Mike Montague sits down with Dan Nestle of Inquisitive Communications to explore how the marketing game is changing and why curiosity is now your most valuable asset. From the rise of large language models to the deluge of dull, AI-generated content, they unpack why asking better questions, not writing better copy, is the skill that separates standout marketers from the rest. Whether you’re leading a content team or building your brand as a business owner, this conversation reveals how to stay sharp and human in a world drowning in automation.

Key themes include the future of copywriting in an AI-assisted world, how to use LLMs without losing your voice, and why brands need real storytelling, not just content volume. You’ll learn practical ways to prompt more effectively, interview better, and co-create content that connects on a human level. If you’re ready to shift from “create more” to “connect deeper,” this episode is your next step forward.

Lessons from Dan Nestle on the Human-First Future of Marketing

By Mike Montague | Avenue9

Let’s be honest, if there’s one job marketers thought AI might kill off first, it was copywriting. But here’s the twist: the real threat isn’t AI. It’s mediocre thinking. And the most powerful tool we have to fight the flood of generic AI content isn’t better writing. It’s better curiosity.

That’s the message Dan Nestle, founder of Inquisitive Communications, brought to our latest episode of Human-First AI Marketing. And it couldn’t be more timely. In a world where “content” is cheap and everywhere, the marketers who will win are the ones who can think, question, and connect at a human level.

Your Job Isn’t to Write More. It’s to Ask Better.

Dan and I talked about how the role of marketers is shifting fast. Before AI, being a good writer was enough. Today, your value comes from how well you can think like a strategist, prompt like an analyst, and listen like a journalist. Curiosity is your new superpower.

The AI tools can generate words. But they can’t generate insight, intention, or emotional resonance. That still comes from you the human behind the prompt.

“The best marketers today are interviewers,” Dan said. “You have to draw the story out of the subject and out of the AI itself.”

So whether you’re prompting ChatGPT or talking to a CEO, your ability to ask the next smart question will separate you from 95% of the market.

AI Slop Is Real and It’s Hurting Brands

There’s a growing pile of AI-generated “content slop” out there. It’s dull. It’s repetitive. It’s disconnected from any real person or purpose. And it’s doing more harm than good.

Your audience knows the difference. And as Dan put it, the companies that rely on AI to replace humans rather than to amplify them are already losing attention, credibility, and trust.

SMBs can’t afford to blend in. You don’t have the ad budgets to brute-force attention. You have to earn it with real relevance, real voices, and real stories.

The Human-First Content Strategy

Here’s the model we walked away with:

• Ask better questions. Get curious about your customer’s world. What do they want? Fear? Hope for?
• Use AI to accelerate, not automate. Prompt it like a partner. Guide it like a junior writer who needs direction.
• Tell human stories. Your unique experience, language, and values can’t be manufactured.
• Focus on connection, not content volume. In a noisy world, it’s not about more. It’s about meaningful.
• Train your team to think like strategists. Prompting, interviewing, research, and empathy are now core skills.

This isn’t a copywriting revolution. It’s a curiosity renaissance.

Human-First Takeaways for SMBs

If you’re leading a growing business or managing a small team, here’s what you can do today:

Audit your content. How much of it is really useful, personal, or relevant to your ideal client?

Elevate your prompts. Ask your AI tools what they need to get 90% closer to your ideal output.

Interview your customers. Then turn those conversations into gold—blogs, testimonials, guides, or social.

Slow down the content factory. Focus on the 10% of content that actually moves the needle.

Lean into your humanity. Your quirks, experience, and point of view are your biggest advantage.

Let’s Build Your Human-First AI Strategy

At Avenue9, we help SMBs go to market like big brands without losing their soul to automation. We bring AI strategy and human creativity to the table, so your business can scale the right way.

If you’re tired of wasting time on tactics that don’t connect, let’s build something better.

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Because in this new era, the loudest brand doesn’t win. The most relevant one does.

Let’s make sure that’s you.