Add a countdown timer block
Put a live timer inside the email that shows the time left: the end date, the units, what happens when time is up and how it looks.
A countdown shows the time left until a deadline, right inside the email: days, hours, minutes and seconds. MailGraf builds the timer as a moving image (a GIF); every time the email is opened, the time left is worked out again.
Add the block
In the editor, drag the Countdown block from the Content blocks category
Drop it into a row and select it. The right-hand panel opens on the Content tab.Under Ends, set the Date, the Time and the Time zone
The time zone starts as your browser's zone; if your readers are in another country, pick theirs.Click Create countdown
Once you set the date, the countdown turns into an image. Later changes are saved on their own.
The end date is not written into the image; it goes into the image's alt text. If you want the date visible in the email, add a text block under the countdown and write the date yourself.
Settings
- Units: Days, Hours, Minutes and Seconds. Switch each one on or off and change its name in the Label field. Leave a label empty and MailGraf writes DAYS, HOURS and so on in capitals.
- When time is up: Show a message (with a Message field), Hide the countdown or Show zeros.
- Appearance: Palette (Light or Dark), Number colour, Label colour, Box colour and Background. The background comes from the row the countdown sits in; pick a colour yourself and it stays, press the arrow to take the row colour again. Then Show labels, Number size, Label size, Corner radius and Box spacing.
- Delete countdown at the bottom of the panel removes the block.
Good to know
After the email is opened the image counts for 2 minutes, then stops on its last frame; open the email again and it starts afresh with the current time left. Outlook on Windows shows only the first frame of a moving image, so the reader sees the time left at the moment of opening and the timer does not run. Apple Mail's privacy protection may load the image in advance, which can make the timer look frozen. Duplicate the block and both copies show the same timer with the same end date.
Frequently asked questions
Is the timer up to date every time the email is opened?
Yes. The timer is a moving image that is generated again each time the email is opened, so it shows the time left at that moment.
Can I change the end date later?
Yes, even in emails already sent. The image address does not change, so the new end date applies straight away.
What happens if I delete the timer?
The block leaves the email. The timer record stays in the background, because emails already sent may still request it.
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