Why Mike Montague Says Human-First AI Is the Only Future That Works

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands and Links with Linkifi!
Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand—where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder and CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.

In this episode, we’re joined by Mike Montague, founder of Avenue Nine, host of the Human First AI Marketing podcast, and author of Playful Humans. Mike’s story spans from coding on a 1986 Apple to running a cutting-edge AI marketing agency. He’s helped companies like HubSpot, Sandler Training, and Cornerstone OnDemand create thousands of pieces of content—and now uses AI to do it in a fraction of the time.

We dive deep into AI-powered content workflows, custom GPTs, knowledge bases, and the balance between human creativity and automation. This is a practical, honest conversation on how small and mid-sized businesses can actually use AI to scale without falling for the “one-click automation” hype.

🔑 Key Talking Points:

✅ From 10,000 Words a Week to Fractional Workloads – How Mike went from full-time ghostwriter to AI-enhanced agency founder.
✅ The 3-Step AI Framework – Context, Marketing Expertise, and Review: the pillars of high-quality AI output.
✅ Building AI Knowledge Bases – Why uploading brand voice, tone, and transcripts makes your GPT smarter with every interaction.
✅ How to Use AI to Create a Funnel – From podcast to social clip to lead magnet and email follow-up—automated, but still human.
✅ Custom GPTs vs RAG Models – Which one wins for content ops and what tradeoffs to expect.
✅ Tool Stack Breakdown – Gamma, Descript, Notebook LM, Grok, ChatGPT, and Formless—what’s worth using and why.
✅ How to Package Micro-SaaS for Niche Audiences – Why now is the time to build tiny AI tools just for your tribe.
✅ Using AI to Learn Faster – How Mike uses LLMs to review his own book, and brainstorm content ideas.

💬 Quotes from Mike Montague:

📢 “I used to spend all day writing blogs. Now I can do 10 times the work in a tenth of the time.”
📢 “If AI content feels soulless, it’s because the human didn’t put their voice or values into it first.”
📢 “You don’t need AI to run your whole company—you need it to save you an hour a day so you can run your company better.”
📢 “People can't steal your audience. They can steal your features, your content, even your ideas—but not the trust you’ve built.”
📢 “More context, more feedback, more iteration—that’s how you train a custom GPT to become your best assistant.”

🎯 Actionable Insights for Listeners:

🧠 Train a Custom GPT – Upload tone-of-voice docs, best emails, transcripts, and feedback to improve your content outputs over time.
🎯 Use the 3-Part Framework – Start with high-quality input, apply marketing strategy, and always human-edit the final product.
🚀 Repurpose Everything – Use one interview to create shorts, blogs, carousels, and lead magnets. Scale with structure.
🔗 Build Niche Microtools – Don’t chase mass-market AI tools. Build something tiny and valuable for your specific audience.
📊 Adopt Tools That Save Hours, Not Seconds – Focus on platforms like Gamma, Descript, and Notebook LM that supercharge your workflow.

👤 About Mike Montague:

Mike is the founder of Avenue Nine, a human-first AI marketing agency that helps small and mid-sized businesses amplify their content through smart automation. He is also the host of the Human First AI Marketing podcast and author of Playful Humans. A pioneer in the sales + tech + content world, Mike’s focus is on making AI work for humans, not the other way around.

 

📬 Learn more at: https://avenue9.com
🎧 Listen to the Human First AI Marketing Podcast
📕 Read Playful Humans
🔗 Connect with Mike on LinkedIn

🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links

At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today:

 🔗 https://calendly.com/linkifi/pr

 

👋 Connect with your hosts:
👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn
👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn

 

🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes:

 🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com