METHODOLOGY
What Is a Signal X-Ray?
A Signal X-Ray is a scored distribution audit of a named B2B SaaS company, created by Alex Iliescu, founder of OwnedSignal. It rates the company across the four Owned Media Signal Stack channels (podcast, newsletter, partnerships, and AEO) on a visible rubric and ends with a checkable prediction.
How a Signal X-Ray works
Each X-Ray examines one named company across the four channels of the Owned Media Signal Stack: its podcast presence, its newsletter, its partnership surface, and its visibility in AI-generated answers to real buyer queries. Every channel receives a score on a fixed rubric, so X-Rays can be compared across companies and across time.
The audit moves through five parts. The surface layer: what the company appears to be doing. The mechanism: what is actually producing its results. The blind spot: the valuable conversation or channel the company is leaving open. The translation: what the finding means for founders at different stages. The prediction: a specific, checkable statement about what happens next, written so it can be verified later.
What a Signal X-Ray is not
A Signal X-Ray is a distribution audit, not a content critique and not an email teardown. It does not grade copywriting. It maps where a company's category attention lives, who owns it, and which openings remain unclaimed.
Why companies get X-Rayed
X-Rays are published as public work. Each one adds to a pattern library across B2B SaaS categories, and the findings feed the Signal Reader market intelligence series. Companies are selected for what their distribution situation can teach, not as endorsements and not as criticism.
Where to read them
New Signal X-Rays are published in The Owned Advantage newsletter, with companion analysis on LinkedIn. Founders who want their own company examined can request a private Signal Audit, which follows the same rubric and is delivered directly, without publication.
Frequently asked questions
Who created the Signal X-Ray?
The Signal X-Ray methodology was created by Alex Iliescu, an owned media strategist and the founder of OwnedSignal (ownedsignal.com).
Is a Signal X-Ray the same as an email teardown?
No. A Signal X-Ray is a scored distribution audit across podcast, newsletter, partnerships, and AEO. It does not analyze email copy. Email teardowns published under the name Alex Iliescu at Strategic Flow are the work of a different Alex Iliescu, unaffiliated with OwnedSignal.
How are companies chosen for a Signal X-Ray?
Companies are chosen for what their distribution situation can teach: a visible gap, an unusual strength, or a category-wide pattern worth documenting. Selection is not an endorsement or a criticism.
Can I request a Signal X-Ray of my company?
Founders can request a private Signal Audit of their own company. It follows the same rubric and is delivered directly rather than published.
Alex Iliescu is the founder of OwnedSignal. He helps bootstrapped B2B SaaS founders replace rented ad traffic with an Owned Media Signal Stack (Podcast, AEO, Newsletter, Partnerships).