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    Countdown Timers

    How to create a countdown timer and add it to your email

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    A Sendtric countdown timer is an animated image that shows the exact time left whenever your email is opened. This guide covers the whole process, from a new timer to a tested email.

    An example Sendtric countdown timer counting down days, hours, minutes and seconds

    Step 1: Create the timer

    1. In the dashboard, open Tools and choose Timers.
    2. Click Create New.
    3. In Create New Timer, fill in:
      • Timer Name, for example "Summer sale ends 31 July". Subscribers don't see this.
      • Choose Template, if you've saved a design as a template. Otherwise leave it empty.
      • Timer Type. Most campaigns use Standard, which counts down to one date and time. See which countdown timer type should I use?
      • For a Standard timer, the Time Zone and When does your timer end?. For Start on Email Open, the duration in days, hours, minutes and seconds.
    4. Click Create. The timer editor opens.
    The Create New Timer window with Timer Name, Choose Template, the timer type cards, Time Zone and end date

    Step 2: Design it

    The editor has four sections on the left. The preview on the right updates as you go.

    • Timer Configuration: the type, end date and time zone. You can change these any time, even after sending.
    • Visual Design: size, style, colors, background and what shows when the timer ends.
    • Text and Labels: language, labels, which units to show (days, hours, minutes, seconds), and fonts.
    • Additional Settings: Apple Mail options, the last-frame image, and links.

    See countdown timer customization options for every design setting.

    Step 3: Choose what happens when it ends

    In Visual Design, the Expiration option decides what subscribers see once the timer reaches zero: zeros, your own image, your own text, or nothing. See how to choose what shows when a timer ends.

    Step 4: Save and add it to your email

    1. Click Save.
    2. Below the preview, choose an alignment and click Copy Code.
    3. Paste the code into an HTML block in your email platform and send yourself a test.

    Full details are in how to add a widget to your email.

    Create a new timer for each campaign, even if it looks the same as the last one. Click Duplicate in the timer list or use a template. Each campaign keeps its own view count, and Apple Mail is less likely to show a timer it remembers from an earlier email.

    Good to know

    To learn more about email countdown timers, see our Email Countdown Timer page.

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