Episode #154

The Marketing Secret Billy Idol Accidentally Taught Mike Montague

Seeded from local Second Brain episode folder. Full episode documents stay in the repo/GBrain.

Show notes

# Episode Packaging: Mike Montague
Generated: April 13, 2026
Channel: Authority in the Wild

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Transcript Analysis

Key Themes

1. Human-First AI philosophy: AI accelerates and amplifies human work; it does not replace the core human element. The "concentrated orange juice" analogy captures this precisely: AI should condense your existing expertise, not expand nothing into something.

2. Trust builds at human speed: Even if you generate 450 pieces of AI content overnight, buyers still take weeks or months to develop trust. Speed tools speed up your production; they do not speed up the buyer's decision.

3. Three types of work (physical, intellectual, emotional): The work that matters most in modern marketing is emotional work, and emotional work follows an inverse logic. The harder you push, the less it works. This is where humans must stay.

4. Failing in public as a training ground: Billy Idol firing Mike on stage, the middle school speech disaster, the overnight radio shifts. Each failure in front of small audiences built the capability to show up reliably in front of large ones.

5. Ethical AI use and trust erosion: Using AI in ways that feel deceptive, impersonal, or selfish (e.g., AI customer service loops that trap people) destroys the trust that marketing exists to build. The test: does this use of AI feel generous to the other person, or just efficient for you?

Strongest Moments

Billy Idol fires him live on stage in front of thousands ("I'm bulletproof now")
Middle school speech panic attack, white-knuckled fingers, teacher basically pretends it didn't happen
The "concentrated orange juice" analogy for AI-assisted content creation
"ChatGPT can tell a story. It can't tell your story."
The Google YouTube Ads loop: AI bot sends to help center, help center sends back to AI bot, human rep hangs up on him, he deletes his account
"AI is fast and trust is slow" as the one thing still true in three years
Getting maced on stage by police (mentioned briefly but vividly)
The emotional work inverse logic: "The harder you try to make somebody love you, the less likely they are to love you back"

Transformation Beats

Disaster middle school speech -> Storytelling competition winner (first place except for the laryngitis round)
Billy Idol firing -> Professional fireproofing and fearlessness on stage and on the microphone
Early morning radio shifts with no audience -> Drive time fills -> Authority platform with 3.7M+ podcast downloads

Contrarian Positions

AI-generated volume does not compound the way physical labor does. 200 AI posts do not equal 200 times one good post.
Viral growth has a hidden downside: customers who switch to you fast will switch away fast.
The harder you try to be authentic, the less authentic you become. Authenticity requires letting go, not trying harder.
AI avatars are a magic trick: impressive once, then people see the trick. Only valuable when they enable something genuinely impossible for a human (e.g., real-time foreign language delivery).
Using AI for emotional work (firings, price increases, difficult conversations) is a category error. The tool and the task are mismatched.

Quotable Lines

"AI is fast and trust is slow."
"ChatGPT can tell a story. It can't tell your story."
"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive." (Howard Thurman, quoted by Mike)
"What we don't need is more people cranking out AI slop."
"I try to use AI to move what I'm making faster, but not to try to move the buyer's process faster."
"If it's stretching, I call it my concentrated orange juice analogy. If you water it down, you don't get good orange juice."
"When something flat lines, that means it's dead."
"You wanna know what you want to talk about. You don't want to know how you're going to say it."

Practical Frameworks

1. Three Buckets of Work: Physical (more effort = more output), Intellectual (law of diminishing returns), Emotional (inverse logic, effort hurts outcomes)
2. Four AI task categories: AI-only work, Human-only work, Neither-should-do work, Human-with-AI work (the growing box)
3. Sales Call to Deck in 15 Minutes: Record call, transcript to ChatGPT, outline to Gamma, send custom proposal within 15 minutes post-call
4. Podcast Content Multiplication: One authentic conversation generates blog, social posts, clips, shorts, email list content, book material
5. Three ethical AI tests: Authenticity (am I deceiving?), Generosity (does this serve my audience or just save me time?), Reliability (does this make me more or less dependable to the people who need me?)
6. Whisper Flow + Grammarly + ChatGPT + Gamma: Practical four-tool stack for authority builders to start with

Emotional Arc

Starts with a bang (Billy Idol firing). Builds through the philosophy of failing in public as practice. Pivots to the central tension of the episode: AI is a powerful tool, but trust and authority are still built the old, slow, human way. Ends on a thesis statement that doubles as a closing argument: "AI is fast and trust is slow."

The arc moves from "here is why I am not afraid of public failure" to "here is why AI cannot replace that willingness to be human in public."

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Core Message

Authority that converts is built through human presence, not AI volume. The brands and people who win will be the ones who use AI to amplify their genuine expertise, not the ones who use it to simulate having expertise they do not have.

Strangers Hook

Someone who has never heard of me or Mike Montague will click because they want to know why the marketer who built 3.7 million podcast downloads says most people are using AI marketing completely backwards.

Audience Layers

Gabe's audience: Consultants, agency owners, coaches, and founders who are building authority platforms (podcast, content, LinkedIn) and wrestling with how to use AI without losing the human element that made their work valuable.

Mike's audience: Marketing professionals and business owners who have heard "use AI" as advice but have not seen a principled framework for where AI belongs and where it makes things worse.

Strangers: Anyone who is overwhelmed by AI marketing content, skeptical that AI-generated content can build real relationships, or afraid that over-automating will make their brand feel hollow.

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Pre-Title Audit

Bread vs Honey (TAM): Broad. AI and marketing is one of the highest-search topic areas right now. Authority building, trust, and content creation are topics with massive latent audiences. Honey score: 8/10.

Cozy Viewer (Entertainment or Work?): This episode sits in the entertainment lane. The Billy Idol story, the macing on stage, the Google customer service loop are all inherently entertaining. A viewer who starts watching for career advice ends up staying for the stories. Score: 7/10.

Curiosity Gap (Can viewer guess the content?): Titles that use "AI is backwards" or "speed is killing your marketing" create genuine curiosity because the premise is counterintuitive. Titles that just say "AI marketing tips" give everything away. Score depends on title framing.

Vibe (Netflix or Taxes?): Strong Netflix energy. Mike is a natural storyteller. The Billy Idol story alone makes this feel like a documentary moment, not a business lecture.

---

10 Titles

Title 1: Transformation + Specificity "From Billy Idol to LinkedIn's Top AI Voice" Characters: 44

Title 2: Contrarian Statement "More AI Content Is Making Your Marketing Worse" Characters: 45

Title 3: Number + Intrigue "3 Work Types Only One Should Use AI" Characters: 39

Title 4: Question Hook "What Happens When AI Runs Your Entire Marketing?" Characters: 49

Title 5: Rejection Story "Billy Idol Fired Me Live. Here Is What I Built After." Characters: 52

Title 6: Warning / Trap "The AI Shortcut That Slows Your Sales Down" Characters: 45

Title 7: Mystery / Curiosity "Why 3.7M Downloads Started With Overnight Shifts Nobody Heard" Characters: 59

Title 8: Bold Claim "Trust Moves at Human Speed. AI Cannot Change That." Characters: 51

Title 9: Confession / Honesty "I Use AI Every Day. Here Is Where I Refuse To." Characters: 49

Title 10: Specificity + Curiosity "The Marketer Who Got Fired by Billy Idol Explains AI Trust" Characters: 57

---

Title Scores

| # | Title | Strangers Test | Curiosity Gap | Cozy Viewer | Bread Test | Specificity | Total |
|---|-------|---------------|--------------|------------|------------|-------------|-------|
| 1 | From Billy Idol to LinkedIn's Top AI Voice | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 20/25 |
| 2 | More AI Content Is Making Your Marketing Worse | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 22/25 |
| 3 | 3 Work Types Only One Should Use AI | 4/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 18/25 |
| 4 | What Happens When AI Runs Your Entire Marketing? | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | 21/25 |
| 5 | Billy Idol Fired Me Live. Here Is What I Built After. | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 23/25 |
| 6 | The AI Shortcut That Slows Your Sales Down | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 22/25 |
| 7 | Why 3.7M Downloads Started With Overnight Shifts Nobody Heard | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 20/25 |
| 8 | Trust Moves at Human Speed. AI Cannot Change That. | 4/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 20/25 |
| 9 | I Use AI Every Day. Here Is Where I Refuse To. | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 23/25 |
| 10 | The Marketer Who Got Fired by Billy Idol Explains AI Trust | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 23/25 |

Ranked Strongest First

1. Title 5: Billy Idol Fired Me Live. Here Is What I Built After. (23/25)
2. Title 9: I Use AI Every Day. Here Is Where I Refuse To. (23/25)
3. Title 10: The Marketer Who Got Fired by Billy Idol Explains AI Trust (23/25)
4. Title 2: More AI Content Is Making Your Marketing Worse (22/25)
5. Title 6: The AI Shortcut That Slows Your Sales Down (22/25)
6. Title 4: What Happens When AI Runs Your Entire Marketing? (21/25)
7. Title 1: From Billy Idol to LinkedIn's Top AI Voice (20/25)
8. Title 7: Why 3.7M Downloads Started With Overnight Shifts Nobody Heard (20/25)
9. Title 8: Trust Moves at Human Speed. AI Cannot Change That. (20/25)
10. Title 3: 3 Work Types Only One Should Use AI (18/25)

---

30 Thumbnail Concepts

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Title 5: "Billy Idol Fired Me Live. Here Is What I Built After."

Concept 5A: Face + Reaction
- Layout: Guest face reacting to an off-screen moment, large and dominant
- Text overlay: "FIRED LIVE"
- Expression: Genuine laughter or disbelief, head slightly tilted back
- Visual element: Stage lighting glow behind him suggesting a live event environment
- Why it pairs: The expression sells the absurdity of the story without revealing the resolution. Viewer has to click to understand the laugh.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man reacting to something off-screen at a live event, surrounded by warm stage lighting
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Wide open laughter or stunned disbelief, eyebrows raised, mouth open mid-laugh
POSE: Shoulders slightly back, head tilted, body language conveying "I cannot believe this happened"
BACKGROUND: Deep warm amber and purple tones suggesting stage lighting, slightly blurred to keep focus on subject
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: Subtle concert stage atmosphere in background, no specific band imagery
LIGHTING: Dramatic side key light as if coming from a stage spotlight, warm amber tone
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Subject positioned left-center, reaction expression filling roughly 60% of the frame
MOOD: Disbelief-turned-amusement, the face of someone telling a story that still surprises them
```

Concept 5B: Object + Intrigue
- Layout: Split with a retro microphone stand on one side, guest on the other
- Text overlay: "FIRED ON STAGE"
- Expression: Calm and confident, slight knowing smile
- Visual element: Vintage-style microphone stand, spotlight effect from above
- Why it pairs: The microphone creates immediate context that something performative happened, without revealing who fired whom.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man standing beside a vintage microphone stand on a dramatic stage set
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Calm and assured, slight knowing smile, direct eye contact with camera
POSE: Standing upright, arms relaxed at sides, slight forward lean toward camera
BACKGROUND: Dark stage backdrop with a single strong spotlight from above illuminating subject and microphone
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: Vintage-style broadcast microphone stand positioned to the left of subject, both in the spotlight pool
LIGHTING: Single spotlight from directly above, creating strong contrast between illuminated subject and dark background
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Microphone left third, subject right two-thirds, both within the same spotlight pool
MOOD: Confident, theatrical, the calm energy of someone who has made peace with a wild career moment
```

Concept 5C: Number + Face
- Layout: Guest face in close crop, large bold number "3.7M" partially visible behind him
- Text overlay: "FROM FIRED TO"
- Expression: Direct, serious, eyebrow slightly raised
- Visual element: Large stylized number in the background suggesting scale of achievement
- Why it pairs: The contrast between "fired" (in text overlay) and a huge achievement number creates an implied before-after narrative.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: Close-up portrait of a man with large graphic elements in the background suggesting scale and achievement
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Direct eye contact, slightly raised eyebrow, the composed face of someone who has earned credibility
POSE: Shoulders forward, tight portrait crop showing shoulders and face only
BACKGROUND: Clean dark background with large semi-transparent numerals and upward-trending graphic lines suggesting growth
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: Large partially-visible numbers in the background (abstract, not literal text) in bold white or gold
LIGHTING: Clean professional key light from front-right, minimal shadows, slight studio rim light from behind
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Face slightly off-center to the right, leaving left third for text overlay placement, background numerals spanning full width behind
MOOD: Accomplished, direct, the energy of someone with a point to prove
```

---

Title 9: "I Use AI Every Day. Here Is Where I Refuse To."

Concept 9A: Face + Reaction
- Layout: Guest face, hand raised in a "stop" or refusal gesture
- Text overlay: "I REFUSE"
- Expression: Firm, decisive, not angry but clearly committed
- Visual element: Hand gesture toward camera creating tension
- Why it pairs: The refusal gesture is physically confrontational with the viewer's assumption that AI should replace everything. Creates immediate debate energy.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man looking directly at camera with one hand raised in a firm stop or refusal gesture toward the viewer
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Firm and decisive, eyes wide and direct, the face of someone drawing a clear line
POSE: Hand raised palm-out toward camera at chest height, body leaning slightly forward
BACKGROUND: Clean off-white or light gray studio background, minimal texture
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The raised open hand gesture filling the left third of the frame
LIGHTING: Bright, even studio lighting, high key with minimal shadows
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Hand occupying left third, face and expression occupying right two-thirds, looking past the hand at the camera
MOOD: Direct, principled, the energy of a confident disagreement
```

Concept 9B: Before-After
- Layout: Split screen, left side shows AI icon or robot visual, right side shows a human handshake or real meeting
- Text overlay: "NOT THIS"
- Expression: Pointing toward the human side of the split
- Visual element: Clean dividing line between AI-associated and human-associated visual spaces
- Why it pairs: Physically shows the distinction the title promises to explain, without revealing the specific answer.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: Split composition with a man on the right side pointing or gesturing toward the right, with an abstract technological texture on the left side
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Decisive and pointing, looking toward the right side of frame
POSE: Arm extended, pointing right, body angled slightly right
BACKGROUND: Left half uses cool blue-tinted abstract circuit or data pattern texture. Right half is warm neutral clean background.
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: A clean vertical dividing line separating the two visual zones, subject straddling the boundary
LIGHTING: Warm natural lighting on the subject, the left zone has a cooler blue glow
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Dividing line at center, subject positioned slightly right of center pointing further right, away from the tech side
MOOD: Decisive, principled, making a clear choice visible to the viewer
```

Concept 9C: Text-Free Concept with Strong Visual
- Layout: Guest at a desk, laptop open, but turned away from the screen, looking directly at camera
- Text overlay: "WHERE AI STOPS"
- Expression: Deliberately looking away from the tech, direct eye contact with viewer
- Visual element: Open laptop in frame but subject consciously not looking at it
- Why it pairs: The physical action of looking away from an open laptop is universally understood as "I am choosing something else over this."
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man sitting at a clean desk with an open laptop, but deliberately turned away from the screen and looking directly at the camera with strong intent
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Direct, warm but serious, the face of someone making a conscious decision
POSE: Body slightly angled away from the laptop, chin up, direct eye contact with camera lens
BACKGROUND: Clean minimal home office or studio backdrop, neutral light walls, minimal clutter
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: Open laptop screen visible in the foreground edge, slightly out of focus, glowing but ignored
LIGHTING: Natural window light from the left, warm and flattering, clean shadows
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Laptop screen visible at left edge but soft, subject occupying center-right two-thirds looking directly into camera
MOOD: Intentional, grounded, the energy of a deliberate choice
```

---

Title 10: "The Marketer Who Got Fired by Billy Idol Explains AI Trust"

Concept 10A: Face + Reaction
- Layout: Large guest face with strong expression, single-line subtext visual
- Text overlay: "FIRED BY BILLY IDOL"
- Expression: The knowing smile of someone who found the lesson in the embarrassment
- Visual element: Faint retro concert silhouette texture in background
- Why it pairs: The celebrity name in the text overlay carries immediate recognition. The guest's face with that expression sells the story arc from fired to authority.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: Close portrait of a man with a subtle retro concert atmosphere in the background
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Knowing smile, slightly self-amused, the look of someone who has processed a wild story and found peace in it
POSE: Relaxed, shoulders back, face turned three-quarters toward camera
BACKGROUND: Dark background with very faint silhouette of a concert crowd and stage lighting in warm amber and pink tones, heavily blurred so it reads as atmosphere rather than scene
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The warm concert atmosphere glow behind the subject, suggesting stage without showing a specific event
LIGHTING: Warm front key light with subtle rim light from behind matching the concert color palette
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Subject centered, face occupying top 60% of frame, atmospheric background visible in lower third and around edges
MOOD: Warm confidence, the energy of earned authority
```

Concept 10B: Object + Intrigue
- Layout: Guest holding a vinyl record or DJ-adjacent prop, looking at it with a specific expression
- Text overlay: "AI TRUST"
- Expression: Thoughtful, holding the object as if it represents something larger
- Visual element: The record or prop as a physical stand-in for the layered story
- Why it pairs: A physical object from the DJ world creates an unexpected juxtaposition with the AI topic, which is exactly what this episode is about. Contradiction makes people click.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man holding a vinyl record, looking at it with a thoughtful or contemplative expression
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Thoughtful, slightly squinting at the record as if reading something in it, slight smile
POSE: Holding the vinyl record at chest height with both hands, slightly tilted, face looking down at it and then turning slightly to the camera
BACKGROUND: Clean light studio background, off-white or warm gray, minimal
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: Black vinyl record held in both hands, label visible, catching slight studio light
LIGHTING: Clean even studio lighting, soft box from front, warm neutral tones
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Record occupying center-lower third, face above it in upper two-thirds, both in sharp focus
MOOD: Reflective, the energy of someone drawing a connection between a physical past and a digital present
```

Concept 10C: Number + Face
- Layout: Guest face with "700+" visible in background or overlay space
- Text overlay: "HOW TRUST IS BUILT"
- Expression: Warm and direct, approachable
- Visual element: A large abstract number suggesting scale of experience
- Why it pairs: 700+ episodes of a podcast is a credibility signal that most AI tools cannot replicate. The number and the face together say "this person showed up a lot."
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man in a podcast or studio environment with large graphic numbers visible in the background
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Warm, direct, inviting, a slight forward lean of genuine engagement
POSE: Slightly leaning forward toward camera, both hands relaxed, open body language
BACKGROUND: Clean modern podcast or studio setting, slightly blurred, with a large semi-transparent number graphic spanning the back wall suggesting scale or achievement
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: Large abstract number element in the background, clean and modern in design
LIGHTING: Clean broadcast-quality lighting, soft front key light, slight rim light
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Subject centered-left, number element spanning background, face clearly dominant
MOOD: Credible, experienced, the energy of earned expertise
```

---

Title 2: "More AI Content Is Making Your Marketing Worse"

Concept 2A: Face + Reaction
- Layout: Guest with an exasperated or genuinely concerned expression, hands slightly raised
- Text overlay: "AI IS HURTING YOU"
- Expression: Wide eyes, slightly open mouth, genuine concern not performance
- Visual element: Clean white background to put full focus on expression
- Why it pairs: An alarmed or concerned face pairs naturally with a warning statement. The expression delivers the emotional argument before the viewer reads a word.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man with an expression of genuine concern or warning, looking directly at the viewer
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Wide eyes, slightly open mouth, the face of someone delivering an important warning they need you to hear
POSE: Slight forward lean, hands partially raised at chest level in an open gesture
BACKGROUND: Clean bright white or very light gray, completely minimal
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The expression and eye contact are the only visual element needed
LIGHTING: Bright clean studio lighting, even and flattering, no dramatic shadows
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Subject centered, tight portrait crop from chest up, face occupying upper 70% of frame
MOOD: Urgent but constructive, the energy of a trusted advisor delivering a warning
```

Concept 2B: Before-After
- Layout: Left side shows many identical identical generic content cards (representing AI slop), right side shows single clear real face
- Text overlay: "VS THIS"
- Expression: Confident and present on the real side
- Visual element: Visual repetition on the left creating a sense of sameness and noise
- Why it pairs: The visual makes the argument without words. Volume of the same thing on one side versus one genuine human presence on the other.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: Split composition contrasting a wall of identical generic document or content card shapes on the left with a single clear human portrait on the right
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire on the right half
EXPRESSION: Confident, clear-eyed, direct, standing out visually from the noise on the left
POSE: Clean upright stance, relaxed, looking at camera
BACKGROUND: Left half features a tight grid of identical slightly transparent rectangular document shapes in muted gray tones, suggesting volume without content. Right half is clean warm neutral.
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The stark contrast between the repetitive left side and the single clear human presence on the right
LIGHTING: Muted flat light on left side, warm natural light on the right side where the subject stands
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Left half is the document grid, right half is the subject, vertical dividing line at center
MOOD: The contrast between noise and signal, volume and value
```

Concept 2C: Text-Free with Strong Visual
- Layout: Guest looking at a large pile of paper or documents with a skeptical expression
- Text overlay: "THE PROBLEM WITH AI"
- Expression: Skeptical, eyebrow raised, looking at the pile as if it represents the problem
- Visual element: Physical stack of papers as a stand-in for endless AI-generated content
- Why it pairs: The physical pile of paper is universally understood as overwhelm. The skeptical look connects it to a judgment call, not just a complaint.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man standing next to or looking at a large messy stack of printed papers on a desk or table
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Raised eyebrow, skeptical half-smile, the look of someone who sees through a flawed idea
POSE: Arms crossed or one hand on chin in a thinking gesture, body angled toward the pile but eyes looking at camera
BACKGROUND: Clean minimal office environment, neutral walls, nothing distracting
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: A large disorganized stack of printed papers or documents, slightly chaotic, clearly representing volume over quality
LIGHTING: Clean office or studio lighting, bright and clear
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Paper stack occupying right third, subject on the left two-thirds looking toward both the papers and the camera
MOOD: Skeptical clarity, the energy of someone who has thought this through and found the flaw
```

---

Title 6: "The AI Shortcut That Slows Your Sales Down"

Concept 6A: Face + Reaction
- Layout: Guest with an expression that sells the irony, one eyebrow raised
- Text overlay: "SLOWS YOU DOWN"
- Expression: Ironic, knowing, the face of someone explaining a counterintuitive truth
- Visual element: Clean background, expression carries everything
- Why it pairs: The title is already counterintuitive. The expression reinforces that this person has the evidence to back up the claim.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: Close portrait of a man with an ironic or knowing expression
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: One eyebrow raised, slight knowing smirk, the expression of someone about to explain something most people get completely wrong
POSE: Head slightly tilted, relaxed shoulders, finger or hand raised slightly as if making a point
BACKGROUND: Clean dark charcoal or navy background, minimal texture
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The asymmetric expression and the gesture of someone making a point
LIGHTING: Side key light creating a slight dramatic edge while keeping the face warm and approachable
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Subject centered, tight from chest up, face filling upper 65% of frame, head tilt adding visual energy
MOOD: Knowing irony, the energy of contrarian truth delivered with confidence
```

Concept 6B: Object + Intrigue
- Layout: A speedometer or fast-forward symbol with a red X, guest beside it pointing
- Text overlay: "NOT FASTER"
- Expression: Firm and clear
- Visual element: Speed graphic with a visible negation symbol
- Why it pairs: A speed visual with a negation immediately communicates the counterintuitive argument the title makes.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man standing beside a large graphic speedometer or speed-indicating symbol that appears to be redlined or have a negation overlay
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Firm and direct, arms crossed or hand pointing at the graphic
POSE: Standing beside the graphic element, arm extended pointing at it, facing slightly toward camera
BACKGROUND: Clean white or light background with the graphic element as a clear focal secondary element
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: A large speedometer dial graphic with needle redlined or a large bold X overlay in red, representing a broken assumption
LIGHTING: Clean bright studio lighting, even and professional
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Graphic element on the left third, subject on the right two-thirds, arm bridging the two elements
MOOD: Clear disagreement with a popular assumption, confident and specific
```

Concept 6C: Before-After
- Layout: Two faces of the same subject side by side, left showing a hurried rushed expression, right showing calm and confident
- Text overlay: "THE REAL SPEED"
- Expression: Contrast between rushed on the left and confident on the right
- Visual element: The before-after uses emotional state as the contrast rather than a result
- Why it pairs: Slowing down to go faster is the emotional argument this episode makes. Two emotional states of the same person makes that visceral.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A split composition showing the same man in two contrasting emotional states
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Left side: rushed, slightly tense, eyes darting, shoulders slightly raised. Right side: calm, composed, direct eye contact, relaxed shoulders.
POSE: Left side: slightly leaning forward, urgent body language. Right side: upright and relaxed, grounded.
BACKGROUND: Left half has a slightly cooler blue-gray tone. Right half has a warmer neutral tone.
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The contrast in body language and expression between the two halves, clear vertical divide at center
LIGHTING: Left side slightly harsher and cooler. Right side warmer and softer.
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Each half contains a tight chest-up portrait of the subject, same scale on both sides
MOOD: The contrast between the feeling of artificial urgency versus grounded effectiveness
```

---

Title 4: "What Happens When AI Runs Your Entire Marketing?"

Concept 4A: Face + Reaction
- Layout: Guest face in clear reaction, one hand on forehead or raised
- Text overlay: "REAL ANSWER"
- Expression: Slightly exhausted or amused, the face of someone who has seen this go wrong
- Visual element: Clean studio background
- Why it pairs: The question in the title plus the "been there" expression on the guest's face creates the answer without saying it.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man with a slightly exasperated but amused expression, one hand raised toward his forehead
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: The mild exasperation of someone who has watched a predictable mistake happen many times, slight headshake energy
POSE: One hand raised to forehead or temple, slight headshake implied in the tilt, other arm relaxed
BACKGROUND: Clean warm neutral studio background, off-white or light sand tone
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The hand-to-forehead gesture reads as "I have seen this go wrong"
LIGHTING: Warm natural-style studio lighting, clean and flattering
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Subject centered, slightly left of center, face and gesture in upper two-thirds, gesture bridging to right third
MOOD: Knowledgeable exasperation, the energy of a trusted expert who has seen this movie before
```

Concept 4B: Object + Intrigue
- Layout: A laptop or phone screen showing a notification storm or infinite loading symbol with the guest looking at it skeptically
- Text overlay: "WHAT REALLY HAPPENS"
- Expression: Skeptical, arms crossed, unimpressed
- Visual element: Screen with overwhelming notification or loading indicator
- Why it pairs: The "infinite loop" or notification overflow visually represents AI running everything and creating more noise, not less.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man looking at an open laptop screen with a skeptical or unimpressed expression, the screen glowing with an overwhelming number of notifications or a spinning loading symbol
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Skeptical, arms loosely crossed, eyebrow raised, the look of someone unimpressed by what they are seeing
POSE: Standing or leaning slightly, arms crossed, head angled down toward the screen but eyes cutting toward the camera
BACKGROUND: Clean minimal office environment, dark or neutral walls
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: Open laptop screen facing the viewer slightly, glowing with a chaotic notification screen or an infinite loading symbol
LIGHTING: The laptop screen provides a cool blue glow on the subject's face, balanced by warmer ambient light
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Laptop in right foreground edge, subject in left two-thirds looking skeptically across frame at it
MOOD: Knowledgeable skepticism, the energy of someone who has tried the shortcut and seen the downside
```

Concept 4C: Text-Free with Strong Visual
- Layout: Guest sitting confidently at a minimal desk, but surrounded visually by floating abstract document or post shapes suggesting automated volume
- Text overlay: "THE MISSING PIECE"
- Expression: Calm in the middle of the chaos, grounded
- Visual element: Floating abstract content shapes around the subject suggesting automation overflow
- Why it pairs: The calm human in the center of the automated storm is the answer to the question the title asks.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man sitting calmly at a minimal desk while abstract floating rectangular shapes suggesting content or documents float in the surrounding space around him
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Calm and grounded, slight composed smile, unbothered by the surrounding chaos
POSE: Hands resting on the desk, sitting upright, centered in the frame
BACKGROUND: Semi-abstract environment where clean content card shapes float in the space around and behind the subject, semi-transparent, suggesting automated volume
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The contrast between the calm centered human and the surrounding floating automated content shapes
LIGHTING: Clean central lighting on the subject, the floating elements are in slightly softer less saturated light
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Subject centered, floating shapes occupying the surrounding two-thirds of the frame in various depths
MOOD: Human stillness at the center of artificial noise, the argument for staying human
```

---

Title 1: "From Billy Idol to LinkedIn's Top AI Voice"

Concept 1A: Face + Reaction
- Layout: Confident guest face, direct eye contact, slight pride
- Text overlay: "THE COME UP"
- Expression: Confident, slightly proud without being arrogant
- Visual element: Clean background with subtle gradient suggesting a journey upward
- Why it pairs: The transformation arc requires a face that radiates "I made it and I know how."
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: Clean portrait of a confident man with a subtle upward-trending visual element in the background
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Confident, slightly proud, direct eye contact, the composed energy of earned success
POSE: Upright, relaxed shoulders, slight forward lean of engagement
BACKGROUND: Clean gradient background shifting from darker at bottom to lighter at top, suggesting an upward trajectory
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The upward gradient creates the visual metaphor of ascent without any literal graphic
LIGHTING: Clean broadcast-quality front lighting, bright and professional
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Subject slightly left of center, face occupying upper two-thirds, gradient visible around and behind
MOOD: Earned confidence, the energy of someone who built something over time
```

Concept 1B: Object + Intrigue
- Layout: Guest holding both a vinyl record (left hand) and looking at a phone or laptop (right hand), comparing
- Text overlay: "THEN VS NOW"
- Expression: Amused by the comparison, knowing smile
- Visual element: The physical pairing of analog (record) and digital (screen)
- Why it pairs: The journey from DJ to AI voice is literally shown in the physical props without needing words.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man holding a vinyl record in one hand and a smartphone or tablet in the other, looking between them with an amused expression
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Amused, the knowing look of someone who has made a very specific journey
POSE: Both hands raised and extended slightly, one holding a record, one holding a phone, looking between them toward camera
BACKGROUND: Clean neutral warm background, minimal
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The contrast between the vinyl record and the modern device as physical stand-ins for two eras
LIGHTING: Clean even studio lighting, warm tone
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Both props visible at sides, face centered, equal visual weight given to each prop
MOOD: Knowing amusement, the energy of someone who has successfully bridged two very different worlds
```

Concept 1C: Before-After
- Layout: Left panel with softer younger-style lighting, right panel with sharp confident professional look
- Text overlay: "THE REAL STORY"
- Expression: Left side slightly uncertain, right side completely composed
- Visual element: The lighting and color treatment tells the story
- Why it pairs: The transformation is in the face, not the credentials.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A split portrait of the same man in two different visual treatments suggesting different life phases
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Left side: slightly more uncertain, softer, younger energy. Right side: completely composed, direct, assured.
POSE: Both are similar portrait crops, slight differences in posture between the two
BACKGROUND: Left side has softer warmer nostalgic tones, slightly muted. Right side is sharp, clean, professional.
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The difference in sharpness, color treatment, and expression between the two halves
LIGHTING: Left: softer, slightly overexposed, warmer. Right: crisp, professional studio lighting with clean shadows.
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Strict split at center, each half containing the same-scale portrait
MOOD: The contrast between two phases of the same career, defined by what you went through
```

---

Title 7: "Why 3.7M Downloads Started With Overnight Shifts Nobody Heard"

Concept 7A: Face + Reaction
- Layout: Guest face with an expression of ironic persistence, slight weariness that turned into confidence
- Text overlay: "NOBODY HEARD IT"
- Expression: Rueful smile, the look of someone who remembers the grind fondly
- Visual element: Dark background suggesting nighttime or overnight shift energy
- Why it pairs: The overnight shift context + "nobody heard it" creates sympathy and curiosity about how the audience grew.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man with a rueful knowing smile, surrounded by dark nighttime or late-night atmosphere
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Rueful smile, slightly tired but fond, the look of someone who remembers a grind they would do again
POSE: Relaxed, head slightly tilted, one arm resting on something suggesting a late-night work environment
BACKGROUND: Dark navy or charcoal background suggesting nighttime, minimal ambient glow from an unseen screen or desk lamp
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The dark background and late-night atmosphere contrasting with the subject's warm expression
LIGHTING: Low ambient warm light from one side, dark surround, moody but not threatening
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Subject centered, warm face emerging from the dark background, upper two-thirds of frame
MOOD: Fond perseverance, the energy of someone who showed up when no one was watching
```

Concept 7B: Number + Face
- Layout: Guest face beside a large stylized number representing scale
- Text overlay: "HOW IT STARTED"
- Expression: Direct, present, slightly surprised
- Visual element: Large number contrasting with the intimate face
- Why it pairs: The contrast between a small intimate start and a massive outcome is the story of this title.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man beside an abstract large number element in the background suggesting scale
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Direct and slightly surprised, as if the number behind him still gets him
POSE: Looking at camera, one hand pointing subtly back toward the large number behind
BACKGROUND: Clean dark background with a very large numeral in muted semi-transparent white or gold
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The scale contrast between the man and the massive abstract number behind him
LIGHTING: Clean key light on subject from front, the number is subtly lit in the background
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Subject slightly right of center, large number element visible in the left and upper portions of the background
MOOD: Humble surprise, the energy of a scale that started from one
```

Concept 7C: Text-Free with Strong Visual
- Layout: Guest at an empty room microphone, or minimal podcast setup, with a completely empty dark background suggesting no audience
- Text overlay: "BEFORE ANYONE LISTENED"
- Expression: Focused, present, professional despite the emptiness
- Visual element: Empty room, single microphone, one person showing up
- Why it pairs: The image communicates the concept directly. One person showing up to an empty room is the point.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man at a minimal podcast microphone setup in an otherwise empty room, creating a sense of solitude and focus
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Focused and professional, looking slightly off-camera as if mid-recording, fully present
POSE: Sitting at a mic, leaning slightly in, focused
BACKGROUND: Mostly dark empty room, minimal furniture, no audience, sparse and quiet atmosphere
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The single podcast microphone as the only element besides the subject, the emptiness of the room is the story
LIGHTING: Single desk lamp or microphone arm light casting warm focused light on subject and mic
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Subject and microphone centered in frame, empty space surrounding them on all sides
MOOD: Dedicated solitude, the energy of someone showing up before anyone knew to watch
```

---

Title 8: "Trust Moves at Human Speed. AI Cannot Change That."

Concept 8A: Face + Reaction
- Layout: Guest in strong direct-to-camera close shot with a calm, certain expression
- Text overlay: "THIS WILL NOT CHANGE"
- Expression: Absolute certainty, calm confidence, no performance
- Visual element: Clean neutral background, stripped back
- Why it pairs: The statement in the title needs a face that radiates "I am not guessing." This expression delivers that.
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A very tight close-up portrait of a man looking directly into the camera with complete stillness and certainty
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Complete calm certainty, slightly narrowed eyes suggesting conviction, no smile or frown, just absolute directness
POSE: Completely still, minimal movement implied, direct frontal portrait
BACKGROUND: Clean flat neutral background, light warm gray
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The absolute stillness and directness of the gaze is the entire visual argument
LIGHTING: Even professional lighting, no drama, no shadows, clean and honest
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Face filling roughly 70% of the frame, tight crop, eyes at upper third
MOOD: Unshakeable certainty, the energy of a statement that does not need to be argued
```

Concept 8B: Object + Intrigue
- Layout: Guest on one side, an AI chip or circuit board on the other, with a clear visual line between them suggesting a boundary
- Text overlay: "THE LIMIT"
- Expression: Calm authority, standing on the human side of the divide
- Visual element: Circuit board or tech element as the visual stand-in for AI, clearly separated from the human
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man standing on the right side of the frame, with an abstract circuit board or technological element on the left side, separated by a clean visual boundary
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Calm authority, standing grounded and assured, looking at camera
POSE: Upright, arms at sides, facing slightly toward the tech element but looking at the camera
BACKGROUND: The right half is clean warm neutral. The left half features a clean macro-style circuit board texture with cool blue-green tones.
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: A clean bright dividing line between the warm human side and the cool tech side
LIGHTING: Warm flattering key light on the human side, cool teal glow from the tech side
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Strict split with the tech element on left third and the subject on right two-thirds
MOOD: The clear boundary between what AI can and cannot do, defined by the human standing confidently on their side
```

Concept 8C: Before-After
- Layout: Left panel shows a fast chaotic visual (blurred speed lines, information overload), right panel shows a single calm face
- Text overlay: "WHAT STILL WINS"
- Expression: The right panel face is unhurried and completely present
- Visual element: Speed blur on the left, stillness on the right
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: Split composition with a chaotic fast-motion blurred visual on the left and a perfectly still calm human portrait on the right
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire on the right half
EXPRESSION: Completely calm, unhurried, direct and warm eye contact
POSE: Relaxed and still, the opposite of the motion on the left side
BACKGROUND: Left half features extreme motion blur or digital noise suggesting overwhelming speed. Right half is completely clean and still.
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The motion blur on the left creates disorientation. The stillness on the right is the visual argument.
LIGHTING: Left side has cold harsh light suggesting digital speed. Right side has warm calm studio lighting.
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Left half is full-bleed motion abstraction. Right half is tight portrait, centered in its half.
MOOD: The contrast between speed that does not compound and presence that does
```

---

Title 3: "3 Work Types Only One Should Use AI"

Concept 3A: Face + Reaction
- Layout: Guest with three fingers raised, direct explanation energy
- Text overlay: "ONLY ONE"
- Expression: Teaching energy, clear and direct
- Visual element: Three fingers as visual element tying to the number in the title
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man looking directly at camera with three fingers raised, in a clear teaching or explaining gesture
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Clear and engaged, the face of someone in the middle of explaining something important
POSE: Three fingers raised, slight lean forward, engaged body language
BACKGROUND: Clean warm neutral studio background
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: Three raised fingers as the primary visual anchor tying to the "3 types" concept
LIGHTING: Clean bright studio lighting, even and professional
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Hand with fingers visible in lower-center, face in upper center and right, both in focus
MOOD: Clear instruction, the energy of a confident teacher
```

Concept 3B: Object + Intrigue
- Layout: Three distinct objects representing three types of work, guest pointing to or standing near them
- Text overlay: "WHICH IS YOURS"
- Expression: Curious, inviting the viewer to self-identify
- Visual element: Three objects: a brick or tool (physical), a laptop (intellectual), and a handshake or coffee cup (emotional/relational)
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man standing beside three distinct objects arranged in a row on a surface: a brick or hand tool, a laptop, and a coffee cup or handshake visual
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Curious and inviting, looking at the viewer as if asking them to identify which applies to them
POSE: Standing beside the objects, hand gesturing toward them, open and inviting
BACKGROUND: Clean white or light background, minimal, objects are the supporting visual
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The three distinct objects in a clear row, each representing a different kind of work
LIGHTING: Clean even lighting on all objects and subject, nothing dramatic
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Objects arranged center-bottom, subject standing at right-center, arm gesturing toward objects
MOOD: Educational curiosity, the energy of a useful framework being revealed
```

Concept 3C: Number + Face
- Layout: Large "3" in the background, guest face in front, focused expression
- Text overlay: "TYPES OF WORK"
- Expression: Direct and engaged
- Visual element: Large bold number as the visual anchor
- AI Prompt:
```
Create a YouTube thumbnail image in 16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 pixels).

SCENE: A man in close portrait in front of a very large bold number 3 in the background
SUBJECT: A confident man in his 40s with short dark hair, business-casual attire
EXPRESSION: Engaged and direct, the face of someone presenting a framework they believe in
POSE: Slightly forward lean, direct camera contact, one hand raised in a slight gesture
BACKGROUND: Clean dark or neutral background with a very large bold numeral 3 taking up the background space, semi-transparent or solid in a contrasting color
KEY VISUAL ELEMENT: The massive number 3 dominating the background while the subject is clearly in front
LIGHTING: Clean studio front light on subject, background element slightly softer
STYLE: Photorealistic, high contrast, vibrant colors, professional YouTube thumbnail aesthetic.
DO NOT include any text, logos, watermarks, or overlays. Text will be added manually afterward.
Use the uploaded reference photo for the subject's face, hair, and skin tone. Preserve their likeness accurately.
COMPOSITION: Large 3 spanning background, subject in front and slightly left of center
MOOD: Framework confidence, the energy of someone with a clear and useful categorization to share
```

---

3 Hook Options

Hook 1 (Strongest) Source moment: The Billy Idol firing story used as an immunity metaphor.

Hook text (verbatim from transcript, lightly trimmed for hook pacing):

"Billy Idol fired me live on stage in front of thousands of people. And what that moment taught me was: nothing can happen after that. I'm bulletproof. I've been through the fires now."

Attention catch: Celebrity name plus the word "fired" in the first five words. Immediate story tension.
Value implication: If you can survive public humiliation at that scale, what is the lesson for building authority through failure?
Promise amplifier used: Authority (this person has experienced something most people have not) plus Results tease (he clearly built something significant after)

---

Hook 2 Source moment: The opening contrarian statement paired with the core philosophy.

Hook text:

"AI is fast and trust is slow. There are some problems that speed, automation, and AI simply cannot solve. And if you are using AI to solve those problems right now, you are slowing yourself down."

Attention catch: Opens with a clean, memorable contradiction. Two opposing facts placed side by side.
Value implication: There is a category of work the listener is probably mishandling with their current AI usage.
Promise amplifier used: Contradiction (speed tool that creates slowness)

---

Hook 3 Source moment: The concentrated orange juice analogy.

Hook text:

"Here is the most common AI mistake I see marketers make. They give the AI a little bit and ask it to stretch. And you end up with watered-down orange juice. You cannot concentrate nothing. But if you do the human work first and ask the AI to condense it, you get something extraordinary."

Attention catch: Opens by naming a mistake the viewer is probably making. Immediate relevance.
Value implication: There is a specific workflow change that produces better results immediately.
Promise amplifier used: Results tease (the workflow produces "extraordinary" output, grounded in a specific analogy)

---

Episode Descriptions

Short Version (All Platforms, Under 150 Words)

Mike Montague got fired by Billy Idol on stage in front of thousands of people. He now runs Avenue9, a human-first AI marketing agency that has worked with LinkedIn, Uber, and the Kansas City Chiefs, and his podcasts have 3.7 million combined downloads.

In this episode:
- Why producing more AI content can actually weaken your authority
- The three types of work and which one AI makes worse when you apply it
- How to turn one human conversation into a full marketing system
- Where AI use crosses into territory that destroys trust instead of building it

Mike has a framework that most AI marketing advice ignores: trust moves at human speed regardless of how fast your tools produce content. This episode is for anyone building authority and wondering whether their AI use is helping or quietly working against them.

---

Full YouTube Version

Opening (matches short version above)

---

Timestamps

00:00 - Fired by Billy Idol (and what that taught him about being bulletproof)
02:30 - Middle school speech disaster to storytelling competition winner
06:30 - The mindset of showing up even when no one is watching
10:00 - Human-first AI: why ChatGPT can tell a story but not your story
14:00 - Failing in public as a training ground for authority
18:30 - "AI is fast and trust is slow": the core problem with AI marketing
21:00 - Three types of work: physical, intellectual, and emotional
26:00 - The concentrated orange juice analogy for content creation
29:00 - Sales call to polished proposal in 15 minutes using Gamma
34:00 - The AI tasks that must stay human (and why)
37:00 - AI avatars: magic trick or genuine tool?
41:00 - Ethical AI: the three tests (authenticity, generosity, reliability)
46:00 - Seven-day tool stack for getting started (ChatGPT Plus, Gamma, Whisper Flow)
51:00 - Where to find Mike and the Human First AI Marketing podcast
52:00 - What will still be true in three years

---

Guest Links

Website: avenue9.com
YouTube: youtube.com/@avenue9ai
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mikedmontague/
Podcast: Human First AI Marketing (search on any podcast platform)

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About This Channel

Authority in the Wild is hosted by Gabe Marusca. Each episode is a real conversation with founders, marketers, and operators who have built something credible in public. No scripts, no polish. Just the actual work.

Subscribe to catch new episodes each week.

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Hashtags

#AIMarketing #ContentMarketing #AuthorityBuilding #HumanFirstAI #Podcast #MarketingStrategy #DigitalMarketing #AITools #TrustBuilding #PodcastInterview

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Top 3 Recommended Pairings

Pairing 1 (Strongest Overall) Title 5: "Billy Idol Fired Me Live. Here Is What I Built After." Thumbnail 5A: Face + Reaction with stage lighting glow, expression of genuine laughter or disbelief, text overlay "FIRED LIVE"

Why this works: The celebrity name recognition drives Strangers clicks. The expression delivers the emotional story before any words are read. The stage lighting in the background confirms the story is real and vivid. This pairing scores highest for the Cozy Viewer test because it feels like the opening scene of a documentary, not a business tutorial.

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Pairing 2 Title 9: "I Use AI Every Day. Here Is Where I Refuse To." Thumbnail 9A: Face + Reaction with firm refusal gesture, text overlay "I REFUSE"

Why this works: The first-person confession format in the title builds immediate trust. "I Refuse" as the overlay creates confrontation that is impossible to scroll past. The guest's expression and hand gesture physically enact the argument. This pairing scores highest for the Curiosity Gap test because the viewer genuinely cannot guess what "I refuse" refers to without watching.

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Pairing 3 Title 2: "More AI Content Is Making Your Marketing Worse" Thumbnail 2A: Face + Reaction with a concerned warning expression, text overlay "AI IS HURTING YOU"

Why this works: The counterintuitive argument in the title paired with the warning face creates a fear-of-missing-out dynamic that is entirely honest because the episode delivers the answer. This pairing scores highest on the Bread Test because the topic has the widest possible audience: anyone using AI for marketing at any level.

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Testing Notes

If CTR on Pairing 1 is below 4%, test Pairing 2 against it. The celebrity recognition may not transfer as well with audiences unfamiliar with Billy Idol's era.
Title 10 ("The Marketer Who Got Fired by Billy Idol Explains AI Trust") scored 23/25 but was not included in the top 3 pairings because it is longer and the celebrity framing is in the third position rather than the first word. Test it against Title 5 if the Billy Idol hook resonates with analytics.
The Orange Juice analogy is a strong candidate for a YouTube Short hook. It is under 30 seconds when delivered cleanly and has a physical metaphor that holds visual interest.
The Google customer service loop story (AI bot to help center, back to AI bot, hung up on, deleted account) is an extremely shareable clip. Prioritize it for a standalone short.

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Next Steps

1. Upload reference photo of Mike Montague to AI image tool before generating thumbnail concepts.
2. Generate thumbnail for Pairing 1 first. Test against existing episode average CTR.
3. Record a standalone 60-second cut of the Billy Idol story for YouTube Shorts.
4. Record the Google customer service loop story as a separate Short. Both are under 90 seconds and stand alone without episode context.
5. Use the concentrated orange juice analogy as the hook for the email newsletter version of this episode.
6. Schedule LinkedIn post using the "ChatGPT can tell a story. It can't tell your story." quote with episode link.

Transcript

Full transcript

---
{
"episode_id": "98c78332-3a03-458f-aa93-cb4c768a69bd",
"episode_number": 154,
"title": "#154 - The Marketing Secret Billy Idol Accidentally Taught Mike Montague",
"publish_date": "2026-04-14",
"guest": "Mike Montague"
}
---

# Episode Transcript: Mike Montague
# Authority in the Wild

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Mike Montague: [00:00:00] AI is fast and trust is slow. There are some problems that just speed, automation and AI can't solve.

Gabe Marusca: This is Mike Montague, the founder of Avenue9, a human first AI marketing agency that has worked with brands including LinkedIn, Uber, Zoom, Bud Light, or the Kansas City Chiefs.

Mike Montague: ChatGPT can tell a story. It can't tell your story. It doesn't have that context, background, that lived experience, those gut feelings that you have.

Gabe Marusca: This episode will show you how to use AI to grow marketing results without losing your brand, voice, relationships, or ethics.

Fired by Billy Idol

Mike Montague: Billy Idol fired me live on stage in front of thousands of people. I was an opening act as a DJ, but what that moment taught me was...

Gabe Marusca: Mike. What'd you just share based on that experience that you had on stage? I assume shape everything that you touch right now from the way you approach marketing, the way you build [00:01:00] businesses. Can you roll a bit back? The time to truly paint the picture of that experience, how it felt in that moment without realizing all the benefits that come after that.

Mike Montague: I think it really is a, a defining moment in my career because a couple of interest. Things happened leading up to it. One, um, I stepped up. Uh, I was really young. I was at the radio stations and Billy Idol happened to call our station 'cause we were sponsoring the event and say, do you know anybody that can play music?

His opening act had had gotten sick and they were like, we need somebody to just fill an hour so that we don't have to have everybody sitting around, you know, waiting for the, the show to start or we don't have to start early. And I was like, yeah. I can do this and, and I forget how old I was, probably around 25 and, um. I really loved that. I never turned down a chance to be on a microphone. It, it's one of the, the reasons I'm here with you today, but also, uh, defining characteristic of my career. That if [00:02:00] I have a, an opportunity to connect with an audience or express myself or create something new, share my, my thought leadership and what I'm learning, I want to take advantage of, of those.

It's a, a flow state moment for me and, and really. Powerful. I was also really kind of overconfident that, uh, I knew what I was doing at that moment. And so it, it's also probably a defining characteristic of my career. But, um, at that time I had been DJing hundreds, if not already, thousands of, of events.

And I knew this audience was, um, probably like soccer moms going to see Billy Idol in the early two thousands There. You know, they're middle-aged women. They like, you know, Jesse's girl, 8 6 7 5 3 0 9, you know, wham. But any kind of eighties fun pop music, uh, Michael Jackson, all those songs like really went over well [00:03:00] on those audiences.

What I didn't realize was that my ultimate audience was not. The ladies out in the crowd. My audience was Billy Idol and his manager who hate all of those artists I just mentioned, including the song that got me fired, which was Casey in The Sunshine Band. Uh, do a Little Dance, make a Little Love, and Get Down Tonight.

I, I like to play that song because I like to make the joke, not in that order. Save the making love for the end of the night. Feel free to do a little dance or get down though, while, while we're here. And, uh, and then the lesson that I, I shared was. Ultimately after that experience, I thought, oh, well.

That's it. I like, I ripped the bandaid off. Like, what, what could happen on this podcast? Or I, I have an interview with a newspaper this afternoon, or a speech to give later this week. Uh, a zoom call to, you know, a hundred salespeople. What's gonna happen on that? That's worse than getting fi fired by Billy Idol in front of thousands of [00:04:00] people.

Nothing can happen. I'm bulletproof. Now. I'm untouchable because I've gone through that like, um. Curing process. Like they, they talk about in, uh, you know, ceramics or something. I've been through the fires now. I know that like on the other side, everything's fine.

Gabe Marusca: I like that. I love that frame, and yeah, that's the case, right? When you are put in those type of situation in which you, it cannot get worse than that, right? It's so easy to frame it that way. But for those that haven't been through fire, what would be your, your recommendations in order to maybe get a bit tougher or, and not, because I, I, I, I'll share a bit of tangent here.

If I have a friend that had a bad experience. After that back, the experience, he couldn't do that thing anymore, which is public speaking

and being in front of people and those people are like booing him and so on. I was like, I'm not going out again on stage. And that the [00:05:00] immediately opposite effect from your experience.

Mike Montague: Yeah, in, in some ways I can't. Relate to that. I think maybe I grew up in, in sports and stuff where you kind of, you win some, you lose some, and, and sometimes the losses teach you more about yourself than the wins. And, and I had a dad that was a coach, a basketball coach and stuff that really, um, inspired me to kind of treat all those as, as learning lessons.

It also, I think, depends on how bad you want it, um, but. Several things came to mind when you mentioned that I love the idea of your podcast and what you're encouraging people to, to do. Uh, first, let's talk to your friend because my first experience on stage was a disaster. Uh, I was in middle school and I was tasked with giving a speech in front of the class.

I didn't prepare. I didn't know what I was talking about. I didn't, I, I was clenching my hands so hard that my fingers turned white. I stumbled. I was like, I couldn't breathe. It was a total [00:06:00] panic attack, and I think the teacher didn't even make me redo it. I think she was just like, that was so bad. We're just gonna give you a C and pretend like that didn't happen and, and never ask you to be on stage again.

Practice Makes Authority

Mike Montague: But it was a short time after that that I decided to enter storytelling competitions in, in eighth grade that I, um. Practiced. I just got this down and I, for somehow I figured it out that it was like, the more I do this, the better at it I get. And so I went to every classroom in the, the school practiced over 30 times in front of audiences.

Some were better, some were worse. But after that, I won first place. Every competition except for one. And the one I got second place in, I had like laryngitis and was coughing and could barely speak and stuff, but I still went out there and performed and, and did my thing because I was like, this is just part of it.

And I think my experience in radio taught me that too, that in good [00:07:00] days and bad days, something is still going out over the air. Whe whether I choose to or not. Like my show starts at five. Something is gonna, it's either dead air or music, or I say something good or I say something bad, something is going to happen, uh, on the radio this afternoon, and there's no, like, I don't feel like it.

Um, maybe I'll try it tomorrow. There's no delay when you have that kind of audience to, to show up and perform for, and that's how, now how I treat my authority stuff of the podcast that I, that I host, the Human First AI marketing podcast or my email blast, or my social media posts, I say. Today is the day I send something out.

Something's going out. Whether I like it or not, fine. I'll get feedback. We'll do it again next week and I'll make it better. Uh, if I'm not proud of it, but I'm sending something out, I'm creating something because today is the day that I create something. And I have actually one more thought here. Which is that I [00:08:00] also learned in my career early on in radio, I got some feedback for a joke that was, uh, a little bit offensive.

It was actually complimentary to the group I was making it about, but they didn't like the fact that I'd singled out a group. Of people. And I got a called into the, the manager's office at the radio station. And later in my career, similar things happened. I, I was working for a large company called Sandler and I was writing like 10,000 words a week.

And somewhere, uh, along the line in one of the courses I mentioned that like, um, young girls are known for journaling and, and stuff. And it was like, we're not keeping a, a diary of our feelings. We're just, um, you know, we're keeping track of our results and stuff. And someone, uh, said that was a microaggression towards women, which I can understand.

Uh, now, but that wasn't my intent. And again, I got, you know, kind of [00:09:00] called into the boss's office and they said, how do we fix this? And what can we do? And I'm totally open to hear about it. Um, but in my mind, I had to tell myself, and this would be the message to your friend. Somebody booze, that's really just feedback.

Like I'm the one doing the work. I'm the one putting myself out there. So if somebody disagrees with something that I say or something that I wrote on behalf of the company, of course it's because I'm the one willing to have the guts to put it out there. They're not going to be offended by something I didn't publish.

Right. So that, that's the only way to fix that, is to hide and, and be small and to not publish something. So the good and the bad is putting yourself out there. And I found in my career a lot more good comes from it than the bad. So when it's so outweighed, I just take that with a grain of salt to get his

feedback and keep moving.

Gabe Marusca: And I couldn't.

Human First With AI

Gabe Marusca: Or because all those experiences shape us, and especially when you [00:10:00] have the courage to show up and do the thing when others are just looking and judging, but often they're just too afraid or who knows, to not do enact themself, um, in a way, and especially nowadays, and speaking of human first, uh, approach when it comes to marketing, AI and, and so on, it's.

It's so important to actually show yourself and be human. What's your approach when it comes to retaining this part of humanity and still leverage AI to to progress?

Mike Montague: I think that's a great question because a lot of people use AI to hide. Now they, they say, oh, well if I have. Hey, I write my LinkedIn post or my blog article, or my script for this podcast, then I don't have to take responsibility for it. You know, I can blame my boss or it can let me off the hook if I am the boss.

I'm trying to build [00:11:00] my own side project to go, oh, well, they didn't like it. They didn't like what Chachi BT made. They didn't like me. And when you put your heart and your voice into something. That's when it feels more personal. That's when it feels risky. That if they didn't like this, well, they didn't like my best work, they didn't like my creative thinking or my storytelling.

Uh, but I don't think about it that way. I think much more like you do, which is, um, that's the interesting part. Anybody, you now can ask chat, GBT to. You know the answer to a blog post or whatever question you were talking about. What they can't get is your unique. Experience. So the, the way I say that is, uh, ChatGPT can tell a story. It can't tell your story. It doesn't have that context, background, that lived experience, those gut feelings that you have. So anything you create on your own is inherently gonna be more interesting. And, uh, one of my favorite [00:12:00] quotes of all time is a former Supreme Court Justice. Howard Thurman, he said, don't ask what the world needs.

Ask what makes you come alive, and then go do that. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.

Gabe Marusca: Exactly

Mike Montague: And I think that's an amazingly powerful quote, but it certainly applies to now and in the near future with AI is like, what we don't need is more people cranking out AI slop. I can guarantee that.

What we do need is hearing what makes you come alive, your unique point of view and, and your unique humanity in the piece, because that's the only thing left. That's interesting.

Gabe Marusca: true. And. The unique stories that you have, like, like share yours. Uh, and I hope that my friend will listen to this conversation and get off that moment and actually try again and to see that actually those like repetitions that we do. And yeah, we might get embarrassed sometimes or we might hear someone not agreeing with us or going [00:13:00] to the, the manager office, uh, to.

Question something or, but all those moments shape us and create these stories which we can share further and inspire others or help others succeed in their own way. And I think that. Well, yeah, it's a fantastic tool. It's amazing. And even, yeah, it can take our context and create based on our previous experience and stories, content and so on.

But when you show up, like you show today, live in a podcast conversation, it's, this can be faked. Like it's, it's you, Mike hearing, uh, sharing your stories, sharing your experience, sharing your frameworks, and so on. And I think this is something that people should do more often. No matter how hard it's at the beginning, you get over it and you start creating something that it's worthwhile.

And when it comes to this, like based on, um, your company direction and so on, how do you encourage [00:14:00] others to make this step in order to promote their own stories, share their own stories, and how that basically shaped the path of your company as well?

Failing in Public

Mike Montague: What comes to mind is another favorite lesson of of mine that some of the best. Things about failing or putting out pieces of content or starting a podcast that, that people don't listen to or, or creating a YouTube video that nobody but your mom watches. The, the best thing about that is it gives you the chance to try things to fail and, and to get better while no one is watching.

And so what I think a lot of people miss because we only see. You know that bad bunny got to do the Super Bowl. What we don't see is the last 20 years he spent struggling when nobody knew who he was, especially in the United States. And so we miss that context of what it's really like to start, uh, [00:15:00] as someone who is a creator or an authority in the space, is you practice all of those.

Things when nobody is watching that. If you, if your first gig with the, was the Super Bowl, it would be embarrassing, right? You'd be in front of billions of people, you wouldn't know what you're doing. You'd be off key. Your songs would be terrible and, uh, nothing would work, right? You wouldn't know how to do the production or anything else.

But by starting in a crappy club with four people and it's just your friends and, and practicing there, you allow that to build up. So I, I've really learned that throughout my career in every yard form. Is writing a blog that nobody reads, uh, until somebody does, and then it gets better and then it gets in front of other people.

And I started radio, you know, doing like the overnight shifts from midnight to 5:00 AM on Sunday morning. And when no one's listening, and then slowly get a better shift and then a better shift. And then I get to fill in on drive time, [00:16:00] uh, in the mornings or, or afternoons when somebody's sick. And then I get to do that full show or then I get to fill in for a week and all of a sudden you start building those reputations.

And, and same thing with my podcast is. Almost nobody listens, um, to the first episode or even the first five or or six. But when I'm 75 in, or, or the show I did previously, I did over 700 episodes and it had 4 million downloads. The only way to get to 4 million is to start with one.

You know, you gotta publish, uh, start with one, then get that first listener, and then if it's good

enough, you know, find a second one or they'll, they'll share it with people. I think a lot of people wanna shortcut the process or they, they're afraid of the failures in between that are really the valuable learning lessons.

And for me, I've always framed it as the fun part, like you said, the interesting part of the story. So I could talk for hours and I'm gonna try not to about the times that I was. [00:17:00] Um, you know, I was maced on stage by police. Uh, the, I've missed events. I've been sick, I've had car accidents on, on the, the way to shows.

I have, um, had, you know, fights break out. I've had, uh, people stand up and walk out of a performance or something, and all of those different things are fine. That's part of what happens. But for me, those are the ones where I go, oh, something interesting happened. This just. Made it fun. Like if I just get up there and do my thing, it might as well be a prerecorded performance if everything goes smooth in the way that I planned it.

I wanna see those interesting moments as, as growth opportunities, as, uh, opportunities for me to improvise and learn something new or, or find a new joke or, or learn a new skill along the way

because something didn't work.

Gabe Marusca: Yeah, exactly. And often those are the best lessons because yeah, from success, definitely you can learn and you can apply some of those to like succeed more and so on. But when you [00:18:00] encounter a huge roadblock or a challenge that didn't truly go as planned, it's so much. Powerful when you truly acknowledge what was the lesson there and

Mike Montague: We're talking about the bad ones, but I would also say the good ones. Sometimes you're surprised, like I've also published stuff that went wildly viral and uh, early on in my career I published a YouTube video for a, a rapper that got like 30 million views in the first like. Week. And it was insane. Every time you look at and refresh the page, it was like another million views.

And you're like, wow, this is incredible. I can't believe this happened. And so those things too, like you don't plan for that. You, you can't expect that to happen. But those magical kind, serendipity moments and, and viral moments are when things hit. Those are also huge learning lessons and things that make it, uh, amazing.

So I try not to avoid the chaos. I try to lean into that and I want the peaks and valleys [00:19:00] because when something flat lines, that means it's dead. Right? That means there's, there's no life left in it at all. I want the, the

ups and downs.

Gabe Marusca: Yeah, absolutely.

Speed Versus Trust

Gabe Marusca: And, uh, but let's talk a bit about predictability. Like, and especially when it comes to marketing. Like I know that, um, you said that speed can make weak campaigns fail faster. when they're actually marketing teams miss this.

Mike Montague: I think, uh, like I said, you know, kind of with building your authority is everybody wants the shortcuts. Everybody wants to, to speed things up. What they don't, what they're assuming is. That what they're doing is gonna work. Right. And that's the same thing I, I mentioned, um, with uh. Building your authority and your experience over time.

Marketing is the, the same way, right? We have to run these little ab tests and these experiments to see what works and what resonates, and we gotta work on our message and hone it over time. I [00:20:00] heard a comedian the other day say a great line. They, they said, you know, AI can write jokes. And even pretty good ones.

And they said, sure, hey, I can write a joke, but what I can't do is wait tables for 10 years and, you know, sleep on a girlfriend's couch for, for three years and, and figure out how to, to get a laugh in a, a struggling club with nobody there that's paying attention. Right. Those are. Are lived experiences that bring a ton of value.

And I think for marketing teams, the same thing. Is, is true that, uh, it would be nice and I, I think if you're well, you don't get those jobs. I was just gonna say, if you work for like Pepsi or Coke or something, you probably need your campaign to hit. People are investing millions of dollars on it, but they test those and the people that get those jobs are ones that paid their dues.

Building smaller campaigns for smaller companies. Anyway, your first job outta college is not gonna be writing a Super Bowl campaign for Pepsi. Um, so I, for me, all of that is part of [00:21:00] the experience. But I think ai, we have to be really careful because there's some. Parts of life that don't get better with speed.

Uh, right. We, we can think of some relationship, uh, opportunities that you don't necessarily want to be quick at, but also in, in building trust or, or relationships with your audience is the human side of, of their trust building process and their awareness of your products and services, and your credibility is still moving at human speed.

So even if you could say, I just made 450 pieces of content that prove every answer, every question you need to know, prove that I'm the best and why I'm better than every single competitor you're considering right now. They wouldn't have time to read it. They would still take weeks and months to, to click through it and, and to see it and to build the, the trust and relationship.

And you still need to show up credibly and reliably over time, uh, and generously in order to earn their trust as a lifelong [00:22:00] client. So I think what a lot of people miss is, um, whether you're going viral on social media, if it goes up fast, it can go down fast. They're, they're not subscribers. Uh, but also if a customer switches to you right away, that also means they're willing to switch away from you right away.

So all of those come with downsides as well. So I try to use the productivity to, um, move what I'm making or make it better or move my process faster, but not to try to move the buyer's

process faster, if that makes sense.

Gabe Marusca: It makes, because often, like we assume that it's a straight line when, um, it comes to some be going from prospects to to buyer, but often it's like they might come across your content or your, your marketing campaign and then they do. Get distracted by something else and they, ah, look, uh huh mic pop up in my feed as well.

Again, let me check this piece of content. [00:23:00] And they go do something else. And maybe two weeks later they actually act and, and so on. And especially now when trust is so low, like it's so freaking hard to build authority and trust nowadays and especially when it comes to deep fakes and other approaches. I mean, you see.

People that you actually follow for years, like big podcast celebrities, and they come up with this weird ad and I was like, no way. This person said that. And it turned out they're not them. It's just the fake of them. Huh? How we get protected and the same time to make an informed decision when it comes to buying, when all these things go around.

Especially now with ai.

Work Types Framework

Mike Montague: I have several thoughts here as well too. In my book, uh, playful Humans, I, I talked about three different types of work, and I think we need to separate out some, some tasks here between what are AI tasks and what are human tasks and in. Physical labor, like if you're building a brick wall, [00:24:00] the more bricks that you put on the wall, the bigger or or wider it gets, right?

Hard work equals success. The more you put on the pile, the bigger the wall gets. Um. Most of us now do intellectual work, which is not the same. The more intellectual work you do, you don't get better results necessarily. There's what's called a law of diminishing returns. You might get a, a big spike and it looks like a straight line at first, but then it kind of like peters off a little bit and, and it, it flattens out where, just like what we were talking about with giving content to your buyers, you go, okay, if you.

Publish something on social media that's better, way better than nothing, but all of a sudden, two posts is not twice as good as one post and 200 posts that are AI generated. Don't equal 200 times. That first post you wrote by your yourself. The math just doesn't work. It it, it flattens out. There's a third type of work, which is emotional work, and I think that's where most humans are gonna be, and that's where we are in [00:25:00] marketing or or trust.

Building with authority is sometimes the opposite is true. The harder you try to make somebody love you, the less likely they are to love you back. The harder you try to sell somebody, the less likely they are to buy. And so I think we're seeing that with authenticity. Two. Right. The more you try to make something authentic, the less authentic it becomes.

So we have to let go in those situations. We have to do something that that's human. The hard work, the more the speed, the the bigger, faster, more polished doesn't solve the problem. We have to think about it differently. So then. We can map our work into a couple of different categories. What's human work?

That needs to be human. It'll always be human. What's AI work that humans are bad at? Like if I need somebody to transcribe this podcast, I probably don't want a human sitting there there typing out every single word we did. AI does it faster, better now, and it's not critical work as long as they get the words right.

Great. [00:26:00] We did it. Or. Translating into foreign languages and stuff that could be really expensive and time consuming with humans, but now a couple clicks of a button and we can publish this podcast in any language we want. That's super cool. Right? Those are AI only jobs. There are jobs neither. Should do, right?

There's just work. We shouldn't be doing things, we're not ready for things that are outside of our capability. But I, I think what people are missing and, and this is the, the role of my company in marketing, is the box that's getting bigger and bigger are the things that humans should do with ai. We can do it a lot faster or better if we have an AI assistant working with us, but we're directing the strategy.

We're making sure it sounds like us. We're putting in the context, our expertise or our authority, and we're using the AI to accelerate or amplify what we're doing, not replace it.

Does that, that sound

Gabe Marusca: yeah. Can you gimme a specific example on this? Especially when, when you mentioned that the, the box [00:27:00] gets bigger and Yeah, you definitely need to use AI in order to, to get, uh, help there.

Mike Montague: So podcast is a great example. I do this with my show. I, I'm up to over 35,000 subscribers on YouTube because I use a lot of AI tools. After I record this authentic conversation, I take that and I put it into ai. I get the transcript, I take the transcript to chat GBT, and I say. Help me, you know, pull out the most interesting parts of what I said, what's most relevant to my target audience.

Let's create a blog from that. Let's create social media posts. From that, uh, we can say which 30 or 30 to 90 seconds. Clips were the most entertaining for vertical shorts. What three to five minute portions of the the podcast interview were the best for YouTube highlights or might make great educational pieces.

Where did I say something unique or different that I want to document it for a book that I'm writing or for a, a future blog post or would make a great [00:28:00] email. List to my audience and all of a sudden that human work that I did of having the conversation and being in the flow state and being present with here with you becomes a whole bunch of additional marketing assets.

And I can train, translate that conversation into a bunch of different pieces that people cons consume. Not too many people are gonna wanna listen to me for 45 minutes, but they can watch a 62nd clip, or they can scan through a blog post and check out the highlights of what I said. Or they, maybe they'll listen while they're working out, but they can't watch the video or other people wanna watch what I, I said and, and see a tutorial or something else, uh, in a different video.

So I think that's kind of what I'm talking about. I, I think. Too many people either try to replace themselves with AI or make AI do the heavy lifting of like, take this one prompt that I give you and turn it into a blog post or a script. But if it's [00:29:00] stretching, I call it my concentrated orange juice analogy that if it waters it down, you don't get good orange juice.

If you only gave it a little bit and ask it to stretch, but if I do the hard work first, if I do the human part and I have an hour long conversation with you, and then I ask AI to boil it down to the concentrate and say, give me the best, you know, five minutes, the best three thoughts that was in that hour.

Now I've done the hard work and it's condensing rather than expanding stuff, and I've just found that makes a a world of difference, especially in authority, because I can't ask ai. To be the expert for me, but I can say, highlight what parts of my expertise are interesting

to my audience.

Gabe Marusca: Yeah. That's so good. And, uh, you inspire me, Mike, to, to start doing that. I, I was doing this I think at the beginning of last year, and then because I got too busy and I was like, uh, back then. AI tools weren't that good. [00:30:00] I was like, just, uh, I'll try in the future. And I never did. And you inspire me, especially because, uh, at the time of recording, I'm about to launch the 150 episode the next week and, uh, yeah.

People that listen to this will be like a bit further away in the future, but hopefully guys, what you prepare, you'll like it. And because indeed some, they don't want to listen to a full hour episode, they just want the insights right away. Or they want to test the waters first before they actually dive into the full episode.

And that's, that's very powerful. For those that are listening, like maybe they don't have a podcast, they don't create content that much, but they still want to leverage AI to benefit from, uh, from it. When it comes to the way they run the business or the marketing campaigns, what would be your suggestion for them?

Sales Call To Deck

Mike Montague: This is what I do at Avenue nine two is. You can make your own podcast. You're having human conversations [00:31:00] every single day. They're in your sales meetings, in your sales calls, you can meet with the founder of the company. You can interview yourself. You can ask somebody or even chat, CBT to ask you questions about what, what it is, and, and you can speak it into existence or, um, I like to interview clients, um, and top salespeople.

I like to figure out, you know, like case studies, what happened. Here, why did this work? Why did you buy from us? And collect all of that information and then do the same thing, say out of this, you know, client interview or out of the sales call that I had, what were the most interesting parts? Why would they buy from me instead of somebody else?

And then I create custom presentations and PowerPoint decks. If you haven't used the tool Gamma yet, gamma app, uh, if you search for it, you can. Um. Take the transcript from your sales call, put it into chat, GBT and say, write an outline for my, my to pitch my company to this person based on what they said in the sales call.

[00:32:00] Then take that outline and put it into Gamma and it'll create a polished presentation with your brand, your logos, your, your colors, all the slides beautifully designed, and in like 15 minutes after the call, I email them. A link to this custom presentation that's written exactly to what they said in the, the call, what they were looking for, why they would buy from me, why I'm better and different than other people.

And it increases my, my closing percentage, uh, dramatically. Uh, I think that I. People, uh, part of it is what I do. So it's a little like self-fulfilling prophecy. There they go. I wanna know that, you know, my, my salespeople are not creating custom presentations and emailing 'em to our clients within 15 minutes.

What's happening? I need you to, to teach me this. Uh, so that helps for me. But in whatever you do, I think it's powerful that people go, oh, they're professional. They took the time to do this. This wasn't a, a. Blanket, you know, or AI slop created from [00:33:00] nothing. It wasn't a, a generic presentation. This is custom and personalized to me, and I think that's another big, powerful tool of,

of ai for

Gabe Marusca: Yeah, because often when you use. The transcript of the conversation, you'll have the words your prospect actually share in the, in the call and using their own words in the presentation. We'll be much more likely for them to, uh, connect with those words and they're like, oh, that sounds like me. Yes, because it is you, it's tailored for you.

It's,

and so on. And yeah, and I think there. So many use cases in which you can just leverage these tools and take advantage of the amazing time that you're in. And of course, there are people that are afraid that they're gonna quote, unquote, lose their jobs. But if you are playing with this, if you're using it on a daily basis, even for, for some small things.

Slowly, slowly, you become good at it. You'll try other tools, you'll play more and you'll realize like, oh my God, my [00:34:00] life is so much easier right now. And there are so many opportunities that come with that. And still when we should say, stop. Like, I will never, never outsource this to AI or use AI for doing this for me.

Mike Montague: that's a great question because I, I think AI can be helpful in some of these things, but maybe it's not doing the, the hard part. Um, right. So a few things come to mind when I give this example of the buckets that should stay human Right. You know, taking your. Your spouse or partner out on the the Valentine's Day date probably shouldn't send your AI avatar like you need to to show up for that, but I think the same thing applies for your best clients or a difficult conversation if you need to.

I. You know, if you need to raise the price, if, if something went wrong, and you gotta have a difficult conversation. If, if you need to let somebody go on your, your team, you shouldn't have AI write those emails. Um, you should show up and do it. [00:35:00] Now, you can still use AI to prep yourself for this and say, Hey, I gotta have a really difficult conversation for a client.

They want to, they want something that I, I can't deliver. Help me prepare for this conversation. But then I think you have to go and, and show up and do it. I would say especially for people trying to build authority. There's a time where you gotta show up and do it, you gotta prove it right. AI can fake a lot of stuff.

It'll make you sound smart in a blog or, I was thinking about that presentation and some like clients that, that I work with, they work in weird industries that I don't know anything about. And so AI will, you know, use their language or, or their terms that I don't really know what they mean. And so I have to do some work to study that, but it can make me sound smarter than I am.

But at some point. I need to show up. I, I'm gonna have to be the person on the stage. I'm gonna have to be the person in the call. I'm gonna have to, um. Be in a live meeting or go on a podcast and share what I'm all about. So, uh, podcast prep [00:36:00] is another one that I've given a, a presentation on before where it's great.

Use AI to research the, the show, give you ideas, talking points, give you interesting things to say, prep you, uh, about the host or, um, your topic. Once the show starts, you gotta close all those windows and you just have to be present. And so what I, I tell people for that is. You wanna know what you want to talk about, you don't want to know how you're going to say it.

You, if you try and read a script, if you try on a sales call or in a podcast or anything, the problem is the other person on the other side doesn't have their half of the script, and so you're gonna sound like a robot. They're gonna throw you something you didn't prepare for, and you're not gonna be in the flow state and ready for it.

So those are the things that come to mind where. It requires humanity, it requires empathy, um, creativity. I think we also need some time to step back. Uh, like I mentioned is sometimes doing the opposite [00:37:00] is the right thing to do and, and humans know when to break the rules. AI does not. So when you get that gut feeling that like nine times outta 10, we would do it this way, but today is that 10th time. That's I think the human work that's

most powerful.

Gabe Marusca: Perhaps because you, AI won't say no, right? It's a people pleaser, and if you feel it like, oh, maybe this prospect is someone that I should avoid. It's just an opportunity, uh, distraction. This guy's an opportunity. Yeah. You should be there as you and saying that no, rather than accepting a deal or making a deal, because AI should be used to, to build the trust, to accelerate trust and not automate it because you, you cannot automate trust if you're there, like in the trenches.

Uh, and do some of the work that you only you can do, AI won't be able to do it.

AI Avatars And Trust

Gabe Marusca: And even with AI avatars and stuff, like, uh, I, the [00:38:00] other day I was researching something and I was watching these YouTube videos, like, this sounds weird, and, but it's still, it took me like probably 30 to seconds, to one minute to realize that's in AI avatar.

And after those, that first minute. The quote unquote person actually share. This is the AI avatar of the, the guy that has that YouTube channel. And we're, today we're gonna break down this, uh, this topic. And I was like, 300 something thousand people tune in to watch that AI avatar clip. It was like six minutes to seven minutes longer.

YouTube video. I was like, wow. In the same

time. Did any of those convert into potential clients? Probably not. They were just there like me learning something new about that topic, but probably none of those truly connect because yes, it was like a robot. And yes, they're getting better and they'll be better.

[00:39:00] You probably won't make the difference, but if that person, let's say, attracts a prospect. Jump on a call with that person, it'll still send AI avatar. At some points, yes, probably, but in the same time, you still have to face that client face to face at some point or in a Zoom call and

and so on. What you'll do.

Mike Montague: Well, I, I have a great analogy for this too, is that I feel like it's a, AI is a nice magic trick. The first time you see the magic trick, you go, wow, that's, I impressive. You know? The second time you see it, you go, well, it's a magic trick, right? And I kind of feel like that with the AI avatars that you go, oh, that's kind of cool.

And maybe if it does allow you to do something you wouldn't be able to do as a human. You can use real creativity that way. Like I mentioned, you know, foreign languages and stuff. I don't speak Spanish. If I can deliver my same content in Spanish and use my AI avatar, that's bringing value [00:40:00] to my Spanish speaking listeners that I wouldn't otherwise be able to do, but.

At the same time, if I'm using it as a shortcut or a customer service thing, or people don't develop relationships with AI avatars, they, they develop them with people. I think all the stuff you said. Occurs and when they peek behind the curtain to see who's did the magic trick or why they shouldn't be surprised, they shouldn't be disappointed.

They, you know, it should be like, oh, that makes sense. Like, that's really cool. That person did something with AI that is smart and creative and interesting, but they didn't like deceive me. They, they shouldn't

feel disappointed, right.

Gabe Marusca: Yeah, true.

Since, uh, you cannot just use AI and expect that people will trust you or or so on.

Ethical AI Boundaries

Gabe Marusca: But if you do it in an ethical way, and here I have a question, like what's the boundary? Like what, what are the things that [00:41:00] will break trust immediately if you do them? With AI in your view and which are like, alright, for this I'll probably forever use ai.

Mike Montague: That's a great question. I don't know if I've thought about this too much, but I, I can probably come up with an answer here because I think, um, I think we've hit on a few of them. Number one, I think is, um, I. Authenticity that like if, if you're pretending to be something you're not, or you're deceiving people and they, they feel disappointed that it was fake or, um, that they, they bought something they, that they didn't realize they were doing or, or somehow misled.

I, I think that's a big red flag. The other one is, um. Generosity that I think when people make a mistake with ai, they're saying, oh, this'll save me a ton of time if I automate all my customer service messages. They didn't [00:42:00] ask themselves would the person on the other end feel taken advantage of or generous.

We've all been. On, you know, uh, an 800 number. When you try to call customer service and you're lost in a phone tree and you're extremely frustrated as a customer, it doesn't matter how much time they saved them at the organization, they're wasting your time as the buyer. So I think look for ways you can use AI that's generous to your audience and your ideal clients, and not just selfish for, for you.

I think, um. Reliability and credibility also kind of go together there. If I feel like, um, I'm getting inconsistent results from you and I, I don't know who you are. That's another kind of, you know, tangent to the authenticity part that I, I don't know if I can trust you because you're not reliable. Your AI bot is, or I [00:43:00] can't get ahold of you when I need to because your AI chat box.

Pops up when I, when I don't need it. I think those are kind of big things, so I, I look for places where AI or automation increases my reliability and, and chance to, to show up when it matters versus decreasing it or, or they feel like I'm not gonna be there when that matters. Those are probably the big three for me.

What about you?

Gabe Marusca: And especially I want to add something to the customer relationship thing. Like I would love to see companies implementing an actually easy process of you choosing how you get the support with like, all right. I like, I have a quick question that probably AI can look through the knowledge base and gimme an answer.

But sometimes I really need to speak to a human, not go through a five minutes process to ask tons of questions, just to, for the AI to decide, oh, it's time to get help from a, a real human being

and.

Mike Montague: I've ended up in loops too. Uh, I mean, I think banks are the worst and they have some [00:44:00] pretty clear examples that like, if I need to check my balance or change my pen, I should be able to do that online. Without getting a human involved, but there's still banks and stuff that, that don't do it that way. And you have to call in and wait on hold or talk to somebody to to verify who you are and give your whole life story before they let you change your pin number.

It's probably good for security and there's reasons for that, but I. I think that's very frustrating. But at the same time, like you said, then I wanna get a loan, or my check didn't go through, or something happened and I can't get ahold of a person and they're sending me through an AI automated system.

And you're like, no, I just, now is the time I want to talk to a human. I had one with Google where my YouTube ads weren't playing and it flagged something as a, a European political advertisement that I don't know if my name matched, uh, a politician or something somewhere, but. I tried the AI bot and then it sent, sent me to the help center.

Uh, the help center sent me back to the AI robot. [00:45:00] And so I asked for a person and the person said, no, you have to do that through our automated system. Here's the link, and hung up on me. And I was like, this is ridiculous. They, they're sending me from like the, the self-serve help to the AI help, to the human help, and nobody did anything.

And I went through that twice before I, I just gave up, deleted my account and. And didn't buy those ads anymore. Um, and so I, I think a lot of people are gonna be experiencing that in the years to come. And we, it's our job to take responsibility for adding to the, the trusts

Gabe Marusca: Yeah,

Mike Montague: taking it away.

Gabe Marusca: absolutely. Especially when you have, um. A way of dealing with your customers that needs hands-on approach rather than just automating the answer to AI or other tools. And when it comes to myself, like I love to, to identify patterns and if, or obviously there are repeating patterns, repeating questions and so on.

And that can have a quick answer or quick. How to guide that. AI can generate, or AI can help with that. Yes. But [00:46:00] if someone needs actual help and needs to talk to human, I'll never outsource that. This often, like people choose us because of us, they don't choose to work with us because we can automate everything and we can do, I dunno, amazing quote unquote smarting, CTI.

Yes, some are good, some are really good, but most of the time. Your unique way of seeing things, your unique experience will play when you look through the data, clients send to you and, wow, this can be done this way because I did it before. And even if you feed all the context in the world to ai, they might miss that because they don't have that gut feeling that you mentioned or that unique experience that you went through that you feel that emotion or that that real thing that only us humans can feel.

And you make your decision based on that and yeah. And, but still, for those that are like a bit in the [00:47:00] background, they probably heard about Chad GPT.

Seven Day Tool Stack

Gabe Marusca: They tried for a few things or other tools out there like Cloudera, Jamie and I. What would be your suggestion for them in the next like seven days to start using quote unquote the right way these tools?

Mike Montague: Um, I would say there's a big difference between the free and the, the pro version. And so I think these tools are cheap enough that I would say just try it. So sign up for Chad, GBT Pro or the, the Claude. Uh, plus account where it's like 20 bucks a month. Don't, don't spend a whole lot, but pay the 20 bucks and see how it can remember things about you and test it with some things.

Say These are the three most important things about my company. Remind me whenever I'm not doing them or, or remind me whenever I'm creating some sort of piece. Um, I think that sort of memory and learning your style and brand voice and stuff and creating custom [00:48:00] GPTs is a great place. And you can just ask Chey Bt how to do that, um, once you sign up, uh, and stuff too.

The other ones I would say, um, I mentioned Gamma app is a really easy one. It's 20 bucks a month as well. You can make really cool documents, presentations, proposals, um, social media cards and infographics. Anything visual that you wanna create, a gamma is well worth it and it's. Like a magic wand. They, they have several different ways.

They get, let, lets you choose, like, do you want us to write it for you? Do you have an outline? Um, do you have like some ideas? Do you have a previous presentation? You can upload it and just have it redo your whole old presentation and rewrite it in a, a new format or customize your, your standard sales deck to this, this customer and stuff.

Really cool. It's an amazing magic trick. Takes just a couple of minutes. The, there's a couple of other AI tools that I always shout out that I think are really easy ways to get started. [00:49:00] Whisper Flow is a

really awesome dictation app, and so. I used to get, yeah, I used to get carpal tunnel and, and my wrists and fingers had hurt 'cause I was typing so much.

Now I hit two buttons, say what I want into any app on my computer, and it, it'll do formatting. It does like all the grammar and spelling and everything that I don't have to worry about. Saves me a ton of time and a ton of, uh, effort for sure. And then I use that with Grammarly and their AI for, for grammar checkers and suggestions.

Up any piece, but I would say whisper flow is in

my, my top three as well.

Gabe Marusca: Yeah, I love it. Uh, I, I just, uh, use, I was a beta tester for the Android app because I, I'm an Android big fan at an iOS, uh, person.

Mike Montague: I just got it yesterday.

Gabe Marusca: Yeah. And, uh, I was a be tester for like two weeks before they launched it yesterday, and I'm like, holy shit. Like, it's useful on the computer, but I, I, I'm not a big fan of voice [00:50:00] messages.

I cannot quickly scan them on the go or like not always able to listen to them. And I'm like, since I'm not a fan of receiving them, I'm not a fan of sending them. And I'm like, this saves so much effort, both for me and the person that I talk to because I'm just talking now and they get the actual transcript formatted and everything, emails, messages and and so on.

And I'm like this app. And I'm curious because they want to build in. Voice operating system. Not sure how that will turn into fruition, but I, I'm excited to

Mike Montague: Yeah, I'm not either. And I will say that there, the one downside to this is there's also times where you can't speak, like in public, you don't want to say your whole, you know, message or my girlfriend gets tired of me telling the Billy Idol story or, or, or, you know, talking to my computer all day. But, uh, you know, other than that, there is a great advantage to it and it saves me a, a ton of time.

So I, I

think those are are great places to start.

Gabe Marusca: I [00:51:00] recommend some, uh, noise canceling headphones, like, because now both, both me and my wife work with from the same office. And, uh, we are both using whisper flow and I'm like always the headphones on. Otherwise we like speak over over each other. But yeah.

Where To Find Mike

Gabe Marusca: Mike,

uh, please. Tell those listening where they can reach out to you and how they can engage working with you.

Mike Montague: You bet. The good news is I'm an internet marketer, so I'm not very hard to find. If you type Mike Montague or Avenue Nine as my company into any AI search engine or um, or Google search, you can find me pretty easily. But since you're a podcast listener, check out the Human First AI marketing podcast. Uh, there's over 75 interviews with AI and marketing experts talking about what we did today, really how to.

Best use it and cool tools from data scientists to, um, like even behavioral researchers and people doing sentiment analysis and using AI to look at people's micro expressions and, and [00:52:00] stuff to, to see how they respond to your ads. Really cool conversations over there, and it's a

ton of fun to do.

Gabe Marusca: Awesome. And one final thing. If we replay this episode in three years from now, what will be one thing? You are almost certain that be still true no matter how hard AI advanced.

Mike Montague: I would say AI is fast and trust is slow. The, there are some problems that just. Speed, automation and AI can't solve. And so I think it's your job as a human to figure out what those are and keep doing those.

Gabe Marusca: Love it. Thank you so much everyone for listening. Thank you so much, Mike, for joining me today, and if this conversation may you think differently about AI trust and marketing, make sure to subscribe to not miss the next one. And until next week.