Signal Over Noise cuts through AI hype with weekly reality checks on what actually works. Written by a digital strategy consultant who tests every tool before recommending it, each Friday edition delivers honest reviews, practical frameworks, and real-world insights for professionals who need AI to work reliably.
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Why I Moved My Newsletter to Wednesdays (And You Should Optimize Your Timing Too)
TLDR: Watch the video above for a brief on this week's issue.
Dear Reader,
I’ve been publishing this newsletter every Friday for the last 10 months, but growth has completely stagnated.
I could keep doing what I’m doing and hope for different results, or I could treat this like any other workflow problem and systematically fix it.
So - it’s not an accident that you’re now receiving this on a Wednesday.
Note: DALL-E and SORA have big problems displaying different times on analog clocks.
The Timing Problem
Like many newsletter publishers, I picked my publishing schedule based on what’s convenient. Friday afternoon seemed perfect - wrap up the week with insights, send it out, move on to weekend family time.
But convenient for me doesn’t mean optimal for you. And more importantly, it wasn’t working.
For months, I’ve been watching the same patterns: decent open rates, some engagement, but no real growth momentum. New subscribers are trickling in, but nothing that suggests I’m building the kind of audience that can support a consulting business.
I kept telling myself it was about content quality, or maybe I needed to be more consistent, or perhaps I should try different topics. Then I realised I was ignoring at least one glaring factor: timing.
I have readers from California to Singapore. When I hit “send” at 10 AM CEST on Friday, I’m catching:
Europeans already mentally checked out for the weekend
US East Coast just finishing lunch, distracted by Friday afternoon urgencies
West Coast still deep in morning meetings
Asia-Pacific starting their Saturday morning, not thinking about business content
One schedule. Multiple timezones.
How I’m Attempting To Solve It
Instead of guessing or following generic “best practices*,” I decided to approach this like any workflow optimisation challenge:
Step 1: Map My Actual Audience I pulled data from ConvertKit, LinkedIn Newsletter, and social media analytics. My readership breaks down roughly:
30% US East Coast
25% Europe (mostly UK/Germany/Netherlands)
20% UK specifically
15% US West Coast
10% scattered globally
Step 2: AI-Powered Analysis I fed this data to Claude Research along with my constraints: Valencia-based, Monday-Thursday full work days, Friday half days, no weekend work for family time.
The prompt: “Let’s look at the daily schedule - I want to make sure that the channels I broadcast to and on have maximum reach. I’m based in Valencia, with readership in various countries, so I need ideal posting and reading times. But also keep in mind that I work mostly Mon-Thurs with a half day Friday. Engaging with social media outside of those hours is a no-no as it’s family time.”
Step 3: Cross-Reference with Platform Data Claude helped me analyze when each audience segment is most likely to engage with business content:
US East Coast: Tuesday-Thursday 8-11 AM EST (commute + morning routine)
US West Coast: Tuesday-Thursday 7-10 AM PST (same pattern, different timezone)
The Breakthrough: Wednesday at 10 AM CET hits the sweet spot for me - at least in theory. Europeans are in peak productivity mode, UK professionals are starting their day, and US East Coast is in their prime engagement window (4 AM PST is early, but the content sits in inboxes for West Coast morning reading).
What the Research Suggested
The analysis showed Wednesday could be 23% better for engagement across platforms based on general social media data. But I haven’t tested this yet - this newsletter is the test.
What I do know from the research is that mid-week readers are theoretically in problem-solving mode, actively thinking about work challenges. Friday readers are already mentally in weekend mode (I haven't taken into account that it's August, and a large percentage of people are also in vacation mode!)
But theories and actual results are different things. I’m sharing this methodology with you as I implement it, not after I’ve proven it works.
The real test will be whether this Wednesday timing actually improves engagement, drives more consultation calls, and helps break through the growth stagnation. I’ll report back in 4-6 weeks with actual data.
The Meta-Lesson About AI Workflows
This exercise perfectly illustrates why systematic optimisation - in the right place - can beat intuition. I could have kept guessing about the “best” time to publish, or I could treat it like any other business process: define constraints, gather data, use AI to find patterns, test and refine.
The methodology here applies to any timing challenge: Customer service response windows, sales outreach sequences etc. Most people optimise their workflows once and forget about them. But audiences shift, businesses grow, and what worked six months ago might be leaving money on the table today.
Your Turn: The 5-Minute Timing Audit
Try this workflow optimisation exercise:
Map your audience timezones (Google Analytics, email analytics, social media insights)
Define your constraints (work schedule, personal boundaries, team availability)
Ask Claude/ChatGPT/Gemini/Perplexity **: “Given this audience distribution and these constraints, what are my optimal communication windows?”
Cross-reference with platform data (when does each audience segment actually engage?)
Test systematically (try the new timing for 4 weeks, measure results)
You might discover that your Tuesday morning emails dramatically outperform Thursday afternoons, or that your international clients prefer scheduling calls during specific overlap windows.
The key is treating timing as a workflow challenge, not a guessing game.
What This Means for Signal Over Noise
Starting today, you’ll receive Signal Over Noise on Wednesdays at 10 AM CET. If you’re in the US, it’ll be waiting for you during your morning routine. If you’re in Europe, it’ll hit your inbox during peak productivity hours.
More importantly, I’m committing to more actionable, implementation-focused content. Wednesday readers want workflows they can use immediately, not just interesting ideas to think about eventually.
This shift reflects the broader positioning I’m moving toward: less generic AI commentary, more practical workflow optimisation. The same systematic approach I just used for newsletter timing is what I bring to every AI implementation challenge.
Because the best workflow optimisation isn’t about finding the perfect system - it’s about building systems that continuously improve themselves.
Until next Wednesday, Jim
* There's actually lots of well-written and researched advice available on best practices on publishing times that hits the mark. It can be a great jumping-off point for many people, especially if you're just getting started.
** If you have access to a research mode, even better!
Signal Over Noise is written, optimized and doted on lovingly by Jim Christian. Subscribe at our new home: signalovernoise.at
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Signal Over Noise cuts through AI hype with weekly reality checks on what actually works. Written by a digital strategy consultant who tests every tool before recommending it, each Friday edition delivers honest reviews, practical frameworks, and real-world insights for professionals who need AI to work reliably.
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