The Useful-Entertaining-Must-Have Product Filter
Three questions to know if your content product will win.
- Difficulty
- Starter
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 75%
Kara Swisher uses a simple scorecard to decide whether a new media format — a podcast, newsletter, or event — is worth building. Rather than starting with a monetization plan, she asks whether the product is useful, entertaining, or a genuine must-have that has no substitute. Hitting even one of these bars justifies moving forward; revenue is treated as a welcome bonus rather than the primary filter. This model let Recode greenlight an hour-plus interview podcast when conventional wisdom said audiences wouldn't sit through it, because the format was undeniably useful and entertaining even before it became profitable.
Origin
Emerged from Kara and Walt's willingness to experiment with new formats at All Things D and Recode, culminating in launching the Recode Decode podcast despite skepticism.
Core principles
- 01A product needs to hit at least one bar: useful, entertaining, or must-have.
- 02Revenue is a bonus signal, not the primary filter.
- 03Judge each new format independently rather than by industry convention.
How to run it
- 1
List the Candidate Format
Write down the specific product idea, whether it's a podcast, newsletter, live show, or article series.
- 2
Score Against Useful
Ask whether it solves a real problem or informs decisions for the audience.
- 3
Score Against Entertaining
Ask whether people would enjoy consuming it purely for pleasure.
- 4
Score Against Must-Have
Ask if there's no substitute — would the audience notice acutely if it disappeared.
Pro tip Ask: could a competitor replicate this in a weekend? If yes, it's not must-have.
- 5
Check for Monetization Upside
If the idea also makes money, treat that as bonus validation, not a hard requirement to proceed.
- 6
Greenlight if It Hits at Least One Bar
Move forward with the format if it clears even one of the three criteria, regardless of industry skepticism.
Watch out Don't kill an idea just because it doesn't make money yet — evaluate the experience criteria first.
In the wild
Everyone told Kara long-form interview podcasts wouldn't work because audiences 'can't do an hour,' but she believed smart conversations were useful and entertaining, so she launched anyway.
→ The podcast became one of Recode's biggest revenue drivers and its most quotable content.
A media team debates cloning a competitor's disappearing-photo feature; running it through the filter shows it's easily replicable and adds no unique value versus investing in an exclusive interview series.
→ The team skips the copycat feature and doubles down on original interviews instead.
Common mistakes
Prioritizing Money Over the Experience Criteria
Chasing revenue first can lead to bland copycat products that lack the useful/entertaining/must-have qualities that create lasting demand.
Ignoring Replicability
A product that competitors can easily copy loses its moat even if it initially scores well on the other criteria.
Is it for you?
Best for
Media leaders and creators deciding whether to launch a new content format.
Not ideal for
Pure commodity products where meaningful differentiation isn't feasible.
From the transcript
“It has to be useful, entertaining, and kind of a you ha must have. Like a must have.”
“If it hits even one of these things, it's great.”
From the episode
Recode (with Kara Swisher)
Kara Swisher