A launch has a specific time: the moment the product goes on sale. The countdown runs to that instant, the same for your whole list, and at zero the GIF can say "Available now." It's a fixed-date timer, and it's free.
Countdown timers for a product launch
In short
For a launch, use a fixed-date timer that counts to the exact time the product goes on sale, in your store's time zone. At zero, the GIF can say Available now. If a launch price with an end date follows, create a second timer for that date. Fixed-date timers are free.
Make your own
The generator is already set up for this page. Change what you need and press Create timer.
Live 
Animated GIF. Recalculated every time the email is opened.
The generator comes with large rounded blocks and that expired message. Enter your launch's real date, time and time zone.
When it works and when it doesn't
It works when the release time is locked:
- A new product or collection that you publish at an announced time.
- A preorder opening, with its start date and, if it has one, its end date.
- An anticipated restock, when you know what time inventory comes back.
- Enrollment opening for a course or a program with limited spots.
It doesn't work if the date depends on something you don't control. If the product ships when the factory delivers it, a countdown you end up moving twice costs more trust than "arriving in November, we'll let you know."
It also fails if you won't be ready on time. If the GIF says "Available now" at 10:00 and the product page goes live at 10:20, the fastest people on your list land on an empty page. Have the page ready before then, or set the timer to the time it will really be on sale.
And don't pair it with made-up scarcity. If you write "almost gone," make sure it's true.
A fixed timer, sometimes two
For the launch moment itself, use a fixed-date timer: it counts to the same instant for everyone. An evergreen timer makes no sense here, because the product goes on sale at the same time for your whole list.
Many launches have a second date: the launch price, a gift for the first orders or the close of a preorder. That date goes in a second timer, also fixed. Once the first one hits zero, new emails carry the second.
The time zone is your store's. The GIF counts to a single instant, so every reader sees the right time left wherever they are. What needs care is the copy: write "Thursday, November 12 at 10:00 a.m. ET." Gmail doesn't let senders learn where the reader is, so there's no reliable way to adapt the time for each person.
If the launch price is a store discount, check that its end date matches the timer's. In Shopify, a discount's end time follows the time zone set in the admin, according to its help center.
Sample sequence
This is a suggestion. Adjust the days to your launch.
| When | Timer | Why | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Announcement | One or two weeks before | Fixed, to the launch | With days showing, people who want it put it on their calendar |
| Waitlist welcome | On signup | The same timer | Late signups see what's left at that moment |
| Reminder | The day before | The same timer | The image is rendered at open, so it already shows hours |
| Available now | At launch time | Fixed, to the end of the launch price (if there is one) | The first timer is already at zero; now it counts what's left of the offer |
| Last day | The day the offer ends | The same timer as the previous email | It shows only hours, with nothing for you to change |
If there's no launch price and no preorder close, the "available now" email doesn't need a timer.
If the launch slips
Timers can be edited after the email is sent. Change the date and the GIF in every email you've already sent will count to the new one, because the image is rendered on every open.
The copy in those emails doesn't change. If the announcement said "Thursday the 12th" and you now launch on Monday the 16th, the timer and the copy disagree. Send a short email with the new date.
The same goes the other way: if you move the launch earlier, edit the timer before you open the store, so nobody sees hours left while the product is already on sale.
Things worth knowing
Apple Mail. With Mail Privacy Protection on, Apple downloads images in the background when the email arrives, and Klaviyo warns that countdowns may not render correctly in Apple Mail because of that preloading. Always put the date in the copy.
Outlook. According to Microsoft, Outlook for Microsoft 365, 2021 and 2024 animate the GIF unless Windows animations are turned off. Outlook 2007, 2010 and 2013 show only the first frame, according to Klaviyo. In our GIF that frame is complete and shows the time left at open.
Lots of opens at once. A good launch packs opens together. Below 25,000 impressions a month per timer, the free plan carries no branding; if your list is large, check pricing before you send.
How to set it up in your ESP
The announcement and the reminder usually go out as campaigns, and the waitlist welcome as an automation. The timer goes in the same block either way:
- Shopify Email. A custom Liquid section, if you sell on Shopify and send from there.
- Klaviyo. An HTML block, the same in campaigns and flows.
- Mailchimp. A Code block, in campaigns and automations.
- HubSpot. An HTML module; workflow emails need Marketing Hub Professional or Enterprise, according to HubSpot.
If you're revealing the product live, see the webinar use case. If the launch offer lasts only a few hours, see the flash sale one.
Common questions
What do people see if they open the email after launch?
The expired message you choose, such as Available now, or a 1-pixel transparent image if you'd rather the GIF disappear.
What if the launch slips?
Edit the timer's date. The GIF is rendered at open, so the change reaches emails you've already sent. Send a new email about it, because the copy in the earlier ones still has the old date.
Can I use the same GIF in the announcement and the reminders?
Yes. They all count to the same moment and the image is rendered on every open, so the same URL shows days in the announcement and minutes on launch day.
Does it work for a waitlist?
Yes. Put the same fixed-date timer in the waitlist welcome email: people who join late see what's left at that moment.
Is there a watermark?
No. A free timer is served without branding up to 25,000 impressions in a month. Above that, a small line of text appears under the timer; paid plans never show it.
Does it work in Outlook?
According to Microsoft, Outlook for Microsoft 365, 2021 and 2024 animate GIFs unless Windows animations are turned off. In that case readers see the first frame, which already shows the time left.
Sources
- Shopify: discount start and end times follow the time zone selected in the admin. help.shopify.com, accessed on
- Gmail scans images before showing them and senders can't use image loading to learn the reader's location. support.google.com, accessed on
- Outlook for Microsoft 365, 2021 and 2024 play animated GIFs by default; with animations off, only the first frame. support.microsoft.com, accessed on
- Outlook 2007, 2010 and 2013 show the first frame; Apple Mail may not render countdowns correctly because of preloading. help.klaviyo.com, accessed on
- Apple Mail Privacy Protection downloads remote content in the background, whether or not the email is opened. apple.com, accessed on
- Custom Liquid in Shopify Messaging emails. help.shopify.com, accessed on
- Engine: fixed date computed in the timer's zone; 30-frame, 1-second looping GIF with a complete frame 0; expired state as text or 1x1 transparent; branding only on the free plan above 25,000 impressions a month per timer. Kauntodaun technical documentation, accessed on
- Timers can be edited after the email is sent. Kauntodaun technical documentation, accessed on
- Launch preset expired text: Available now. Kauntodaun technical documentation, accessed on