Telegram Ads in 2024: what works, what doesn't, and what we'd tell ourselves 2 years ago
We've spent over $300K on Telegram Ads across crypto, info products, and B2B verticals. Here's the honest breakdown of what the platform actually delivers.
What Telegram Ads is and isn't
Telegram's official ad platform (ads.telegram.org) is not a performance channel in the traditional sense. There's no lookalike audiences, no pixel-based retargeting, no customer list matching. You're buying reach into specific channel categories with a minimum CPM-based model.
What it is: a high-quality inventory channel with unusually engaged audiences, especially for RU/CIS markets, crypto, and finance.
The audience quality advantage
Telegram's users self-select into channels based on interest. A person in a crypto analysis channel didn't end up there by accident — they searched for it, subscribed, and read it regularly. This intent quality has no equivalent on Meta or Google's display inventory.
In practice, we see 30–60% better lead-to-appointment rates from Telegram-sourced leads compared to Meta leads at equivalent CPL.
The targeting constraints
This is where Telegram Ads frustrates most teams:
- No demographic targeting (no age, gender, location — only GEO via channel category filters)
- No custom audiences
- Channel category targeting is broad — "Finance" includes everything from personal budgeting to DeFi
- Minimum budget is €2/day per ad, minimum CPM is €1
The workaround we use: curate channel lists manually. Instead of using category targeting, we identify specific high-quality channels by audience quality and request direct placements when the platform allows it. For official Telegram Ads, we test across categories and then double down on the CPM-efficient categories.
Creative format constraints
Telegram Ads is text-only: 160 characters maximum, one URL. This is a creative constraint that most teams underestimate.
The highest-performing copy pattern we've found: a specific data point or claim that creates curiosity, followed by a clear CTA. No preamble, no branding, no features.
"Trading school CPL dropped $18 → $7 after we rebuilt the funnel. Here's exactly how we did it →"
That format outperforms brand-first or benefit-list formats consistently.
When to use Telegram Ads
Use it when: - Your audience is actively present on Telegram (RU/CIS, crypto, finance, IT) - Your offer benefits from pre-qualified, high-intent leads - You have an existing Telegram channel to funnel traffic into (dramatically improves performance) - You're comfortable managing CPM-based campaigns without conversion events
Don't use it when: - Your audience is primarily on Instagram or TikTok - You need precise demographic targeting - Your offer requires visual creative to convert
The channel-building flywheel
The highest-leverage use of Telegram Ads: grow your own channel. Once you have a 10K+ subscriber channel with good engagement, you have a zero-marginal-cost distribution asset that pays for the original ad spend many times over.
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