The Marketing Millennials – Ep. 360: “Finding Your Voice in the Age of AI”

Guest: Kate Mountz, Senior Content Strategist at Workweek
Host: Daniel Murray
Date: October 24, 2025
Theme: How marketers can maintain authentic, impactful writing in an era of generative AI

Overview

In this episode, Daniel Murray sits down with Kate Mountz, a highly regarded content strategist and writer, to unpack the realities—and opportunities—of marketing writing today. With AI’s influence growing, Kate and Daniel dig into what still makes human-crafted content indispensable. From her journey into marketing, research methodology, adapting to brand/editorial voices, to fostering fun and structure in a high-output environment, Kate shares the playbook for meaningful, authentic content creation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kate’s Journey Into Marketing

• (01:14-02:20)
  • Kate transitioned into marketing from an admin role by spotting underutilized social media channels at a startup. She took initiative, defined her own role, and made herself indispensable.
  • Quote:
    “I realized I was waiting for someone to tell me I could be a marketer, and just jumping in and realizing I could probably figure this out was how I eventually made it official.” – Kate Mountz (01:14)

2. The Art (and Process) of Marketing Writing

• (03:04-04:19)
  • Good marketing writing starts with deep research and true customer understanding.
  • Research fuels the writing, whether it’s for a blog, a post, or newsletter—marketing writing is not so different from any other kind of writing.
  • Quote:
    “Understanding the customer is one of those marketing clichés that’s a cliché for a reason.” – Kate Mountz (03:57)

3. Approaching Research: Analog vs. AI

• Traditional Research:
  • Customer reviews, one-to-one interviews, joining sales calls, and becoming a subject-matter expert.
  • “OG” research methods remain irreplaceable for first-person insights and authentic voice.
• AI-powered Research:
  • AI tools (ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc.) can accelerate idea distillation, but human-driven synthesis, fact-checking, and context are essential.
  • Quote:
    “The more specific you can be, the more human you are and the more, kind of paradoxically, universal it becomes.” – Kate Mountz (06:56)
  • (08:34-09:12) – AI is best at helping writers distill and synthesize, not replace firsthand research.
  • Quote:
    “The output of AI is always so much better when you give it something to work with.” – Kate Mountz (09:13)

4. Thinking Like a Marketer: Hooks, Hypotheses, and Structure

• (10:06-11:59)
  • Kate varies her approach depending on subject familiarity:
    • If confident: Starts with hypotheses or opinions to verify/disprove during research.
    • If new: Begins from scratch, finds industry benchmarks, and uncovers authentic positioning.
• Organizing & Synthesizing Research:
  • Uses notes apps and rough document outlines, marking where supporting arguments and evidence fit.
  • Warns against over-editing early, which muddles the structure.
  • Quote:
    “The act of writing is an act of thinking. Sometimes requires writing about it...to figure out how you feel about something, sometimes you have to just write it and organize all your thoughts.” – Kate Mountz (13:16)

5. Adapting Brand & Founder Voices: The Ghostwriting Challenge

• (15:23-18:10)
  • Ghostwriting for founders and brands isn’t just about mimicking language—it’s about embodying worldview, quirks, and even grammatical “errors.”
  • Genuine voice includes knowing the audience’s in-group signifiers (e.g., industry jargon nuances).
  • Quote:
    “So much of what makes writing great is being able to be specific about your experiences. It’s why no one writes an intro about their day like you do, because you were living it.” – Kate Mountz (16:20)

6. Authenticity & “Human-ness” in the AI Era

• (18:41-22:35)
  • Personal writing quirks serve as signifiers that distinguish human work from generic or AI-generated content.
  • Mistakes and stylistic idiosyncrasies can be proof of real authorship and intent.
  • Quote:
    “Even typos almost are refreshing...you shouldn’t bring AI into it until you really understand the topic.” – Kate Mountz (19:54)
  • Cookie-cutter AI content loses interest and trust; authentic editing and consistency demonstrate real care.

7. Building Scalable, Consistent Brand Voices

• (22:35-25:00)
  • Documenting brand and writing playbooks is vital for scaling content and onboarding new writers, ensuring style and voice don’t get diluted.
  • Quote:
    “It’s not scalable otherwise...That’s no way to run a railroad, as they say.” – Kate Mountz (23:18)

8. Nurturing Joy & Creativity in High-Volume Content

• (25:00-26:53)
  • Writing started as something fun for most; preserving that joy (and ditching “line cook” assembly-line mindset) is key to engaging writing.
  • Writers’ rooms foster creativity and reinforce brand voice.
  • Quote:
    “If you lose that joy or the fun, then...everybody’s going to feel that way reading it.” – Kate Mountz (25:56)

9. The Problem With Rigid Rules & Education

• (26:53-32:24)
  • Over-emphasis on grammar and structure in traditional education can rob writers of creative confidence and clarity of thought.
  • The idea trumps technical perfection for most marketing content.
  • Quote:
    “Great writing is really just like really good communicating.” – Kate Mountz (31:25)

10. The Hill Kate Would Die On

• (32:34-34:02)
  • Even in the age of AI, do the “hard” work—thinking deeply and crafting clear arguments isn’t optional. It’s what makes communication human and valuable.
  • Quote:
    “The act of writing is figuring out how you think about something so that you can communicate it effectively...that high value part that only human beings can do.” – Kate Mountz (33:13)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “I realized I was waiting for someone to tell me I could be a marketer...jumping in and realizing I could probably figure this out was how I eventually made it official.” (Kate Mountz, 01:14)
• “Understanding the customer is one of those marketing clichés that’s a cliché for a reason.” (Kate Mountz, 03:57)
• “As long as you know when to switch gears and stop researching and start creating, which can be the really hard part.” (Kate Mountz, 03:56)
• “The output of AI is always so much better when you give it something to work with.” (Kate Mountz, 09:13)
• “If you lose that joy or the fun, then...everybody’s going to feel that way reading it.” (Kate Mountz, 25:56)
• “Great writing is really just like really good communicating.” (Kate Mountz, 31:25)
• “The act of writing is figuring out how you think about something...” (Kate Mountz, 33:13)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:14 – Kate’s career origin story & seizing opportunities
• 03:04 – Breaking down the writing process
• 05:00 – Traditional vs. AI research methods
• 10:06 – Hypothesis-driven vs. exploratory research
• 12:24 – Synthesizing research into structure
• 15:23 – Crafting/ghostwriting authentic voices
• 18:41 – Why style quirks matter (especially with AI)
• 22:35 – The importance of brand writing playbooks
• 25:00 – Finding joy in writing at scale
• 31:19 – Rule-breaking, grammar, and creativity
• 32:34 – The “hill to die on”: why not to skip the hard work, even with AI

Conclusion

Kate Mountz reminds marketers and writers that, while the tools and pace of content creation are changing fast, the foundational skills—genuine research, audience understanding, voice, and creativity—are timeless. AI can assist and accelerate, but cannot replace the unique perspective, quirks, and depth that only humans bring. Build for scale, but build for fun and authenticity too.