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Using Evergreen Timers

Learn how evergreen countdown timers create personalized deadlines for each email recipient. Perfect for drip campaigns, welcome sequences, and abandoned cart emails.

5 min readUpdated March 1, 2026
1

Understand how evergreen timers work

Unlike fixed-date timers that count down to a specific moment, evergreen timers count down from a set duration (e.g., 48 hours) starting when each person opens the email. Each recipient sees their own personalized deadline.

2

Create an evergreen timer

In GifyLabs, select "Evergreen" as the timer type when creating your timer. Set the duration: days, hours, minutes, and/or seconds.

3

Understand the first-open tracking

The first time someone opens the email, our server notes the timestamp and calculates their personal deadline. All subsequent opens show the same countdown, counting down from that initial open.

4

Choose the right duration

Common durations: 24 hours (flash offers), 48 hours (standard offers), 72 hours (welcome sequences), 7 days (trial periods). Match the duration to the genuine urgency of your offer.

5

Set up an expiry action

Configure what happens when the countdown reaches zero: show zeros, display a custom message like "Offer expired," or show a replacement image linking to your regular pricing.

6

Add to your automation

Copy the embed code and add it to your email automation (drip campaign, welcome sequence, abandoned cart). Each contact entering the automation gets their own unique countdown.

Tips

  • Evergreen timers are most effective in automated email sequences where each recipient enters at a different time.

  • Common use cases: limited-time offers, trial expirations, cart abandonment reminders, welcome discounts.

  • Combine evergreen timers with personalized subject lines for maximum urgency — e.g., "Your exclusive deal expires in 24 hours."

  • Evergreen timers never truly expire for new recipients — they always show a fresh countdown from each person's first open.

Frequently Asked Questions

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