I like this Quality Cliff model from Animalz.

A baseline of quality is needed for any piece of content to “work.” But at some point you’re polishing for the sake of procrastination or perfection, not performance.

Of course, there is no universal benchmark or threshold.

Consistently undervaluing the need for quality risks dismal results; pursuing quality at all costs winds up expensive and over-engineered. You need to evaluate every topic and campaign on a case-by-case basis.

Just like Steve Pratt says about creative bravery:

It is relative to every brand. There’s no universal scale of creative bravery.

What’s creatively brave for you could be a way of thinking about it.

Most of it is thinking about who the end consumer of the content is—whether it’s a podcast or a video or an email newsletter—is this something that they’re actually going to look forward to and appreciate. Is this going to create value for them. Is this something that is coming from you but not about you.

What is a gift we can give that can only come from us that is intended and designed for the people you’re trying to reach?

Stated even clearer:

Is this brave enough to get into the attention fortress?

Using video as an example. There is a minimum viable quality if you want your video to “work.”

TikTok and the rise of “authentic content” has dropped this bar, but it still exists. Lighting, angle, story, and speed are probably the core 4 to hit the minimum.

• Can we see the subject of the video?
• Can we figure out what it is?
• Can we figure out why you made the video? What are you trying to tell us about the subject?
• Is it slow enough that we can keep up but fast enough that we don’t lose interest?

But there’s a lot of ground to cover between that minimum and the maximum of a Super Bowl commercial or branded blockbuster film.

The decision you need to make is: do you need a top 5 Super Bowl commercial this year? Or do you just need a short-form vertical video that will get people to pay attention and maybe engage a bit?

And be clear about why you need what you decide. Whether it’s vanity, cachet, or KPIs. (Or Deb in accounting.)

Minimum viable (for the performance you want) is usually the better choice than maximum available.

Be brave. Or be ignored.

Be weird.