The Most Cost-Effective Way to Launch Targeted Advertising on Telegram
The Telegram advertising platform was officially released in December 2021 but gained broader adoption only two years later after significantly lowering the entry threshold. The minimum budget dropped from one million euros to just €500. I had the opportunity to test the platform a few months ago, and now I want to share my experience.
How to Launch Targeted Advertising on Telegram?
Let's start with the basics. There are three types of ad accounts, differing in how they are funded:
TON Account
This is the most minimalistic ad account I’ve ever seen ??. The only available targeting options are by channels and bots. Additionally, the platform lacks detailed statistics. For example, to obtain separate statistics for each advertising channel, you must create separate campaigns, as overall statistics are available only at the campaign level.
?? With this account type, you CANNOT run ads in Russia, Ukraine, Israel, or Palestine. This is a significant drawback since 30% of Telegram channel audiences come from Russia and Ukraine.
Funding is only possible with cryptocurrency, specifically TON tokens. You will need to register on a cryptocurrency exchange. ?? Minimum CPM: 0.1 TON (≈ €0.35) Minimum budget: 20 TON (≈ €71)
Ad restrictions:
?? However, there is a loophole: you can legally drive traffic to a website by creating a bot that includes a link to your site.
Cons: Long moderation process, geo-restrictions, limited targeting options, text-only ads. Pros: Lower minimum CPM and budget compared to the Euro account.
Stars Account
This account functions similarly to the TON account, with the main difference being the payment method. Instead of TON, it is funded using Telegram’s internal currency – Stars.
4 ways to purchase Stars:
?? This is the most cost-effective way to fund a Telegram ad account because Telegram offers a 30% discount when transferring Stars to an ad account.
Cons: Same as the TON account.
Pros: Even lower advertising costs compared to the TON account.
Euro (Agency) Account
Finally, we come to the most popular way to launch Telegram ads – through agencies. Many platforms offer this service, including MTS, OneSpot, eLama, and others.
You might ask, “Can I work directly with Telegram Ads?” Yes, but only if you have a few million euros. That’s the minimum budget for a direct contract. This option is only viable for large enterprises. Through agencies, the minimum deposit is €250, excluding VAT and agency commissions (which range from 10% to 30%).
?? Minimum budget: €250
I launched my campaign on eLama. They attracted me with a lower commission (10% instead of 20%) and active marketing initiatives (webinars, conferences, social media, email campaigns). Overall, I was satisfied, though I had some concerns about their UI/UX and business processes. For example, setting up and funding an account was not user-friendly, but their support team helped resolve these issues.
By the way, if you plan to use eLama, you can get an additional 5000 RUB by registering via my referral link. eLama also supports ad placements on platforms like VK, Google, TikTok, Yandex, and more.
?? Minimum CPM: €1
For political topics, CPM is surprisingly half the regular rate. Actual CPM depends on competition and niche.
I tested ads in the affiliate marketing niche, where my average CPM was €10, and the cost per subscriber ranged between €3-7, which was acceptable for business purposes.
For niches like crypto, gambling, and marketing, CPM can reach €10, €20, or even €30. The cheapest ads are in humor and news channels, where you can buy placements for as little as €1-2 CPM.
Launching Ads on Telegram
Here’s what the eLama ad account looks like. The most useful feature is the ability to filter overall statistics by date. That’s about it.
Campaign setup happens in Telegram Ads, so let’s move there.
Here, you’ll find all the main ad settings. Besides channel targeting, Telegram allows targeting by categories/topics. However, I do not recommend using this feature. Many colleagues tested it and concluded it is ineffective.
?? The best strategy: “1 campaign - 1 channel”
Although Telegram allows ads to run on up to 59 channels simultaneously, it only provides aggregated statistics. This makes it impossible to analyze individual channel performance, complicating campaign optimization.
In the Target Users tab, Telegram offers additional targeting options, including countries, cities, languages, and devices (iOS, Android, Mobile, Desktop). However, I only targeted by channel.
Finding Channels
I recommend tgstat.com. In my opinion, it’s the best service for finding channels. Most essential features are free. Use the search tool to find channels by keywords, topics, and other filters. Save your selected channels in a Google spreadsheet for easy campaign setup.
Telegram Moderation
Telegram uses manual moderation, so approval times vary. In the TON account, my ads took up to a week to be approved ??. The Euro account was faster: some campaigns were approved in 5 minutes, while others took 2-3 days.
To speed up moderation, carefully read Telegram’s guidelines. ?????? If your ad is rejected, contact a manager immediately—they can help identify what needs to be fixed.
Images, Videos, and Custom Emojis in Telegram Ads
The minimum budget for image-based ads is €5K, and for video ads, it’s €20K.
With limited budgets, you must rely on Telegram’s standard creatives, which automatically pull images from channels and allow basic emojis. Adding an image increases CPM by 30%, but in my opinion, this extra cost isn’t justified. Instead, look for alternative budget-friendly but visually appealing solutions.
I like animated emojis—they grab attention well. You can also use custom emojis, which significantly boost CTR.
To add animated emojis, use the Telegram bot @AdsMarkdownBot. Send it an emoji or full ad text.
Using custom emojis increases CPM by 20% but also raises CTR by around 20%, making it a worthwhile investment.
Conclusion
Telegram Ads offer several ways to launch targeted advertising, each with its pros and cons. The TON and Stars accounts are cost-effective but come with significant limitations in targeting and geo-restrictions. The Euro (Agency) account provides more flexibility but requires higher budgets and agency fees.
For businesses on a budget, the Stars account is the best option due to its 30% discount. However, for professional campaigns, agency accounts offer more control and efficiency. When setting up ads, targeting specific channels individually yields the best results. Lastly, optimizing your creatives—using animated or custom emojis—can improve CTR while keeping costs manageable ??