Adding a countdown timer to Kit (ConvertKit) emails is one of the most effective ways to lift conversions on course launches, membership enrollment windows, and limited-time offers to your creator audience. This guide shows you exactly how to embed a live countdown in Kit broadcasts and automated sequences, plus how creators use evergreen timers to run always-on funnels.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is the go-to email platform for creators — course sellers, authors, podcasters, coaches, and membership operators. With 640,000+ users, it's built around simple broadcasts and powerful automation sequences. Its email editor is intentionally minimal, which means the countdown timer workflow uses Kit's HTML block.
Creator businesses run on deadlines: course enrollment windows, membership pricing changes, early-bird offers, and launch bonuses. Creators sell scarcity. A visible countdown makes that scarcity credible — subscribers can see their window closing in real time.
An evergreen timer in a Kit automation sequence means every subscriber who enters your funnel sees a personal countdown — regardless of when they signed up. No manual timer creation, no stale deadlines, no resetting campaigns monthly. Once configured, it runs forever.
Log in to Tickvio and click Create Timer. For Kit sequences:
Evergreen — the star for creators. Each subscriber gets a personal deadline from when they enter the sequence. Perfect for launch funnels where people subscribe on different days.
Fixed date — for live launches with a real deadline everyone shares. Course enrollment closing, live event registration, seasonal offers.
Recurring — for weekly newsletter deals or monthly member-only offers.
Customise the design (28+ styles), set your expiry state (what subscribers see after their deadline passes), and copy the HTML embed code.
In Kit, create a new broadcast or open an existing sequence email. Kit's email editor is intentionally minimal — which is a strength for most content, but means you need the HTML block for rich elements like timers.
In the email editor, click the + button to add a new content block. Select HTML from the block types.
Paste the Tickvio embed code into the HTML block. The timer will render when the email is sent — Kit's editor may show the raw HTML rather than a live preview, but the timer displays correctly in the actual delivered email.
Click Preview or send a test email to see the live countdown. Check our inbox support guide for rendering across email clients.
Kit's core strength is automated sequences. Here's where timers fit:
Course launch funnel: Subscriber joins your waitlist → enters a 5-day launch sequence → Email 1: introduction. Email 3: offer with evergreen timer ("Enrollment closes in 48 hours"). Email 5: last chance with timer nearing zero. The evergreen timer ensures the 48-hour window is personal to each subscriber.
Membership enrollment: "Join at the founding member price — this rate expires in:" with an evergreen countdown. Creates genuine scarcity without fake deadlines.
Webinar / workshop registration: Fixed-date timer in your registration emails counting down to the live event. "The workshop starts in:" drives last-minute signups.
Bonus stacking: "Order in the next 24 hours and get these bonuses" with an evergreen timer. Common in creator launches where bonuses expire before the main offer.
Challenge / cohort opening: "30-day challenge starts in:" with a fixed-date timer. Ideal for cohort-based courses and challenges with a specific start date.
Early-bird pricing: Evergreen timer on your lead magnet follow-up: "Upgrade to the paid course within 7 days to get early-bird pricing." Converts leads faster.
Simple editor, powerful sequences: Kit's editor is deliberately simple. The HTML block is your gateway to richer content like timers without leaving the Kit ecosystem. Most creators don't need Klaviyo-level customisation — Kit + Tickvio gives you the right balance of simplicity and capability.
Tag-based triggers: Kit uses tags to trigger automations. Design your timer strategy around tag events — when a subscriber gets tagged "launch-interest," they enter the sequence and the evergreen timer starts. No manual deadline management ever.
Landing pages with matching timers: Kit has a landing page builder. Use the same Tickvio timer on your landing page and in your emails for consistent urgency. When the email says 24 hours and the landing page confirms 24 hours, trust stays intact. This is one of the strongest trust-building moves in creator marketing.
Visual automations + timers: Kit's Visual Automations let you build branching sequences. Add a timer to one branch ("paid offer path") while keeping the other branch ("nurture path") timer-free. Subscribers who show purchase intent see urgency; subscribers still warming up don't.
Broadcasts vs sequences: Use fixed-date timers in broadcasts (one-time sends to your list). Use evergreen timers in sequences (automated flows). Mixing them up is the #1 mistake creators make with timers in Kit.
Commerce integration: If you use Kit Commerce to sell digital products, pair product links with evergreen timers. "Buy this $47 ebook in the next 72 hours to get the bonus workbook free" with a personal countdown converts much better than a generic bonus offer.
Don't overuse timers in every email: Creators send a lot of email. If every email has a timer, subscribers stop believing the urgency. Reserve timers for genuine launches and time-limited offers. See our best practices guide.
Broadcasts to your whole list: Fixed-date timers.
Automated sequences (welcome, launch, nurture): Evergreen timers.
Weekly newsletter deals / monthly member offers: Recurring timers.
Does Kit (ConvertKit) have a built-in countdown timer?
No. Kit has no native countdown timer element. You add timers through the HTML block using a third-party timer service like Tickvio. This is the standard approach across the creator economy.
Will the timer work in Kit sequences / Visual Automations?
Yes. The HTML block is available in both broadcasts and sequences. For automated sequences, use evergreen timers so each subscriber gets a personal deadline from when they enter the flow — critical for always-on launch funnels.
Can I use a Tickvio timer on my Kit landing page too?
Yes — this is one of the strongest creator use cases. Use the same Tickvio timer on your Kit landing page and in your launch emails for consistent urgency across touchpoints. Tickvio's JavaScript web widget handles the landing page; the animated GIF handles email.
Is Kit still called ConvertKit?
The product rebranded from ConvertKit to Kit in 2024, but old URLs, API endpoints, and integrations all still work. Most creators still search for "ConvertKit countdown timer" — the tool works the same regardless of which name you use.
Does the timer work on Kit's free plan?
Yes. Kit's free plan includes the HTML block, and Tickvio has a free plan with 20,000 views/month. Together, this is a completely free setup for creators just starting out.
Can I make timers that expire at midnight in the subscriber's timezone?
Tickvio timers count down to a fixed UTC moment, so "midnight" will be different in each timezone. For most creator launches this is fine — "midnight Pacific" becomes the universal deadline. If you need truly per-timezone deadlines, use Tickvio's evergreen timers instead (each subscriber's clock starts from their open).
Create your free Tickvio timer — 20,000 views/month, evergreen timers included, 28+ styles, no branding. Paste into Kit's HTML block and start running launch funnels with real countdown urgency.
For more, see our complete guide and Kit (ConvertKit) integration page.
