Telegram Advertising: The Underdog Channel Marketers Are Missing

In the fast-evolving digital landscape of Hong Kong and Asia, marketers constantly seek fresh and effective channels to engage audiences.

Telegram, traditionally known as a secure messaging app, has quietly transformed into a promising advertising platform. For businesses aiming to diversify beyond conventional giants like Facebook and Google, Telegram offers unique opportunities with its growing user base and innovative ad formats. This article delves into how the Telegram Ads Platform works, explores the ad formats available, discusses targeting options and costs, and provides practical steps to run campaigns effectively. Along the way, we highlight examples from the Asian market to showcase the platform’s potential.

Understanding the Telegram Ads Platform

Telegram has carved out a niche as a privacy-conscious messenger app boasting over 700 million monthly active users worldwide, with a rapidly growing presence in Asia, particularly in tech-savvy regions like Hong Kong, Singapore, and parts of Southeast Asia. Unlike traditional social media platforms, Telegram prioritises user privacy, which has made it a preferred app among users wary of data exploitation.

The Telegram Ads Platform enables businesses to reach audiences through non-intrusive, contextually relevant ads, often embedded within channels and groups where communities gather around shared interests. This makes it ideal for brands looking to target engaged users in specific niches — from cryptocurrency to fashion or fitness.

A common question marketers ask is, “does Telegram have ads?” The answer is yes, and the system is evolving with a focus on user experience and advertiser flexibility. Ads on Telegram are designed to be seamless, typically appearing as sponsored messages or within dedicated ad placements in popular channels.

Ad Formats: Variety and Innovation

Telegram offers several ad formats that cater to different campaign goals:

Channel Ads

Besides sponsored posts, some businesses collaborate directly with channel owners to promote their products or services. These channel ads may take the form of posts, videos, or even interactive polls, allowing for creative engagement. In Hong Kong, several local lifestyle channels have successfully used this method to promote everything from food delivery to tech gadgets.

Telegram Mini Apps Ads (TMA)

One of the newest and most exciting formats is Telegram Mini App Ads. These ads integrate with Telegram’s mini apps — lightweight, embedded applications that run inside the Telegram ecosystem without the need to download separate software. This offers a seamless user experience where customers can interact with a brand’s services directly within Telegram, such as booking appointments, making purchases, or playing games.

TMA ads are especially promising for Asian markets, where mobile-first behaviour dominates and users prefer quick, integrated digital solutions.

Targeting Options: Precision Meets Privacy

Telegram’s advertising system balances targeted reach with user privacy. Advertisers can target by language, geography, device type, and channel interests without accessing personal data like phone numbers or detailed demographics.

For Hong Kong and broader Asian campaigns, geographic targeting ensures that ads appear only to relevant audiences. For example, a fashion retailer in Hong Kong can select channels popular among young urban professionals to display their ads. Language targeting is also key, with options supporting English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and other regional dialects.

Targeting by channel theme is one of Telegram’s strengths. Advertisers can select channels that align with their niche — crypto communities, fitness groups, tech forums, or entertainment channels — to maximise relevance and engagement.

Telegram Ads Cost: What to Expect

Costs for ads telegram-style vary depending on targeting precision, ad format, and competition in the chosen niche. Sponsored messages typically operate on a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) basis, with rates ranging from $2 to $8 depending on channel popularity and region.

For businesses in Asia, especially Hong Kong, starting with a modest budget allows testing and optimisation. Small businesses might begin with budgets around $100 to $300 to evaluate performance before scaling up. Compared to mainstream platforms, Telegram ads cost can be relatively affordable, offering an attractive option for advertisers exploring new avenues.

Telegram Mini App Ads, still emerging, often involve flexible pricing models depending on the complexity of the mini app and user engagement metrics.

How to Run Ads on Telegram: Step-by-Step Guide

Running effective tg ads requires understanding the platform and planning carefully. Here’s a simplified process for advertisers:

Identify Your Goal: Brand awareness, website traffic, app installs, or direct sales?
Choose the Ad Format: Sponsored messages, channel collaborations, or Telegram mini app ads.
Select Target Channels: Research and pick channels with audiences matching your demographic.
Set Your Budget and Bid: Decide on CPM or fixed costs and allocate your budget accordingly.
Create Compelling Content: Telegram ads perform best when content is engaging, concise, and relevant.
Launch and Monitor: Use available analytics tools to track impressions, clicks, and conversions.
Optimize Based on Data: Adjust targeting, creative, or bidding to improve ROI.

Many businesses collaborate with Telegram ad exchanges — platforms that connect advertisers with channel owners to simplify the buying process. These exchanges provide transparency and access to a broader range of channels, helping advertisers buy telegram ads more efficiently.

Where to Buy Telegram Ads?

Buying ads on Telegram can be done in several ways:

Direct via Telegram Ads Platform: Currently limited in scope but growing.
Telegram Ad Exchanges: Marketplaces like Telega.io or Pluronet facilitate buying ads telegram-wide by aggregating channel inventory.
Through Agencies: Some digital marketing agencies in Hong Kong specialise in Telegram promotions and can manage end-to-end campaigns.
Collaborations with Channel Owners: Direct negotiations can yield personalised campaigns suited for specific audiences.

For Asian businesses exploring Telegram promotion, ad exchanges often provide the best balance of reach, targeting, and pricing transparency.

Real-World Examples from Hong Kong and Asia

Hong Kong’s tech startups have been early adopters of telegram ads. For instance, a local fintech startup used sponsored messages within cryptocurrency channels to launch a new wallet app, gaining over 10,000 sign-ups within a month. Meanwhile, a fashion retailer leveraged telegram mini apps ads to create an interactive catalogue, boosting engagement by 35%.

In Southeast Asia, e-commerce brands use Telegram channel ads to promote flash sales, with targeted messaging to mobile-savvy millennials. These campaigns often integrate Telegram bots for customer support, making the entire buyer journey seamless.

Moreover, a popular Hong Kong-based travel agency utilised Telegram ad to engage younger travellers amid the post-pandemic rebound. By targeting adventure and lifestyle channels, they promoted special holiday packages through sponsored messages, resulting in a 20% increase in booking inquiries within just six weeks. The agency also incorporated Telegram’s group chat features to offer real-time travel tips and customer support, creating a more personalised and interactive experience that resonated well with their audience.

In markets like Thailand and Indonesia, several startups have experimented with telegram mini apps ads to provide in-app services such as food ordering and appointment bookings. These businesses reported higher conversion rates compared to traditional mobile ads, largely because users could complete transactions without leaving Telegram. This seamless integration not only improved user convenience but also fostered stronger brand loyalty, highlighting how Telegram’s innovative ad formats can give businesses a competitive edge in Asia’s mobile-first environment.

Conclusion

As Telegram expands its advertising offerings, it becomes a compelling channel for businesses across Hong Kong and Asia looking to connect with engaged, privacy-conscious users. Whether through sponsored messages, channel partnerships, or innovative mini app ads, Telegram presents a fresh alternative to traditional ad platforms.

By understanding how the Telegram ads platform works, the various formats available, and how to target effectively, marketers can tap into new audiences and build meaningful connections. For Asian businesses keen to innovate in digital marketing, exploring how to buy telegram ad and launch campaigns on this underappreciated platform may just unlock the next big opportunity.