How to buy ads in a Telegram channel without overpaying

Where to find channels

People find channels for ads in catalogs, through Telegram search by the words of their topic, and through similar channels Telegram suggests on a channel profile. A catalog is easier when the platform counts the numbers instead of the admin sending a screenshot.

In the TGStudio catalog (tgstudio.app/market) every channel shows subscribers, views, ERR and growth counted by the platform, with slot prices in the channel media kit. You can filter by topic, subscriber count and price.

Check the channel before you pay

Subscribers can be faked, so look at views and how they spread across posts. You can check a public channel by link with the free TGStudio tool — see the guide on checking a channel.

• Average views per post over recent weeks — that is what you pay for.
• ERR: average views ÷ subscribers × 100%. Compare it with similar channels in your niche.
• Median views: if the average is far above the median, reach rests on a few posts.
• Reactions and comments: a live channel gets them regularly.
• Topic and audience language — do they match your product.

What to pay

A fair price comes from views: price = average views × CPM ÷ 1000, where CPM is the price of a thousand views. To compare offers, work backwards: divide the placement price by average views and multiply by 1000 — that is the CPM of the offer.

There is no single market price: CPM depends on the niche, audience language and format. A cheaper post in a channel with a fake audience often costs more per real view.

Agree on this up front

• Format: feed post, pinned post, post without deletion, native mention by the author.
• Date and time, and how many hours the post stays on top of the feed.
• When the post may be deleted.
• A separate link for each placement — for example its own channel invite link, so you can count joins.

How to pay safely

The main risk is paying the owner directly up front: the post may go out on the wrong day or not at all. It is safer to pay through an intermediary that holds the money until publication.

In TGStudio you pay for a slot in Telegram Stars or crypto, the money waits with the platform, and the owner is paid only after the post goes live. If they cancel a paid request before publication, the Stars are refunded automatically. Placement reach opens in a report by link.

Channel post or Telegram Ads

Telegram Ads are official sponsored messages: up to 160 characters of text with a button, shown in public channels with 1000+ subscribers, paid per thousand impressions in crypto. A channel post is a full publication with an image, video and the author’s voice. More on the first option in the Telegram Ads guide.

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