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Documentation 13 pages

Email countdown timer types and behaviors

A complete reference to the six timing configurations supported by EmailTimer.app and how to select the right model for your marketing campaigns.

Overview of timer timing configurations

Different campaigns require different timing logic. Broadcast sales need all subscribers to count down to the same second, while abandoned cart flows need individual subscriber clocks.

This page is the reference for implementers: what each model reads and where its deadline is set. Choosing one for a campaign, with a table of which campaign suits which, is in the six kinds of email countdown timer.

Every model is worked out when the image is fetched rather than when the email is sent. How it works follows what happens at open time, from the snippet to the picture each subscriber sees.

None of these settings travels in the image address as a merge tag. The address is signed, and it is built from w for the workspace, v for the published version, r for the recipient token, wm for the over-quota watermark and sig for the signature, plus sent for evergreen from send. A deadline, a duration or a schedule is set in the template, and a recipient's own values are looked up from their token when the image is drawn.

1. Fixed end-date timer

Recommended for broadcasts

Counts down to a single global UTC timestamp. When that timestamp arrives, all subsequent image opens automatically render the expired state graphic.

Set in the template: the deadline, as one instant. The image address carries no date.

Best for: Black Friday promotions, seasonal sales, product drops, and webinar start times.

2. Per-recipient deadline

Recommended for automations

Each recipient has their own deadline, stored on their row in a recipient set or sent through the API, on Growth and Agency. The image address carries that recipient's token in r, and the deadline is looked up from the token when the image is drawn. It cannot arrive as an ESP merge tag in the address: the signature covers the whole query, so a value filled in after signing breaks the image for the entire send.

Signed address: ?w=w_8ha3fq&v=3&r=tok_…&sig=…

Best for: Cart abandonment sequences, price-drop alerts, personalized trial extensions, and voucher codes.

3. Evergreen from first open

First fetch

The countdown begins the first time the image address is fetched. The renderer records that instant against the address itself, so one campaign address is one shared clock that starts at the first open by anybody on the list. A clock that starts per person needs an address per person, minted with a recipient token on Growth or Agency.

Set in the template: the duration. Recorded at the first fetch of each address: the start.

Note: Because Apple Mail pre-fetches images upon delivery, Apple Mail subscribers will trigger the clock at message receipt.

4. Evergreen from message send

Signed send time

Calculates the deadline from the send instant carried in the image address as sent, plus the duration set in the template. sent is inside the signature, so it is fixed when the address is generated rather than filled in by your platform at send time. This maintains consistent timing across Apple Mail and standard webmail clients.

Signed address: ?w=w_8ha3fq&v=3&sent=2026-11-27T09:00:00Z&sig=…

5. Count-up timer

Milestone timer

Rather than counting down to zero, a count-up timer increments upwards from a past moment.

Set in the template: the start moment. The image address carries no date.

Best for: Customer anniversary celebrations ("You have been a member for 2 years, 4 months"), uptime status badges, and community milestone trackers.

6. Recurring schedule window

Automatic reset

Resets on a weekly or monthly schedule without template edits.

Set in the template: the rule, as a weekly or monthly day, a time of day and a time zone.

Best for: Weekly newsletters with Sunday order deadlines or recurring weekend promotion campaigns.

Supported visual styles

Every style below is a real render from the engine, dressed as a different campaign. Colours, fonts and labels are yours to set on any of them.

Animated flash sale countdown in the digital style under the headline Flash sale: 25% off everything: navy numerals on white between two orange rules, reading 02 days 03 hours 34 minutes 12 seconds and counting down

Digital

Plain numerals and nothing around them, the safe pick for a flash sale. Shown in navy on white between two orange rules.

Animated Christmas delivery cut-off countdown in the blocks style under the headline Last orders for Christmas delivery: white numerals on navy plates, in a navy panel with a pale blue border, reading 02 days 03 hours 34 minutes 12 seconds and counting down

Blocks

Every unit on its own plate, so it holds up next to a busy product photo. Shown as a Christmas delivery cut-off in navy and pale blue.

Animated Black Friday sale countdown in the flip style under the headline Black Friday: up to 40% off: white numerals on navy flip cards, in a navy band across a pale slate banner, reading 02 days 03 hours 34 minutes 12 seconds and counting down

Flip

The split card people already read as a deadline. Shown as a Black Friday banner, navy on pale slate.

Animated product launch countdown in the ring style under the headline The new collection drops in: blue numerals inside blue rings on pale blue, reading 02 days 03 hours 34 minutes 12 seconds and counting down

Ring

A closing arc around each number, made for the run up to a launch. Shown in blue on pale blue.

Animated birthday offer countdown in the circles style under the headline A birthday gift from us: 20% off: navy numerals in pale slate circles on clean slate, reading 02 days 03 hours 34 minutes 12 seconds and counting down

Circles

Softer than plates and still legible at phone size. Shown as a birthday gift in navy on clean slate.

Animated early access window countdown in the underline style under the headline Members' early access closes in: navy numerals over navy rules on pale grey-blue, with a blue bar down the left edge, reading 02 days 03 hours 34 minutes 12 seconds and counting down

Underline

One rule under each number, for editorial and premium sends. Shown as an early access window in navy on pale grey-blue.

Animated saved cart reminder countdown in the bar style under the headline Your cart is reserved for: navy numerals over a navy bar on white, under an orange band that carries the headline in navy, reading 02 days 03 hours 34 minutes 12 seconds and counting down

Bar

Numbers over a draining bar, so the urgency lands before the reading does. Shown holding a cart, in navy on white under an orange band.

Animated Ramadan offer countdown in the arabic style under a Arabic headline, عرض رمضان ينتهي خلال, meaning the Ramadan offer ends in: gold numerals on navy plates, with Arabic labels, on deep navy edged in gold, running right to left, reading 02 days 03 hours 34 minutes 12 seconds and counting down

Arabic

Arabic renders right to left, with days on the right. Shown as a Ramadan offer in gold on deep navy.

Animated Rosh Hashanah sale countdown in the hebrew style under a Hebrew headline, מבצע ראש השנה מסתיים בעוד, meaning the Rosh Hashanah sale ends in: blue numerals on a white card, with Hebrew labels, in a navy frame, running right to left, reading 02 days 03 hours 34 minutes 12 seconds and counting down

Hebrew

Hebrew renders right to left too, with days on the right. Shown as a Rosh Hashanah sale in blue on a white card in a navy frame.

Animated live webinar countdown in the stacked style under the headline The live webinar starts in: blue numerals under blue labels, on a pale blue ticket, reading 02 days 03 hours 34 minutes 12 seconds and counting down

Stacked

Labels above the numbers, so it fits a narrow column. Shown as a webinar ticket in blue on pale blue.

The API reference covers the endpoints, and pricing covers what each plan includes.

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