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Countdown timers

How to create an evergreen (per-contact) or recurring countdown timer

Under Marketing › Countdown Timers › New, choose the Dynamic type for a deadline that starts when each contact is sent or opens the email (set the trigger, duration and optionally an end time), or the Recurring type for a deadline that resets in cycles (start date, duration, number of loops and wait time).

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Before you start

  • Create a fixed timer at least once first to get familiar with the editor (see the related article).
  • For the Dynamic type, decide: does the deadline count from the email being sent or opened, and how long does it last.
  • For the Recurring type, decide: when the first cycle starts, how long each cycle lasts, how many times it repeats and whether there's a pause between cycles.
Where to find it

Marketing › Countdown Timers › New › Timer Type

Step by step

Dynamic timer (evergreen, per contact)

  1. Open Marketing › Countdown Timers, click New and pick a template.
  2. Under Timer Type, choose Dynamic.
  3. Pick the trigger: Email Sent (starts counting when the email goes out) or Email Opened (starts when the contact first opens it).
  4. Set the Duration (for example, 48 hours).
  5. Decide how it ends:
    • Set End Time off: it expires exactly after the duration (opened at 2 PM with a 2-hour duration → expires at 4 PM).
    • Set End Time on: the countdown aligns with a clock time (e.g. 11 PM). If the duration can't complete before that time, it rolls to the next occurrence of that time.
  6. Pick the Time Zone and, if you want, turn on Adapt to Contact Time Zone (emails use the contact's timezone; pages use the visitor's detected timezone).
  7. Fill in the Active Link and Expired Link, style it, name it and click Save.
  8. Place the timer in the email and, if there's a landing page, use the same timer there so the deadline matches in both.

Recurring timer (cycles)

  1. Click New, pick a template and, under Timer Type, choose Recurring.
  2. Set the Start Date/Time of the first cycle and the Countdown Duration of each cycle (e.g. 7 days).
  3. Under Loop Events, enter how many times the cycle runs (e.g. 4 for four weeks in a row, counting the first).
  4. Under Countdown Timer Waits For, set a pause between cycles if you want one (e.g. 24 hours between sales). On pages you can turn on Hide Timer on Site in Wait State.
  5. Fill in the active and expired links, the style and the name, and click Save.

Tips

  • A dynamic timer with the "Email Opened" trigger fires once per contact: reopening the email doesn't restart the countdown.
  • To use the same contact in a new campaign with a fresh deadline, clone the timer before reusing it.
  • The recurring timer always uses the timezone chosen at setup: every visitor sees the same clock.
  • Test before sending: confirm the trigger, duration, end time, timezone and links.

Common problems

  • The contact never opened the email and the deadline didn't start → With the "Email Opened" trigger, counting only starts on open. If you want it to count from sending, use "Email Sent".
  • The deadline ended later than the duration → "Set End Time" is on and the duration didn't fit before the chosen time, so it rolled to the next occurrence. Turn the option off for exact expiry.
  • On the page the timer shows zero before the cycle starts → The recurring timer is in its wait state. Turn on Hide Timer on Site in Wait State or adjust the start date.
  • I resent the campaign and the customer sees the old deadline → The dynamic timer had already fired for that contact. Clone the timer for the new campaign.

Frequently asked questions

When should I use dynamic instead of fixed?

Dynamic when each person should get their own deadline (evergreen offers, welcome sequences); fixed when everyone counts down to the same date.

Does the recurring timer reset every day?

Only if the duration is 1 day. The cycle only resets after the full duration completes.

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