How to Promote a Telegram Channel in 2024

The Telegram messenger is one of the most downloaded in the world today. Every month, it gains 700 million new users who not only communicate through the service but also receive information (news, useful content).

In 2015, Telegram introduced channels, which became an alternative to traditional media and gained influence globally. Statistics show that in 2023, the audience for this type of content publication and chats in Russia alone reached 2.47 billion people. Therefore, Telegram is an essential tool for businesses: brands use it to announce new products, build marketing communications through various activities such as polls, contests, advertisements, news, and more.

In this article, we will explore how to create a Telegram channel, set it up, and gain subscribers using both free and paid methods.

How to create a telegram channel

First, decide what type of channel suits you best. There are:

• Public channels, which any user can join;
• Private channels, accessible via an invite link.

When creating your channel, specify the type you need; you can easily change it later in the settings. Public channels are usually chosen to increase visibility and sales, while private channels can have a paid entry. This depends on your business goals and objectives.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Telegram Channel

Using an Android device as an example (the steps are similar and intuitive on iOS devices and the desktop version):

1. Press the pencil icon, which brings up options. Select “New Channel,” confirm, and proceed to the next step.

2. Enter a name and description (up to 255 characters) to demonstrate what your Telegram channel is about. You can edit these later.

Note! If the channel is public, choose a name that is easy to find in search.

At this stage, add an avatar. This is an image that reflects the essence of the channel and stands out in the chat list.

3. Choose the type — private or public Telegram channel. For the private option, the messenger will automatically suggest a link. For the public option, you will need to create your own link. The system will check for duplicates immediately. While names can be repeated, the Telegram channel link must be unique and contain 5 to 32 Latin characters or digits.

Next, you can enable or disable the setting that prevents copying, saving, and forwarding content. This is particularly relevant if you are publishing paid information.

4. Add people from your contact list. You can skip this step and do it later.

5. Done! Write a post (and pin it if needed) so that the first subscribers to your Telegram channel understand what interesting content they will find and don’t think it’s spam.

Telegram channel settings

How to add comments to a telegram channel

Click on the avatar or the three dots in the desktop version. Find “Channel Settings” and create a separate group that automatically connects to the channel. Click on the avatar or the three dots in the desktop version. Find “Channel Settings” and create a separate discussion that automatically connects to the channel.

All comments will be displayed in this group. You can unlink or delete it at any time (in which case, all user messages will disappear).

Comments are an important function for communication between a business and its consumers. Through them, the brand receives feedback, monitors audience reactions, and increases loyalty and engagement — Telegram channel statistics are tracked based on various parameters, which become available once you reach 50 subscribers. Lead generation is also possible if users leave requests for your services or products in the channel comments.

Reactions

Reactions are automatically enabled with a maximum of 11 emojis per post. You can set limitations or disable reactions entirely. Custom emojis can also be added.

Adding Administrators

To manage the channel collaboratively, you can grant access to other people. Administrator rights are set in the settings, allowing or restricting the ability to change the channel profile, manage posts, stories, and broadcasts, add subscribers, and assign other administrators.

Design

This feature is only available to channels that have received enough votes from Premium subscribers. Therefore, at the initial stage, the standard design remains.

How to promote a Telegram channel

Although messengers are incorporating social media elements like stories and reactions, they still don’t have a publication feed where the audience can randomly see posts. Therefore, promoting a Telegram channel is a distinct task for creators. The methods are divided into paid and free options.

Want to understand how messenger marketing works? Then we invite you to check out our article How Messenger Marketing Works: Benefits and Strategies

How to gain subscribers on a Telegram channel: free methods

How to gain subscribers for a Telegram channel: paid methods

Summary

Telegram channels are a popular source of information for audiences and are used for brand promotion. There are private and public channels, with the type chosen during creation and adjusted according to business goals such as increasing virality, trust, loyalty, and sales. It is important to come up with a clear and engaging channel name, description, and avatar that stands out. Communication with the audience is facilitated through comments and emoji reactions.

Free methods to promote a Telegram channel: attract audiences from other platforms, use email newsletters, arrange collaborations, offer barter placements and cross-promotions, write articles on other blogs, and create unique content and creative stickers. Paid methods include advertising with bloggers, in other channels, through Telegram Ads, media publications, and QR codes on offline platforms.

* Meta’s product, recognized as an extremist organization in Russia.

The article was originally published here.