1. my experience
I had a telegram channel back in 2018-2021, so I've seen how it all works. the biggest lesson? if you don’t figure out how to monetize early on, you’ll just end up burning time and money
2. how telegram actually pays
telegram does pay for ad views, but unless you’re pulling in millions of views, it’s basically nothing. don’t count on this as your main income source — it's just not worth it for small or mid-sized channels
3. how to grow a telegram channel
the main strategy is buying shoutouts (aka paid ads) from other channels with a similar niche.
example deal – 2/24 post for $40:
- 2 = your post stays at the top for 2 hours
- 24 = your post stays in the feed for 24 hours before it gets deleted
there are other setups too like 1/48, 3/forever, etc. prices vary based on visibility and post lifespan.
4. how to start making money
once you’ve built a small, loyal audience, you can flip the model — instead of buying ads, people start paying you for shoutouts. this is your first real shot at earning, but don’t expect people to line up with cash. it’s not that easy. you’ll need to spend time every day finding clients
if your audience is strong and loyal enough, you might even get repeat clients — but that’s a whole separate topic
5. the trap: traffic arbitrage
here’s the downside — you’ll probably end up doing traffic arbitrage, which means constantly buying and selling ads between channels
- in the beginning, you’ll reinvest 100% of what you make
- to scale faster, you might need to reinvest 200–250%
- later, when the channel is stable, you can reduce that to 70% or so
this cycle is exhausting and risky. if you stay stuck here without a plan, growth gets really hard
6. the smart way: real monetization
to escape the endless loop of ad trading, you need a solid product or service
better monetization options:
- build a SaaS bot or tool that solves a problem for your audience
- sell your expertise through consulting, guides, courses, or other info products
- promote affiliate products — if your channel has the right niche and trust, you can make solid passive income by recommending tools, services, or platforms you actually use
that’s how you start making real, sustainable money — not just flipping ads