How to Make Money on Telegram: Six Real Routes and What Each Takes

Telegram has no single way to earn money. People sell stock from a channel, earn a share of ad revenue, sell digital products for Stars, post affiliate links, run paid groups or build bots for clients. Each route needs something different: stock, an audience, a product or a skill. This guide covers the six routes we could source from Telegram’s own documentation or from consumer-protection guidance, what each takes, and the scams to avoid.

Which ways to earn on Telegram work?

None of these routes guarantees income. The sections below give the detail for each.

1. Sell physical goods through a channel or group

This is the route most ordinary sellers can start with. You post each item in a Telegram channel with a photo, a price and a few lines of description. Buyers read the post, then message you or tap a link. You agree payment and postage with each buyer and send the item. A channel suits stock you show to everyone. A group suits buyers who want to talk to one another.

Setting this up by hand means you post, edit and mark each item sold yourself. The FLUF bot, @fluf_io_bot, can do the repetitive part:

• Photos become listings. Send photos to the bot and it drafts a listing with a title and description for you to check.
• Stock drips into the channel. The default is ten posts a day, and you can set anything from zero to 200. The bot leaves at least 45 seconds between posts in one channel.
• Posts follow the stock. A price or title change updates the post. When an item sells on a connected marketplace, its post changes to SOLD. You can have the post deleted instead, if it is less than 48 hours old.
• Auctions and wanted alerts. You can run an auction with bids in the bot or in the post’s comments, with the end extended by two minutes if a bid lands in the last two minutes. Buyers can send /want with an item they are looking for, and the bot sends them the listing when a match appears.

The bot is included in every FLUF plan. Plans and prices are on the FLUF pricing page. Telegram’s bot limits apply, and if the bot loses admin rights in your channel, FLUF disconnects the channel and tells you.

2. Telegram’s own payouts: ad revenue, Stars and subscriptions

Channel ad revenue. Telegram says channel owners can receive 50% of the revenue from ads shown in their channels. The share is for owners of public channels with at least 1,000 subscribers, announced on 31 March 2024. Telegram says owners can withdraw their rewards with no fees, through Fragment. Check the current terms before you rely on the figures, because they can change.

Telegram Stars. Stars are an in-app currency. People buy them inside Telegram, through Apple or Google in-app purchases or through @PremiumBot, and spend them on digital goods and services. Bots sell in Stars using the currency code XTR. Telegram’s June 2024 announcement says developers will be able to convert the Stars their bots earn into Toncoin through Fragment. The developer page does not state a conversion rate or fee in its text. Stars are for digital goods, so a physical item needs a payment provider instead.

Telegram Business. This is a subscription for accounts that talk to customers. It includes quick replies, automated responses and the option to connect a chatbot. Telegram says that in its initial phase it is provided free to Premium subscribers, and it reserves the right to charge separately later. It is a tool for handling chats, not a way to be paid.

3. Affiliate links and deal channels

An affiliate link earns you a commission when someone buys through it on a merchant’s programme. Deal channels share offers and links with their audience. This works when the audience trusts your choices and you say clearly when a link earns you money. Each merchant sets its own terms, rates and cookie windows, so read them before you join. Spamming links into groups breaks Telegram’s rules and gets accounts restricted.

4. Paid communities, courses and services

You can charge for a paid group, a course, a template or a one-to-one service. Digital products can be sold for Stars through a bot. The work is in the product itself: it has to solve a problem people will pay to have solved, and you have to deliver it. Plan for refunds and support time before you set a price.

5. Building bots or mini apps for clients

Businesses sometimes pay developers to build a bot or mini app for selling, booking or support. Telegram’s payments documentation says bot owners carry full responsibility for disputed payments, along with the payment provider and the bank. So a developer who takes payments needs clear terms, support and a refund process. Expect the work to include hosting and maintenance after launch.

Scams to avoid

Selling your own goods or running a channel is generally lawful, but sales, tax and consumer rules apply where you live. This guide does not cover those rules. The bigger risk is people who approach you with offers. Walk away from any of these:

• Task scams. Offers to like posts, watch videos or rate apps for money, where you must pay a deposit or a fee to release the next task or withdraw your earnings.
• Paid earning bots. Any bot that asks you to pay to start earning.
• Pump groups and fake investment bots. Groups that promise quick, high returns, show photos of luxury cash, and push you to put in more money.
• Buying stock to resell. Offers of luxury goods at very low prices, where you pay upfront to buy the stock.

The US Federal Trade Commission lists these warning signs in its job scams guidance. Honest employers never ask you to pay to get a job. Starter kits and so-called training are common scam tools. Claims that you can make a lot of money in a short time with little work are, in the FTC’s words, almost certainly a scam. If someone asks you to deposit a check and send money back, stop.

Never send money to someone you do not know and trust, and never share a one-time login code.

Start here

1. Pick one route you can start this week. For most people that is selling stock you already own.
2. Create a channel, add @fluf_io_bot as an admin, and post a few items at a slow pace.
3. Check your sales and tax rules, then agree a clear payment and postage method with each buyer.