How to make money on a Telegram channel is the next question once your channel has its first subscribers. The main income on Telegram doesn't come from the messenger itself but from selling ads and affiliate links: advertisers pay admins for posts, and affiliate programs pay for sign-ups and purchases through your links. This guide covers every way to monetize a Telegram channel, how much Telegram ads pay, how to price a post, where to find advertisers and how many subscribers you need to start earning.
Quick summary: how to monetize a Telegram channel
- Selling ads is the main income for most channels. Post price is based on reach: average views × CPM ÷ 1,000.
- Affiliate links work from day one with no subscriber minimum: you get a percentage or a flat fee for a sign-up, lead or purchase.
- Telegram Ads — Telegram shares 50% of its official ad revenue with public channels that have 1,000+ subscribers.
- Telegram Stars — paid posts, paid channel subscriptions, Star reactions and suggested posts from brands.
- Your own product — courses, consulting, services: the channel works as a storefront.
- The key metric is reach, not subscribers. A channel with 10,000 bots won't sell a single post.
8 ways to make money on a Telegram channel (chart labels in Russian)
Can you make money on a Telegram channel, and how many subscribers do you need?
Yes. Telegram is one of the most convenient messengers to earn on: it has more than 1 billion monthly active users, links in posts are clickable, and the channel advertising market is well established. There is no minimum to start earning — affiliate links and paid posts are available to channels of any size. But real money starts once your posts get stable reach:
- under 1,000 subscribers — affiliate links, Star reactions, paid posts;
- 1,000+ — your share of Telegram Ads and the first ad sales to small advertisers;
- 5,000+ — regular ad sales, a price list, ad marketplaces;
- 20,000+ — a paid channel, your own product, brand integrations.
If your channel is still small, start with our guide how to grow a Telegram channel from zero — without a real audience none of the methods below will work.
Method 1. Selling ads on your Telegram channel
This is the main way to make money on a Telegram channel. The process is simple: an advertiser (a brand, an online school, another channel, a media buyer) messages the admin, agrees on price and date, pays — and the post goes live. Telegram is not involved in the deal: everything is settled directly between the admin and the advertiser or through a marketplace. Buying ads in other channels to get subscribers is called "seeding" — it's how media buyers and channel owners buy traffic.
How much does advertising on a Telegram channel cost?
Ad post price is based on reach and CPM (chart labels in Russian)
Telegram ad prices are based not on subscriber count but on average post reach — how many people actually see a post within a day. The formula:
Post price = average reach × CPM ÷ 1,000
CPM is the price per 1,000 views, and it depends mostly on the channel's niche. According to tgmetrics, benchmarks for direct placements in the Russian-language segment are:
- business and finance — €15–20 and up;
- IT and tech — about €10;
- fitness — €4–6;
- news — €2.5–3;
- memes and entertainment — €1.5–2.
The second multiplier is the audience's country and language. In Telegram's official ad platform, PropellerAds data for Q1 2025 puts CPM at €3.5–5 for English-speaking countries, €5.25–8 for Spain and €2.63–3 for Brazil and Arabic-speaking countries. English-speaking audiences are generally more expensive than CIS audiences.
Example calculation. A finance channel averages 3,000 views per post. At a €15 CPM, one ad post costs 3,000 × 15 ÷ 1,000 = €45. Selling 3 posts a week brings about €540 a month from ads alone. The same reach in a meme channel at a €2 CPM gives €6 per post — which is why niche matters more than channel size.
What affects the price of an ad
- Niche. The more expensive the advertiser's product (finance, crypto, business, education, IT), the higher the CPM.
- Reach and ERR. ERR is the share of subscribers who see a post: average reach ÷ subscribers × 100%. Advertisers compare it with similar channels — a low ERR gives away a dead or botted audience.
- Audience country and language. Subscribers from high-income countries are worth more.
- Audience quality. Real comments, reactions, link clicks. Experienced advertisers check channels through statistics and analytics tools.
- Past results. If ads on your channel pay off, advertisers come back and don't haggle.
Telegram ad formats
Main ad post formats (chart labels in Russian)
Formats are written as "hours on top / hours in the feed". 1/24 means the post stays first in the channel for an hour (the next post goes out no sooner than an hour later) and is deleted after a day. 1/48 and 2/48 stay on top and in the feed longer, so they cost more. A permanent post stays in the channel forever and is the most expensive. A native ad is written in the channel's own voice — readers trust it more, and it converts better.
Where to find advertisers
- An ad contact in the channel description. A separate account or bot for requests — this is how advertisers find channels. Mention your niche and audience.
- A price list and media kit. A pinned post or a document: niche, average reach, ERR, audience countries, formats and prices, examples of past placements.
- Telegram suggested posts. Since July 2025, subscribers and brands can suggest a post to a channel right inside Telegram — a promo, a review, a video — and pay in Stars or TON. The admin can edit the post and negotiate before publishing. Stars payments arrive 24 hours after the post goes live, and if the post is removed earlier, the money is refunded automatically; TON payments are final and non-refundable.
- Ad marketplaces. Platforms where advertisers search channels by niche and reach, with payment through an escrow deal. Choose international marketplaces and check reviews.
- Reach out yourself. Look at who buys ads in similar channels — those are your potential clients. Media buyers and affiliate programs buy seeding all the time.
- Ad swaps. Early on you can swap posts with channels of the same size — it brings growth and your first media kit cases.
How not to lose subscribers or money on ads
- Take prepayment. The market standard is 100% before the post goes live. "I'll pay after" is a common scam.
- Turn down scams. Pyramid schemes, "easy money", illegal casinos and dubious crypto projects destroy trust in the channel — and can lead to reports and bans.
- Don't overload the feed. If there are more ads than content, subscribers leave, reach drops — and so does your post price. Keep a balance and pick ads that match your audience's interests.
- Check your local laws. In some countries ads must be labeled and the income taxed — sort it out before the first big payments.
Method 2. Affiliate links
Affiliate programs pay for an action by a user you referred: a sign-up, a lead, a purchase, a deposit. You join an affiliate program or a CPA network, get your personal link and publish it in the channel — in a review, a roundup or a useful post. The big advantage on Telegram: links in posts are clickable and there is no subscriber minimum, so you can earn from your first hundred readers.
Payout models are the same as in media buying:
- CPA — a flat fee per action (for example, per first deposit or purchase);
- CPL — payment per lead or sign-up;
- RevShare — a percentage of the partner's revenue from your users, sometimes for life.
What fits different channel niches:
- finance and crypto — exchanges, banks, cards, brokers;
- betting and sports — betting and gambling programs on RevShare: channel subscribers keep playing for months, and income grows. More in gambling traffic from Telegram;
- tech — VPNs, hosting, services, software;
- lifestyle and relationships — dating offers;
- product reviews — affiliate programs of stores and marketplaces.
To find a program with good terms, see our ranking of affiliate programs and CPA networks.
How to place affiliate links so they convert
- Recommend what you've actually used. Personal experience sells better than any description.
- Hide the link in a word or a button — the post looks cleaner and the click feels natural.
- Use a sub-id in your links to see which post made money.
- Don't turn the channel into a billboard: an affiliate link should be part of a useful post, not the post itself.
- Follow the program's rules — some ban incentivized traffic, spam and brand keywords.
Method 3. Telegram Ads: 50% of Telegram's ad revenue
Since 2024 Telegram has shared revenue from its official ads — short sponsored messages under posts — with channel owners. The terms:
- the channel is public and has at least 1,000 subscribers;
- the owner receives 50% of the revenue from ads shown in their channel;
- payouts are in TON cryptocurrency, withdrawn through Fragment with no fees; the money can also be spent on promoting the channel.
Telegram Ads income depends on your reach and on how many advertisers buy impressions in your niche and country. For most channels it's a nice extra rather than the main income — but it's worth turning on as soon as the channel passes 1,000 subscribers. You'll find the revenue section in channel statistics, under the "Monetization" tab.
Method 4. Telegram Stars: paid posts, subscriptions and reactions
Stars are Telegram's in-app currency. For channel owners they unlock several ways to earn:
- Paid posts. A photo or video that a subscriber unlocks for Stars. Available to any channel except those marked 18+.
- Paid subscriptions. Since August 2024 you can run a private channel with a monthly fee in Stars — for exclusive content, early access, VIP live streams.
- Star reactions. Subscribers tip a post they like, and the channel owner keeps 100% of the Stars.
- Suggested posts — paid publications from brands and subscribers (see above).
How to withdraw Stars. Stars become available 21 days after you receive them. You can exchange them for TON through Fragment or spend them on Telegram Ads for your channel at a 30% discount.
Method 5. Your own product and services
If your channel is expert-driven, the biggest money comes from selling your own things: courses, guides, consulting, mentoring, services, a private club. The channel works as a storefront — readers see your expertise for months and buy from someone they trust. At this stage ads can even get in the way: every third-party post takes attention away from your product.
Method 6. Your channel as a traffic source
For a media buyer, your own Telegram channel is a free traffic source. You bring an audience from TikTok, Reels and Shorts into the channel and then monetize it with affiliate offers and seeding. How it works — in our guides moving traffic from TikTok to Telegram and how to make money on YouTube Shorts.
Step-by-step plan: how to start earning from your channel
Channel monetization plan by stage (chart labels in Russian)
- Pick a niche with money in it. Finance, crypto, business, IT, education, sports and betting pay more for ads than humor and news.
- Build a real audience. No bots: they drag down ERR, and advertisers notice.
- Add affiliate links from your first posts. It tests whether your audience buys.
- At 1,000 subscribers, turn on Telegram Ads and Star reactions.
- Create a price list and an ad contact. Calculate the price with reach × CPM and update it monthly.
- Collect advertiser feedback and placement results — they justify raising your price.
- With a large audience, launch your own product and a paid channel.
Mistakes that stop a channel from earning
- Buying fake subscribers. Reach doesn't grow, ERR drops, and advertisers leave after the first placement.
- Pricing by subscribers instead of reach. Advertisers calculate cost per view — overpricing scares them off, underpricing leaves money on the table.
- Advertising anything. Scam projects and irrelevant offers cost you trust, and trust is what the channel earns from.
- No ad contact. Advertisers won't hunt for a way to reach you.
- Irregular content. Reach depends on reader habit — if the channel goes quiet for weeks, views fall.
Monetization schemes, case studies and new offers — in our Telegram channel.
FAQ
How much do Telegram channels get paid for ads?
Post price = average reach × CPM ÷ 1,000. For example, with 3,000 views and a €15 CPM (finance) a post costs about €45, and with a €2 CPM (entertainment) about €6. Niche and reach matter most, not subscriber count.
How many subscribers do you need to make money on Telegram?
Affiliate links, paid posts and Star reactions work at any size. The Telegram Ads revenue share starts at 1,000 subscribers in a public channel. Regular ad sales usually start at a few thousand real readers.
How much does Telegram pay per view?
Telegram doesn't pay for views directly. It gives channel owners with 1,000+ subscribers 50% of the revenue from official Telegram Ads — the amount depends on how many ads are shown in the channel.
How do you monetize a Telegram channel?
Sell ads, post affiliate links, turn on Telegram Ads, paid posts and Star subscriptions, accept Star reactions and suggested posts, and sell your own product.
How do you sell ads on a Telegram channel?
Put an ad contact in the description, make a price list with reach and prices, accept suggested posts in Telegram, list the channel on ad marketplaces and reach out to those who buy ads in similar channels. Work with prepayment.
How do you withdraw Telegram Stars?
21 days after receiving them, you can exchange Stars for TON through Fragment or spend them on Telegram Ads at a 30% discount.
Can you make money on a Telegram channel from scratch with no investment?
Yes: creating a channel is free, subscribers can be gained through free methods, and affiliate links work from the first posts. Investment speeds up growth but isn't required.
Which channel niches earn the most?
Finance, business, crypto, IT and education — they have the highest CPM because advertisers sell expensive products. Entertainment channels gain reach more easily but sell ads for less.
Sources: Telegram blog (channel monetization, Stars, subscriptions and Star reactions), the official Telegram Info channel, CXOToday (suggested posts), tgmetrics (CPM by niche), PropellerAds (Telegram Ads CPM by country). Prices are market benchmarks; every channel sets its own.
