Telegram promotion methods in 2025: what works and what does not

There are many ways to promote in Telegram. Below is a brief overview of simple methods and a deeper look at those that can be scaled.

Commenting

This method is often recommended for the first subscribers. There are two types: AI commenting and manual commenting.

AI commenting works like this: you hire a specialist who creates accounts with your name and a link to your channel. They choose relevant channels and use a neural network to leave hundreds of comments every day.

I do not recommend this method. It is hard to attract a deliberate and high quality audience this way, especially in serious topics. You can gain subscribers, but if you filter for people who are truly interested and can bring revenue later, their cost can be higher than or similar to seeding or Telegram Ads.

Manual commenting means you or your assistant personally visit selected channels and leave meaningful comments. It can work because live and relevant comments attract attention. But if your time is expensive, this method can cost more than seeding in those channels.

Community

This is the cheapest but least scalable way to attract audience. For example, a business course chat where you can introduce yourself and your channel. Many people will subscribe and they are usually target users.

Another option is a business card with a QR code handed out at events.

This method is a supplement, not a replacement for a full advertising campaign. It can add a hundred or a few hundred subscribers.

Yandex Direct

Yandex Direct has several promotion formats. One is ads inside Telegram channels. On the surface it sounds simple: your channel appears in other channels and you start gaining subscribers.

The problem is that many channels where ads appear are inflated. Channel owners benefit from showing your ad because they get paid for impressions, but you get fake views. You might get some clicks and subscribers, but I have not seen positive reviews for this approach.

Another format is banner ads. It can work, but there are specifics. You can attract an audience, but it may not be target. There are two main issues: it scales poorly in the campaign builder, and the audience can be low engagement. A person may subscribe but rarely uses Telegram.

I recommend this method only as a supplement to other promotion methods.

Promotion via VK

This method works only for open channels. If you promote bots or closed channels, campaigns are rejected.

I do not consider it very effective. Moving people from one social network to another usually reduces quality and increases cost. You might want to attract someone who scrolls VK all day, but in Telegram they have no familiar channels or contacts. They may subscribe but rarely return to read posts.

There are exceptions. If you know how to find the right audience in VK and that audience is unavailable or too expensive in Telegram, then moving them can make sense. In such cases you can invest a budget in VK and move the audience to Telegram.

In general, be careful with this method due to low engagement risk.

Advertising exchanges like Telega

Right now the largest exchange for Telegram placements is Telegain. It includes thousands of channels and you can study reviews before buying.

My experience with this exchange is mostly negative, but for some projects I still use it due to task specifics.

Why I do not recommend Telegain: there are many inflated channels with bots. It takes time to find suitable placements. Also, due to hidden and visible fees, admins raise placement prices to cover costs. For example, a channel listed at 10,000 rubles on the exchange might agree to 6,000 rubles if you contact the admin directly. We have seen this many times.

When is Telegain useful? When you need to buy ads in many cheap channels and audience quality is not critical. Even then, I would rather buy a few larger channels than spread budget across many small ones.

Mutual promotion chats

These are chats where participants agree to subscribe to each other. The chance that these subscribers later become customers is minimal. If you just want to boost subscriber numbers quickly, buying bots will give similar results. I would save time and skip this method.

Folders

This method creates a folder of multiple channels. When a person subscribes to the folder, they subscribe to all channels in it.

The problem is that the user does not subscribe specifically to you. They join many channels at once, and the chance they read you is small. I do not recommend this for a deliberate audience that converts to customers.

However, if you need a large number of subscribers and do not want to use bots, it can work.

Inviting

Inviting is a way to promote a chat. An account invites people from a prepared list into a chat.

The main issue is that this method has been used for a long time. People who allow chat invites are used to it and either leave immediately or ignore the invite.

In 2025 this method is ineffective. It is considered gray because it forces people into a chat. This harms the business reputation if you want to grow this way.

I do not know any legitimate business that should use this method.

Conclusion

Most Telegram promotion methods have pros and cons. Some are useful for specific tasks, but quality and engaged audiences always cost more and require a thoughtful approach. If you want a stable community and real results, focus on methods that bring your target audience even if they require more effort and spend.