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).
Updated on
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)
- Open Marketing › Countdown Timers, click New and pick a template.
- Under Timer Type, choose Dynamic.
- Pick the trigger: Email Sent (starts counting when the email goes out) or Email Opened (starts when the contact first opens it).
- Set the Duration (for example, 48 hours).
- 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.
- 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).
- Fill in the Active Link and Expired Link, style it, name it and click Save.
- 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)
- Click New, pick a template and, under Timer Type, choose Recurring.
- Set the Start Date/Time of the first cycle and the Countdown Duration of each cycle (e.g. 7 days).
- Under Loop Events, enter how many times the cycle runs (e.g. 4 for four weeks in a row, counting the first).
- 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.
- 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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback.
