GUIDE · TELEGRAM ADS
Telegram Ads is the only official advertising platform inside Telegram. Ads serve as sponsored messages in public channels with 1,000+ subscribers and as promotions in mini-apps, billed in three currencies. Below — what it is, how delivery, formats, targeting, moderation and cost work, and how to launch, either yourself or via an agency.
1B+
Telegram MAU (March 2025)
400M+
mini-app MAU
1,000+
subscribers a channel needs to serve ads
3
cabinets: EUR · TON · Stars
Telegram Ads is the only official advertising platform, run by Telegram itself. Ads serve as sponsored messages in public channels with 1,000+ subscribers and as promotions inside mini-apps. Private chats are never touched — that privacy stance is foundational.
The inventory is large: Telegram has 1B+ MAU (March 2025) and 400M+ people interact with bots and mini-apps. But the platform is closed and auction-driven, so it pays to understand how it works before funding a budget.
The thing that confuses newcomers most: it is one platform with three billing «cabinets» — EUR (fiat), TON (cryptocurrency) and Telegram Stars (XTR). These are not three systems — they are three currency rails on one delivery infrastructure.
EUR Ads Cabinet is the original cabinet and the default outside crypto. Fiat billing, a standard CPM around €1, and a €2 minimum to launch a campaign. Best for brands and services running reach campaigns.
TON Ads is the same official cabinet, billed in Toncoin. First deposit from 20 TON (≈$50–60), no minimum after; the minimum CPM is the same 0.1 TON ≈ $0.36 per 1,000 impressions. Global reach and channel-level placement — ideal for crypto, Web3 and multi-language campaigns.
Stars Promotions bills in Telegram Stars (XTR), 1 Star ≈ $0.013 (fixed rate: 200 Stars = 1 TON). Ads paid in Stars get a 30% discount. For mini-apps, bots, gift campaigns and Star giveaways. Full per-cabinet breakdowns are linked below.
In the EUR and TON cabinets the format is the same: up to 160 characters of text plus a CTA button, optionally a banner (photo/video). Links are only allowed to Telegram channels and bots — external URLs are not permitted. That keeps the whole user journey inside Telegram.
TON adds a crypto-link CTA (wallet / dApp / token). The Stars format is a mini-app card, gift or invoice offer (Telegram Stars / paid-media right in the sponsored slot). Each format has its own hooks; what competitors already run is visible in the open tgadsspy archive.
An ad serves as a sponsored message — a distinct block in a public channel feed or a promotion inside a mini-app, not a message in your DMs. Ads are personalised: different users in the same channel see different ads.
Premium accounts see no sponsored messages at all. Delivery is tied to regional accounts, so the same campaign fans out by geo to cover the audiences you want.
The EUR cabinet targets by a channel allow-list (up to 100 by username), topics/interests (from subscriptions), language and device types — not by individual demographics. Two modes: Target Users or Target Channels (they do not combine).
TON Ads uses the same channel / topic / language targeting, billed in TON: you reach a crypto audience through crypto / DeFi / NFT channels (it does not read wallets). Stars targets by App Center category.
No cabinet offers per-user demographic targeting by gender/age and none reads on-chain wallets. You reach audiences by the channels they read, not by who they are.
Before launch the account is verified (typically 1–5 business days) and every creative is reviewed by Telegram. Targeting cannot be changed after a campaign is created. Channels carry trust flags: verified (blue check), scam, fake, restricted; partner verification (bot_verification) is separate — an organisation confirms an official channel via its own bot.
There is a persistent myth about the entry barrier. The €2M barrier for direct access (€1M non-refundable deposit) formally remains since launch in 2021 — it was not officially «lowered». Cheap entry appeared a different way: through the TON cabinet (from ~20 TON) and resellers/agencies, not a lowered threshold.
Pricing is auction-driven and depends on cabinet, niche and geo. The official floor is 0.1 TON ≈ $0.36 per 1,000 impressions; the standard sponsored CPM is around €1; the minimum to launch a campaign is €2. In a competitive auction the effective CPM clears higher: Tier-1 (US/UK/DE/FR) $10–12, Tier-2 (Eastern Europe / MENA) $3–5, emerging markets $0.30–0.60.
Ballpark a budget for your reach and geo in the calculator; the full cost breakdown is on the cost page, and live percentiles by niche and geo live at tgmetrics.net.
On your own — the six steps below: register, verify, top up, build the creative, target, submit for moderation. Via agency: G.Media Agency runs campaigns end-to-end across every cabinet type — a 30-day pilot with a transparent client dashboard.
Before launching, see what competitors already run in the open tgadsspy archive: filter by niche, country and advertiser to see real creatives and offers.
Launching yourself in the official cabinet.
Register
Sign up at ads.telegram.org and pick a cabinet — EUR, TON or Stars depending on your product and audience.
Verify
Pass account verification — typically 1–5 business days.
Top up balance
Fund your balance. The EUR minimum to launch a campaign is €2; the TON cabinet takes a first deposit from 20 TON (≈$50–60).
Creative
Build the ad: up to 160 characters of text + a CTA button, optionally a banner. Links only to Telegram channels and bots.
Targeting
Set targeting: a channel allow-list (up to 100), topics, language, devices. No demographics — you reach audiences through the channels they read.
Moderation & launch
Submit the creative for Telegram moderation. Once approved the campaign goes live; note targeting cannot be changed after creation.
Prices and CPMs in this guide combine the official ads.telegram.org documentation with public agency case studies (PropellerAds, RichAds, Collaborator). Ranges are indicative and move with the auction — we do not publish a «$10B market» figure (no reliable primary source) and do not claim the €2M barrier was lowered (a myth).
We observe the formats and offers themselves directly: tgadsspy records every sponsored message we see across regions — currently 82,578+ creatives from 45,014+ advertisers in the open archive, citable with permalinks under a CC-BY-4.0 licence.
The only official advertising platform inside Telegram. Ads serve as sponsored messages in public channels with 1,000+ subscribers and in mini-apps, billed in three currencies: EUR, TON and Telegram Stars (XTR).
Three official cabinets by billing currency: EUR (fiat), TON (crypto) and Stars (XTR). Within those, placement formats vary (sponsored messages, App Center boosts, gift campaigns, giveaways).
Pricing is auction-driven. The official floor is 0.1 TON ≈ $0.36 per 1,000 impressions, the standard CPM is around €1, and the campaign minimum is €2. Effective CPM: Tier-1 $10–12, Tier-2 $3–5, emerging $0.30–0.60. Ballpark your budget in the calculator.
No. No cabinet offers per-user demographic targeting and none reads on-chain wallets. EUR and TON target channels/topics/language, Stars targets App Center categories.
No. Ads are personalised per user, and Premium accounts see no sponsored messages at all.
No — the €2M direct-access barrier formally remains since 2021. Cheap entry comes through the TON cabinet (from ~20 TON) and resellers/agencies, not a lowered official threshold.