Time Node
The Time node pauses profiles in the flow for a defined period before they move to the next node. It's how you control the pacing of your automated journey — spacing emails, waiting for the right moment, or scheduling messages for the right days and times.
The Time node supports three (+1 advanced) different time settings, each designed for different scenarios.
In this Article
Which time setting should I use?
The Time node offers three (+ 1 advanced) modes. Here's a quick guide to choosing the right one:
Setting | What it does | Best for |
Countdown | Waits a set duration (minutes, hours, days, months, years) from when the profile enters the node. Optionally releases at a specific time of day. | Spacing emails in a nurture series ("wait 3 days"), giving time before a check ("wait 2 hours then check if they clicked"). |
Specific Time | Releases profiles at a specific time on specific day(s) of the week — regardless of when they entered. | Sending emails on Tuesday at 09:00, releasing profiles only on weekday mornings. |
Time Frame | Holds profiles until they fall within a defined time window (e.g. Monday–Friday, 08:00–17:00). Multiple time ranges can be stacked. | Business hours delivery — only release profiles during office hours. Weekend vs. weekday routing. |
Event Time (dynamic scheduling) | Calculates timing dynamically based on a date/time value from the triggering event. For example, "release 24 hours before the departure date in the event data". | Pre-event reminders (webinar, travel, appointment), renewal notices relative to an expiry date, anniversary messages. |
💡 Tip — Combining time settings
You can use multiple Time nodes in sequence. For example: a Countdown (wait 3 days) followed by a Time Frame (only release during business hours). The profile waits 3 days first, then waits further until business hours.
Common use cases
Spacing a nurture sequence — Countdown
Email 1 → Time node (Countdown: 3 days) → Email 2 → Time node (Countdown: 5 days) → Email 3. Each email is spaced by a defined interval regardless of when the profile entered the flow.
Giving time before checking engagement — Countdown
Email node → Time node (Countdown: 48 hours) → Check Profile node (did they click?). The delay gives the profile time to open and engage before the check.
Sending on a specific weekday — Specific Time
Profiles enter the flow at various times → Time node (Specific Time: Tuesday, 09:00) → Email node. All profiles are released together on Tuesday morning, creating a batch send.
Business hours delivery only — Time Frame
Profiles reach the Time node at any hour → Time node (Time Frame: Mon–Fri, 08:00–17:00) → SMS node. Profiles that arrive on Saturday at 14:00 wait until Monday 08:00.
Pre-event reminder — Event Time
A profile registers for a webinar (custom event with event date) → flow triggers → Time node (Event Time: 24 hours before event date) → Email node sends a reminder. Each profile's timing is calculated individually based on their specific event date.
Setting up: Countdown
Countdown pauses the profile for a specific duration from the moment they enter the node.
Drag the Time node onto the canvas (or duplicate one already in the flow) and click it to open the configuration panel.
Select "Countdown".
Set the duration — choose a number and unit: minutes, hours, days, months, or years.
Optional: Set a specific release time. If you set a release time (e.g. 12:00), the profile will wait the full countdown duration and then wait further until the specified time. This means the actual wait is always at least the countdown duration.
How Countdown + release time works (examples)
If you set a Countdown of 1 day with a release time of 12:00:
Profile enters at… | Earliest they can leave | Total wait |
11:00 (Day 1) | 12:00 (Day 2) | 1 day + 1 hour |
12:00 (Day 1) | 12:00 (Day 2) | Exactly 1 day |
12:01 (Day 1) | 12:00 (Day 3) | 1 day + 23 hours 59 minutes |
The key rule: the profile must first complete the full countdown duration, and then wait for the next occurrence of the release time.
⚠️ Month-end edge case
When the countdown is set in months, the profile exits on the same date the following month. If that date doesn't exist in the next month (e.g. January 31 → February), it defaults to the last day of the month. Examples:
Enters January 28, 29, 30 or 31 → exits February 28 (non-leap year)
Enters February 28 → exits March 28
Setting up: Specific Time
Specific Time releases profiles at a fixed time on fixed day(s) of the week, regardless of when they entered the node.
Select "Specific Time" in the Time node configuration.
Choose the time (e.g. 09:00).
Select the day(s) of the week. You can select one or more days.
Profiles wait at the node until the next matching day and time. A profile that enters on Wednesday at 10:00, with the Specific Time set to Tuesday 09:00, will wait until the following Tuesday at 09:00.
💡 Tip — Batch sends
Specific Time is great for creating batch-style sends from an otherwise real-time flow. Profiles trickle in throughout the week but all release together at the scheduled time — similar to a scheduled campaign, but with the flexibility of automation.
Setting up: Time Frame
Time Frame holds profiles until they fall within a defined time window. If a profile reaches the node outside the window, they wait until the window opens.
Select "Time Frame" in the Time node configuration.
Set the start and end time, plus the day(s) of the week.
Optional: Add more time ranges by clicking "Add new time range". You can stack multiple ranges — for example, weekday office hours plus Saturday morning.
Profiles that arrive inside a time range proceed immediately. Profiles that arrive outside all time ranges wait until the next range opens.
💡 Good to know
Time Frame is ideal for business hours delivery. If your flow includes SMS or Notification nodes, you probably don't want to wake someone up at 03:00 — a Time Frame before these nodes ensures messages only go out during appropriate hours.
Setting up: Event Time (dynamic scheduling)
Event Time calculates the wait dynamically based on a date/time value from the triggering event. This means each profile's timing is personalised — the node calculates when to release them based on their own event data.
For example: a profile registers for a webinar on June 15. The Event Time is set to "24 hours before the event date". The profile is released on June 14 — regardless of when they entered the flow.
Prerequisites
The Listen node must be triggered by an event that contains a date/time data field (e.g. a custom event with a "webinar_date" or "renewal_date" field).
The date/time field must be in a format the platform recognises. If you're using custom events, ensure the date is sent in a standard format via the API.
For a full walkthrough of how to configure dynamic scheduling, see Dynamic schedule using event time in Time Node.
💡 Tip — Real-world examples for Event Time
Webinar reminder: 24 hours before the webinar date → send reminder email
Travel departure: 48 hours before departure → send travel checklist SMS
Subscription renewal: 7 days before renewal date → send renewal reminder
Birthday: On the date → send birthday offer (though a scheduled Listen node with a date attribute is often simpler for birthdays)
Tips & best practices
Always add a Time node before a Check Profile node if you're checking for an event (like an email click). Without a delay, the check happens before the profile has had time to act. A 24–48 hour countdown is typical.
Use Time Frame for SMS and Notification nodes. Nobody wants an SMS at 03:00. Place a Time Frame node before any SMS or Notification node to ensure delivery during appropriate hours.
Don't over-delay. Long gaps between emails in a nurture series (more than 7–10 days) can cause profiles to lose context. Balance timing against engagement decay.
Combine Countdown + Specific Time for maximum control. For example, a 3-day Countdown followed by a Specific Time (Tuesday 09:00) ensures at least 3 days spacing and delivery on the right day.
Test Event Time with known dates. When using dynamic scheduling, test with a profile whose event date you know — verify the timing calculation is correct before activating for real traffic.
Document your timing logic. In complex flows with multiple Time nodes, use the Goals feature in the bottom bar to note the intended timing for each step. This helps colleagues (and future you) understand the flow without clicking into every node.
Related articles
Marketing Automation Nodes — Overview of every node type.
Dynamic schedule using event time in Time Node — Full walkthrough of Event Time configuration.
Email Node — Often placed right after a Time node.
Check Profile Node — Often placed right after a Time node for engagement checks.
Wait for Event Node — An alternative that combines waiting and condition-checking in one node.
Navigate the Canvas — Flow settings including timezone configuration.
Key Terms Glossary — Definitions for all Marketing Automation terms.