to make my own personality stronger/ better?

 

Great question - there is a definite relationship between creating a personality for an organization and using it as part of your own personal brand.  Sorry that I have to be cryptic to answer this one, but check my blog next week and you'll find a pretty comprehensive answer to this question ... :-

5) Lastly, what is going to be the extension (the idea of your next book!!) of this book?
I was thinking about writing a dating book about how to use marketing principles if you are single to attract the perfect mate.   Everything from writing a great profile on an online dating site to making sure you "give good google" so when they look you up you will have positive stuff out there.  Basically I want my next book to be something that could actually get me on Oprah!

 

Comments

[Courtney Kuehn]

This is so great of you to share and be involved with - I'm always impressed with your drive, Jinal. :)

[30in2005]

What an interesting job you have.

Will watch out for the book!

[serena]

hi jinal! today I have visited your blog, I have to say that you really developed your space in this year we didn't write each other! it seems that you're in new york now, you're a professionist in your field, I hope one day to have some news about you...a presto,serena