Email guide

How to add a countdown timer to Unlayer

Unlayer is the email editor built into many products. Its Timer tool is a paid feature that counts to one end time with a fixed list of fonts. A tikio timer is an image tag in an HTML block instead: your own design and fonts, personal and repeating timers, and the same countdown on the web.

Create your free countdown Jump to steps

Design your countdown in tikio

Create a timer in the tikio editor: pick colors, fonts, labels and the languages you need. What you see in the editor is exactly what lands in the inbox — the timer is delivered as a regular animated image.
2
Get the code

Click Get code, choose “In an email”, pick how the countdown works — until a date, a personal timer per subscriber, or repeating on a schedule — and copy the code. The link stores the timer, so you can change the deadline any time, even after sending: emails already sent pick it up within minutes.
URL
```
https://t.tikio.io/e/a1b2.gif
```
3
Insert the timer in the Unlayer editor

Drag an HTML block where the timer should appear and paste the snippet below. The product that embeds Unlayer sends the email and replaces merge tags in the URL at send time.
HTML
```
<img src="https://t.tikio.io/e/a1b2.gif" alt="Offer ends soon" width="480" style="border:0;max-width:100%;height:auto;" />
```

Per-recipient evergreen deadlines

Unlayer does not send email itself: merge tags are replaced by the application that hosts the editor. Use that application’s subscriber ID tag as the recipient key so each recipient gets their own window from their first open.

HTML

<img src="https://t.tikio.io/e/a1b2.gif?uid=YOUR_PLATFORM_MERGE_TAG" alt="Offer ends soon" width="480" style="border:0;max-width:100%;height:auto;" />

Unlayer’s built-in timer vs tikio

Unlayer’s Timer tool, a paid feature, renders a GIF that counts to one end time in a time zone you set, with a fixed list of ten fonts. For one fixed date that is enough. tikio adds personal and repeating timers, your own fonts, and deadlines you can change after sending.

Feature	Built into Unlayer	tikio
Fixed date for everyone	Yes — end time and time zone; paid feature	Yes
Personal deadline per subscriber	Not documented	Yes — a personal timer per subscriber, from their first open
Recurring on local time (DST)	Not documented	Daily, weekday or weekly reset at a local time, following daylight saving
Change the deadline after sending	Not documented	Yes — emails already sent pick up a new deadline within minutes
At zero	Not documented	Zeros, hide or another image; a smart link sends clicks elsewhere after zero
Same timer on your website	Not documented	The same link as an iframe on any site
Fonts	A fixed list of ten fonts	Your own uploaded fonts or Google Fonts, free
Other platforms	Wherever Unlayer is embedded	Works in every ESP you send from

Every platform’s built-in block compared: built-in ESP timers vs tikio.

Evergreen countdown timer with Unlayer

Create a Personal timer in tikio and enter the subscriber ID tag of the platform that sends your emails. Paste the code into an HTML block; the host application replaces the tag per recipient, and each person’s countdown starts at their first open.

HTML

<img src="https://t.tikio.io/e/a1b2.gif?uid=YOUR_PLATFORM_MERGE_TAG" alt="Offer ends soon" width="480" style="border:0;max-width:100%;height:auto;" />

FAQ

Questions, answered

Do I need Unlayer’s paid Timer tool?

No. A tikio timer is a regular image in an HTML block, so it works on any Unlayer setup that allows HTML blocks.

Which merge tag should I use?

The one your sending platform documents for a subscriber or contact ID. If it only offers the email address, that works as a key too.

Can I use my brand font?

Yes. Upload your own font files in the tikio editor at no extra cost; the timer is rendered as an image, so readers see your font whatever their client.

Your first countdown is minutes away

Free during early access — no credit card required. Design once, paste one snippet, and the timer ticks on every open.

Create your free countdown