you can use PM as well, but you won't have any routing options like in GIFT, so all the routing has be done by the photodesk.
i also don't use GIFT because die MAC version is very buggy, speed is very low and often the ftp uploader hangs.
my workflow is to run gift one time to download the template, then i caption one image with this template. after that i load the image in PhotoMechanic and save the embedded IPTC into a template in PM.
but(!) you have to add *** Local Caption *** (with *) at the end of the Caption field. And after this you have the enter the persons shown (in GIFT theres a add. field for this)