Klaviyo Countdown Timer – How to Add One with CleverTimer

To add a countdown timer to a Klaviyo email, create your timer in CleverTimer, copy the complete Timer HTML Code and paste it into an HTML block in Klaviyo. You don't need to write the code yourself or connect an app.

Klaviyo doesn't currently offer a built-in email countdown. Its official countdown guide describes using an external generator and an HTML block. With CleverTimer, you can choose a design, adjust the colours and labels, and optionally set an Apple Mail fallback.

The setup below suits a sale, launch or registration deadline with one fixed end time. It doesn't start a separate countdown for each subscriber.

How to add a countdown timer to a Klaviyo email

Step 1: Set the deadline and design in CleverTimer

1. Open the CleverTimer generator and enter your end date, time and time zone.
2. Pick a design and adjust the colours and label language to match your email. Check that the digits are easy to read at the size you intend to use.
3. Choose an Apple Mail fallback if you'd like one. Show image uses a fixed message with your text; Hide supplies a transparent replacement image. Disabled leaves the fallback off. These replacements apply to requests identified as possible Mail Privacy Protection activity.
4. Click Create timer, enter your email address, accept the terms and agree to the use of your address for activation. Request the six-digit activation code and enter it to create the timer. You don't need an account.
5. Copy the complete Timer HTML Code, rather than just the Timer URL.

Keep the deadline consistent wherever the offer appears. For example, if your email says “Sale ends 27 November 2026 at 8 pm (CET)”, the timer and the sale on your website should end at that same moment.

Step 2: Insert an HTML block in Klaviyo

1. Open the email you want to edit: a template, an unsent campaign or a flow email.
2. Add an HTML block where the countdown should appear. Below the offer and above the call-to-action button is a useful starting point.
3. Remove the existing code in that new block and paste in your complete CleverTimer HTML code.
4. Click the back arrow to apply the change and return to the layout.

The screenshot shows the HTML code on the left and the countdown in the email layout on the right. Use your own generated code, not the example timer address shown here.

Alternative: Use the Timer URL in a Dynamic image block

If you prefer an image block, use the Timer URL from CleverTimer instead of its HTML code:

1. Add an Image block and click Select image.
2. Choose the Dynamic image tab.
3. Paste your complete Timer URL into Dynamic variable or dynamic URL, then click Save.

The URL in this screenshot is a placeholder. Replace it with your own generated Timer URL. Use Dynamic image for this route, rather than uploading a downloaded GIF or using Import URL. Don't paste the HTML code into the URL field.

You only need one of these two methods. Choosing Dynamic image doesn't create an individual deadline or guarantee a fresh image at every opening. Check the delivered email whichever method you use.

Step 3: Send yourself a test email

Check a delivered email on a phone and desktop, including the email apps your subscribers use. A good-looking editor preview is only the first check.

• Timing: Compare the displayed countdown with the deadline and time zone you set. Include the date, time and time zone as ordinary email text too.
• Layout: Check that the timer fits its column and the digits are readable. If you change its dimensions in the HTML, keep the proportions intact.
• Images: Check the message with images blocked as well. Add useful alt text, such as “Countdown to the sale deadline”, and keep the offer understandable without the image.
• Expiry: Use a separate, short-lived test timer to check what a delivered email shows after the deadline. Before sending the real campaign, replace the test code with your live timer code and recheck the deadline.

Reopening a message doesn't necessarily fetch a new image. If the numbers look wrong, use the checks below before changing your deadline.

Can you use this countdown in Klaviyo flows?

Yes, for an email promoting a shared deadline. A flow reminding subscribers about a sale ending on Friday can use the same fixed countdown as your campaign.

An offer such as “Your discount lasts 24 hours after signup” is different: each subscriber needs an individual deadline. The CleverTimer setup in this guide does not create that kind of evergreen timer. Adding its code to a flow doesn't change how the deadline works.

Check when people can receive the flow email. If it may go out after the promotion ends, adjust the flow or replace that message before leaving it active. The countdown image doesn't switch off a discount or stop a Klaviyo email from being sent.

Why is the countdown missing, static or showing the wrong time?

The code appears as text, or no timer appears

For the HTML method, paste the complete embed code into an HTML block. For the image method, enter only the Timer URL under Dynamic image. Also check that the timer was activated and that the recipient's email app allows external images.

The timer animates but the remaining time is wrong

Check the date, time and time zone first. If those are correct, the email app may be showing a saved image. Apple Mail Privacy Protection can request images before the recipient reads the message, so a countdown can still animate while showing an outdated remaining time.

CleverTimer's optional fallbacks provide a replacement for requests identified as possible MPP activity. They don't bypass caching or identify every Apple Mail recipient. See our Apple Mail Privacy Protection guide for the options and their limits.

The timer shows a still image

Some email clients or settings don't play GIF animations. Klaviyo specifically notes that older Outlook versions, including 2007, 2010 and 2013, show the first frame. Keep the written deadline beside the offer so the message still makes sense without an animated countdown.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Klaviyo integration app or API key?

Is CleverTimer free to use with Klaviyo?

Can I reuse the timer in another campaign?

Will the countdown end my sale automatically?

Build your next Klaviyo campaign around a clear deadline

Choose the timer design, add the HTML block and check a delivered test email. For ideas beyond a sale reminder, our guide to email countdown timers in newsletters covers launches, events and other campaigns with a real cutoff.