> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.samita.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.samita.io/samita-countdown-timer-bar/banners/create.md).

# Create a banner

Build a banner from a starter template and publish it to your storefront.

This is the whole path, from an empty Banners page to a bar a shopper can see.

{% hint style="warning" %}
The app embed has to be on, or nothing the app builds will render on your storefront. See [Turn on the app embed](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/quick-start/enable-app-embed.md).
{% endhint %}

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Open Banners and start one

In the app menu, click **Banners**, then **Create banner**.

If this is your first one, the page shows **Create your first banner** with the same button in the middle.

<figure><img src="https://855148666-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FaOJwtwIUCsbYLCDqZD0u%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-df09fe96780d4c06d187bf0591022d9efbc80d4c%2Fscreenshot-banners-empty.png?alt=media" alt="The Banners page with no banners yet, showing an illustration of a bar at the top of a page and a Create banner button"><figcaption><p>The Banners page before you have made one.</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Pick a starting point

A dialog opens with ten starters, grouped by what they're for. Click one on the left and the preview on the right shows the bar as it will sit on a page.

| Group                | Starters                                              |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| **Sale and urgency** | Flash sale, Black Friday, Selling fast, Sticky footer |
| **Discount code**    | Discount code, Welcome offer                          |
| **Shipping**         | Free shipping, Shipping cutoff                        |
| **Announcement**     | Announcement, New arrivals                            |

Under the preview, small labels say what's inside — Text, Countdown, Button — and where it sits.

Prefer to build from nothing? Choose **Start from blank** at the foot of the list.

Click **Use this template**.

<figure><img src="https://855148666-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FaOJwtwIUCsbYLCDqZD0u%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-eec48a36159e80bba31bf32855d9d03b48ce54d0%2Fscreenshot-banner-templates.png?alt=media" alt="The Start from a template dialog with the starter list on the left and a full-width preview of the Flash sale banner on the right"><figcaption><p>Every starter can be changed afterwards — nothing in it is fixed.</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Name it

The builder opens. At the top left, replace the name with something you'll recognise in the list — "Black Friday top bar", not "Banner 3".

The counter beside the field shows how much room is left.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Write what the bar says

The **Content** panel lists the elements in the bar. Click one and its settings open in the column on the right.

* Click **Text** to change the message
* Click **Countdown** to set the end date
* Click **Button** to change the label and where it goes
* Drag the handle at the left of a row to reorder
* **Add element** puts a new one at the end

See [Bar content and elements](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/banners/content.md) for what each element can do.

<figure><img src="https://855148666-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FaOJwtwIUCsbYLCDqZD0u%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-272a01ee374817e3b20333dae1d178e4fc21d628%2Fscreenshot-banner-content-panel.png?alt=media" alt="The Content panel listing Text, Countdown and Button elements, with the Text settings open in the right-hand column"><figcaption><p>Pick an element on the left, change it on the right.</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Style it

Open the **Design** panel — the brush icon in the rail.

Set the background, the text and accent colours, how much room the bar takes, and whether shoppers can close it. See [Design a banner](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/banners/design.md).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Choose where it goes

Open the **Placement** panel — the third icon in the rail.

* **Top of the page** pushes the page down; **Bottom of the page** pins it to the foot of the screen
* **Stay on screen** keeps it in view as the shopper scrolls
* **Conditions** decide which pages get it — leave it on **All pages** to show it everywhere
* **Devices** limits it to desktop or mobile
* **Schedule** turns it on and off by itself

See [Where a banner appears](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/banners/placement.md).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Check the preview

The middle of the builder shows the bar on a stand-in storefront page. The two icons at the top switch between the desktop and mobile widths — worth a look, because a bar that reads well on a laptop can be cramped on a phone.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Set it Active and save

Beside the name, switch from **Draft** to **Active**, then click **Save**.

Draft saves the banner without showing it to anyone. Active is what puts it on the storefront.

<figure><img src="https://855148666-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FaOJwtwIUCsbYLCDqZD0u%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-1272a758edbd2c878e7d64cde8140aff79f895bb%2Fscreenshot-banner-save-active.png?alt=media" alt="The builder top bar with the name field, the Active and Draft toggle, and the Save button"><figcaption><p>A banner has to be Active before a shopper can see it.</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Look at your storefront

Open your shop in a new tab and reload. The bar should be at the top or foot of the page.

Not there? Work through [Countdown not showing](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/help/countdown-not-showing.md) — the same checks apply to banners.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## If the button needs a link

A button set to **Open a link** needs a URL before the banner can be saved as Active. The starters come with `/collections/all` already filled in, so change it to wherever you want shoppers to land.

## Next steps

* [Bar content and elements](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/banners/content.md)
* [Design a banner](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/banners/design.md)
* [Animation and groups](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/banners/animation.md)
* [Where a banner appears](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/banners/placement.md)


---

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