With new altcoins coming out every day, I'm having a hard time discerning which ones to take seriously, and which to disregard.

What criteria do you look for in a new coin that makes it stand out? Please don't spam me with a sales pitch for your coin. I would like to know the process for picking out promising new coins before they've already succeeded.
I tend to prefer coins that have higher trading volume. They're much safer to buy into imho. Also know the team behind the coin, research each one of them thoroughly.