Telegram Advertising: Why You Should Use It in 2025

With more competition on traditional ad platforms, Telegram gives brands a fresh way to stand out. Its fast-growing user base, now approaching a third of YouTube’s size, makes it a strong channel for reaching engaged audiences.

This article breaks down how Telegram advertising works and why it’s a smart addition to your marketing plan.

• Who and Why Uses Telegram
• Why Telegram Is Unique
• Telegram Advertising Options
• Why Brands Need Telegram Advertising in 2025
• Wrapping Up

Who and Why Uses Telegram

Telegram is a messaging platform used for various purposes. People don’t just chat there — they follow and engage with channels, communicate via groups, play mini app games, buy products and services, book hotels and flights, play quizzes, trade, store, and manage crypto assets.

Let’s explore what sets Telegram apart from other platforms.

Telegram Users Demographics

As Pavel Durov shared on his channel, Telegram reached 1 billion monthly active users worldwide in 2025. More than half of its audience is between 25 and 44 years old, while a quarter is under 24. 

Telegram users by age

Both men and women are actively using the app. Men represent a slightly larger share — 57% of total users.

Telegram Users by Country

India had the highest number of Telegram downloads in 2024. Users installed the app over 100 million times. 

Russia came in second with over 38.4 million downloads, just ahead of the United States, which had 38.2 million installations.

Brazil saw the most downloads in Latin America. Meanwhile, France and Germany led the market in Western Europe.

Telegram users by country (in millions)

Why People Use Telegram

80% of Telegram users rely on the app to stay updated with the latest news. 73% find it more convenient than other messaging apps because of its easy-to-use interface and rich set of features.

More than half (56%) use the platform to exchange files and links across devices. Besides messaging, Telegram is a handy tool for storing notes, photos, and videos, and is popular for downloading music, movies, and books.

Why people use Telegram

Why Telegram Is Unique

Brands actively use Telegram for marketing purposes. For example, Blum, a crypto trading platform, has a channel with over 29 million subscribers and several bots.

Blum’s Telegram channel

Why is Telegram becoming more popular in the business world?

Global reach and growing audience. Telegram is the 8th most used social media platform in the world, and its number of active users is increasing every year. 

High engagement rates. An average user spends over 4 hours per month on the platform. 

Minimal ad saturation. Unlike other social media platforms filled with ads, Telegram keeps things clean and user-friendly. Ads are not only more visible but also less likely to be ignored.

Privacy-focused environment. Telegram prioritizes user privacy, and this creates a trusted space where people feel secure. Users are more comfortable interacting with content and brands on the platform.

Variety of communication formats. There are multiple ways to connect with audiences, including channels, groups, bots, and mini apps. You can create personalized campaigns and content tailored to different customer preferences and needs. For example, a bot could automate frequently asked questions or be a key part of your sales funnel. 

Thus, any business — especially those targeting niche markets, tech-savvy users, or international audiences — can benefit from Telegram’s powerful communication and marketing tools.

Telegram Advertising Options

Here are three dynamic tools that help you connect with your target audience in a more personalized way:

• Telegram Ads — Sponsored messages that appear in public and private channels, as well as bots.
• Mini App advertising — Ads are seamlessly integrated into the interface of mini apps, such as clicker games and other interactive experiences.
• Telegram seeding with influencers — Collaborating with popular Telegram channel owners to organically introduce your brand to niche communities for higher trust and engagement.

Next, we’ll take a closer look at these advertising options and how they can drive growth for your business.

Telegram Ads

Telegram Ads are sponsored messages that appear within the platform’s private or public channels and bots. Channels need at least 1,000 followers, and bots must have over 1,000 monthly active users to display ads.

Messages should not be longer than 160 characters and may include regular and custom emojis. Each ad features a link that directs users to a Telegram channel, bot, mini app, website, or business profile.

You can learn more about how it works in our guide on how to run Telegram Ads.

Telegram ad in a bot

Telegram supports advertising in over a dozen languages, including English, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Turkish, Farsi, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Korean, and Serbian.

Advantages of Telegram Ads:

• Cost-effective advertising. This is a more affordable option compared to traditional social media advertising. The platform operates on a Cost Per Mille (CPM) model — you pay for every 1,000 impressions your ads receive. The starting CPM for a sponsored message is set at 0.1 Toncoin (TON). Currently, 1 TON is approximately $3.4.
• Effective targeting. You can target specific channels, even those of your competitors, as well as bots. As a result, your campaigns reach people who are more likely to take action and interact with your content.
• No algorithmic barriers. Unlike some social media platforms, where ads may be restricted or filtered by algorithms, Telegram Ads are directly visible to users in the relevant channels and bots.
• Simple but impactful. Ads are made up of text and a link, with no flashy visuals, so they blend smoothly into the feed and feel more like helpful content than a regular ad.
• Low competition. With minimal ads on Telegram, your campaigns stand out and get noticed by the right audience.

Telegram Mini App Advertising

Mini apps are lightweight, integrated applications within Telegram that can be everything from fun games to useful tools. Ads show up when users interact with apps.

Ad in a mini app

Advantages of Telegram mini app advertising:

• Smooth user experience. Ads blend naturally with the mini app interface and are perceived as a helpful addition rather than an interruption.
• Diverse ad formats. Formats include banners, videos, and tasks that are integrated directly into the app experience.
• Several targeting options. Reach audiences based on their device type, Telegram Premium subscription, language preference, and geographic location. You can also target users who have an active crypto wallet on Telegram.
• Higher engagement. Mini app ads encourage active participation, which leads to stronger engagement than traditional ad formats.
• User segmentation. This feature lets you create custom audience segments and run personalized campaigns. You can exclude users who’ve completed the action and set up retargeting to re-engage those who interacted but didn’t convert.

In short, Telegram mini app ads are a unique way to promote your offerings. Moreover, it’s the only way to reach Telegram Premium users. 

Telegram Influencer Marketing

Telegram influencer marketing (or seeding) refers to placing native advertisements in channels. With these paid posts, you can introduce your product or service and achieve goals like gaining channel subscribers, website visits, registrations, or app installs.

Advantages of Telegram seeding:

• Authenticity & trust. Paid posts placed in trusted channels feel like friendly recommendations rather than intrusive promotions.
• Brand awareness. Influencer marketing boosts the overall visibility of your brand and makes it more recognizable to the target users.
• Targeted traffic. This strategy helps attract the right audience by appearing in niche communities.
• Effectiveness. Seeding works for large brands, startups, and even small local businesses.
• Flexible ad formats. You can capture the attention of your target audience by texts, images, videos and interactive content.

To sum up, Telegram seeding drives meaningful interactions and expands brand recognition in a more natural and engaging way.

Why Brands Need Telegram Advertising in 2025

There are 2 key reasons why it’s important to start advertising on Telegram this year. 

1. Telegram offers powerful tools for reaching your audience in unique ways not found on other social media. Advertising through channels, bots and mini apps helps create interactive, personalized experiences that stand out from the crowd.
2. Ads are still uncommon on the platform, which gives you a chance to build a strong presence in your niche before the competition increases. If you start using the platform’s marketing tools now, you can position your brand as the leader in your industry and connect with your target audience ahead of others.

Wrapping Up

Now is the ideal time to start advertising on Telegram and reach its growing community of active users.

Here is a quick recap:

• The platform's wide international user base makes it easy to engage with people from all over the world.
• There are different marketing options available, such as Telegram Ads, mini app advertising, and seeding with influencers.
• Fewer ads on the platform mean brands can stand out and capture the attention of highly engaged users in a less crowded environment.
• From cryptocurrency to e-commerce and education, Telegram’s marketing features cater to various industries.