Building Authority with Content Marketing & Thought Leadership with Mike Montague

Every growth-stage AI company wants to become the category leader.

But very few ask the question:

How do you earn the market’s trust before you ever ask for a sale?

In today’s AI landscape, buyers are overwhelmed with content, product announcements, and bold claims. The companies that stand out aren’t necessarily the ones with the most features or the biggest marketing budgets. They’re the ones that consistently educate, provide value, and establish themselves as trusted authorities.

In this episode of Marketing Pack Leaders, host Josh Porter, founder of Thunderwolf Consulting, sits down with Mike Montague, co-founder of Avenue9, bestselling author, and former Global Head of Content at Sandler Training, to explore how AI scale-ups can use content marketing and thought leadership to accelerate growth.

Mike has spent his career helping organizations align marketing and sales around customer-first messaging that drives measurable business results. His perspective goes beyond content creation to focus on something much more strategic: building authority that influences buying decisions long before prospects enter the sales funnel.

This conversation is packed with practical advice for founders, GTM leaders, and product marketers looking to rise above the noise in increasingly competitive AI markets.

What This Episode Is About

Josh and Mike explore how growth-stage AI companies can transform content marketing from a tactical activity into a strategic competitive advantage.

Topics include:

• Why thought leadership should educate rather than advertise• How AI companies can establish authority instead of simply creating more content• The types of content that resonate with technical buyers and executive decision-makers• Finding the balance between educating the market and promoting your product• How founders can become trusted voices in their category• Creating content that supports positioning and go-to-market strategy• Building long-term trust through consistency and customer-first thinking• The metrics that indicate your thought leadership is influencing real business outcomes

Mike also shares practical insights on creating content that serves buyers throughout their decision-making journey while strengthening both brand credibility and revenue growth.