How to build a core list of Telegram channels from scratch

In Telegram, placement starts with a base, not a budget. You cannot run a solid campaign if you do not know where to go. It seems simple: open a directory, copy usernames, done. In reality directories are outdated and manual collection takes hours. A beginner struggles to start because it is unclear how to search, what to add, and what to filter.

If you work alone without a team and analysts, you must automate routine work. Telepars helps with that. It lets you collect hundreds of relevant channels in 15 to 30 minutes, move from a broad core to narrow segments, and quickly select active channels with administrator contacts. This is a practical tool, not just another analytics toy.

With this approach you do not lose days on selection and you do not complain in chats that there is nowhere to place ads. You build the core, filter, segment, and move on.

Step 1. Find the first channels with Category Search

When you start selecting placements, you do not need manual browsing. Telepars has a Category Search module with a base of more than 15,000 Telegram channels across 130 topics. It is a starting point that gives you the first sample in seconds without extra work.

Example: choose the Business category, click Get Channels, and you see a list of about 1,000 channels. They already pass basic moderation, so you can see username, description, and reach, and quickly judge who is in the market.

Next is precise filtering. Suppose you work with a business to business audience. Enter "business to business" in the filter and get a filtered list. Not one thousand, but about nineteen. That is the core. It is more accurate than manual browsing in bots or search engines.

Category Search saves hours at the start. You get an entry point and move to the next stage, expansion.

Step 2. Collect similar channels with high overlap

Once you have a starting sample, you can scale. Telepars has a Similar Channels feature that uses Telegram internal logic. It finds audience overlaps between channels and shows where the same users are active. This is based on real behavior, not just topic labels.

The process is simple: take five to ten channels, launch Similar Channels, and you get 200 to 500 new channels. Each channel has an overlap count, how many times it appears among the sources. If a channel overlaps with six out of ten, that is a strong signal of relevance.

You can sort by overlap count. At the top you get maximum overlap, and lower you find niche discoveries. This lets you select mainstream and unexpected placements that are hard to find manually.

You are not just expanding the list. You are building a field of placements for filtering and segmentation.

Step 3. Segment by niches and keywords

After you collect hundreds of similar channels, it is time to filter. The goal is to remove irrelevant items. The logic is simple: start with a broad core, then narrow by meaning. This is a funnel where you keep only the niches you need.

In Telepars you can filter by keywords in the description, channel name, or even administrator name. For example, you collected business channels but need only finance. Enter "investments" and keep a focused subset. Want to remove mass media and aggregators? Filter out channels with keywords like news, digest, and media.

This approach is especially useful in narrow niches such as astrology, esoterics, fashion, or business to business information technology. You keep only those that match the segment and remove noise. It saves time and prevents ads from going to the wrong audience.

The key moment is when you have 30 to 50 filtered and fully relevant channels. That is when you move to activity checks and administrator contacts.

Step 4. Fast filtering by activity and administrators

After segmentation you must see if channels are alive. Telepars provides automatic analysis with last post date, subscriber count, comments, and administrator contacts. These are the key parameters for the first filter.

At this stage you remove dead channels that have not posted for two months, have no reach, and exist only for appearance. You can also remove channels with no administrator contact because it is hard to place ads there.

Filtering takes minutes. You immediately see which channels are active, whether they have engagement, and how posts are formatted. You work with a table that has all key information in one place.

At this stage you can also create the final list for a buying spreadsheet. It is convenient for a media plan or for handing off to an assistant for outreach.

Step 5. What to do next with the core list

After the list is filtered, the work begins. The obvious next step is exporting a table from Telepars with links, descriptions, activity, and administrator contacts. You can send it to a media buyer, an assistant, or load it into a media plan.

Then you have two options. You can launch ads now by writing to administrators, agreeing placements, and sending posts. Or you can continue the funnel by running Similar Channels on the new list and go deeper into the niche.

If you work with seeding, the core list helps distribute budget and run split tests. If you plan Telegram Ads, you can use the list as a base to select similar audiences and evaluate creatives.

Either way, you now have a foundation that lets you start confidently without manual collection and guesswork.