Is it truly unique, or just new to us?
Before sharing, ask whether the product is genuinely atypical or simply something your team hasn't seen yet. A real unique product solves a problem in a fresh way; a mere novelty is often a repackaged idea. This first question filters most noise out of your product discovery.
Which real problem does it solve?
Original products earn attention by solving a concrete need, not by looking clever. Define the problem in one sentence: who struggles with it, how often, and how this product removes the friction. If you can't articulate the problem, the find isn't ready to share with your team.
Who on the team is it for?
A unique product only lands if it reaches the right person. Identify the teammate or project that benefits — by role, use case, or ongoing brief. Tagging the recipient up front keeps your shared workspace focused instead of turning into a dumping ground for everyone's fleeting interests.
Have we checked authentic reviews?
Before recommending, scan authentic reviews for lived-in details — the friction removed, the moment it surprised someone. This separates genuine original products from well-marketed mediocrity and protects your team's trust in the shared workspace.
What already exists that does the same?
Novelties are only valuable when nothing already does the job well. Compare the candidate to existing alternatives — features, price, reviews — before sharing. This discipline keeps your product discovery grounded and stops your team from chasing redundant finds.
Is the interest sustained, or a spike?
Real product trends show sustained engagement — repeat saves, returning visitors, organic word-of-mouth — not a single launch spike. Confirm the unique product you're about to share has durable momentum before adding it to the team's library.
Which tags describe why it stands out?
Atypical objects need context to be found again. Add tags — category, use case, vibe — and a one-line note on why it caught your eye. This metadata is what turns a scattered save into a searchable entry in your shared workspace.
Which collection does it belong to?
Every unique product should land in a themed collection — by project, recipient, or category — not a flat list. Decide the right home before sharing so teammates can navigate your shared workspace instead of scrolling an endless feed.
Does it fit creative shopping goals?
Creative shopping isn't about accumulating — it's about choosing with intent. Ask whether the product serves a creative goal or a genuine need of your team. This keeps your shared workspace a curated library, not a wishlist.
Where did the signal come from?
Note the source — a niche community, an editorial pick, an independent review. Knowing where a product discovery signal originated helps your team judge its reliability and spot which sources consistently surface unique products worth sharing.
What context do teammates need?
A link alone isn't a share. Add a short note — why it matters, who it's for, the next step — so teammates can act without re-doing your research. This is what turns original products into a confident, collaborative recommendation.
Will we revisit it, or forget it?
The final question is about staying power. Ask whether your team will reopen this product in a month — to compare, buy, or recommend. If yes, it earns its place; if not, it's noise. Tools like Merveilleux keep your unique products organized and searchable so the best products stay reachable over time.
The five-second version of the twelve questions
Twelve questions is thorough and nobody is thorough at the moment of enthusiasm, which is when sharing happens. So here is the pocket version — a five-second check that catches most of what the full list catches: would I still recommend this if nobody I know had heard of it? That single question collapses most of the list. If the product's appeal depends on it being new-to-you, it fails the uniqueness question. If it depends on the source that surfaced it, it fails the signal question. If you cannot answer it, you have not checked reviews — because the answer lives there.
The question works by removing the two things that masquerade as judgment in sharing: novelty and borrowed excitement. What survives is the product's actual case — the problem it solves, for whom, at what cost, with what weakness. A recommendation that survives the five-second version is worth the full twelve; one that does not just saved you a message and someone else a click.
Use the pocket version in the moment and the full version when it matters. The full checklist exists for the finds that feel important — the ones bound for a team recommendation or a real purchase. For those, the twelve questions are fifteen honest minutes, and they convert enthusiasm into a case.
Writing the share so it lands
Most shared products fail at the last step: the message. A link alone transfers none of your judgment, so the recipient starts from zero — and starting from zero, people default to ignoring. The share that lands has three parts, and they fit in four lines. The problem: what this solves and for whom, in one sentence. The evidence: the one detail that convinced you — a lived-in review, a comparison, the fact that people rebuy it after failures. The ask: what you want from the recipient, even if it is nothing — evaluate, try, buy, or just file it. The ask is the most skipped and most important part, because a share without one is a wish, and wishes are indistinguishable from noise.
One more habit compounds here: record what happened to your shares. Did the teammate adopt it? Did the friend thank you three months later? Your own share-success rate is the most direct measure of your curation, and it improves fast once measured — because the feedback shows which of your signals are real and which are just enthusiasm wearing its costume.