Telegram Ads in Italy: how it works and when it pays off

Telegram is among the most used messaging apps in Italy too, yet as an advertising channel it remains under-exploited: most companies stop at Meta and Google. That is precisely what makes it interesting — less competition for attention — provided you understand how it works, because it does not work like other social platforms.

The two ways to get seen on Telegram

1. Telegram Ads (the official platform)

These are the sponsored messages that appear in public channels. What makes them different from everything else:

• Minimal format: short text plus an optional image/video, no algorithmic feed, no behavioural retargeting. Telegram does not profile users: targeting works on language, topics and specific channels, not on the individual.
• Auction-based CPM: you pay per thousand views, and the cost depends on how contested your niche is. Crowded topics cost more; lateral niches can be surprisingly cheap.
• Access: the platform launched with entry budgets prohibitive for an SMB; today you can get in with far more approachable amounts through resellers and intermediary platforms. Minimums change often: check them when you are ready to start, and distrust anyone quoting “standard” numbers.

2. Direct channel sponsorships

The historical alternative, often still the best way to start: direct deals with the owners of channels in your niche, who publish a sponsored post. There is no platform here: you negotiate, agree a price, and verify that the channel is healthy.

The main risk is inflated channels: bought subscribers and artificial views. Before paying, look at the ratio between average post views and subscriber count, the consistency of views over time, and the quality of comments where available. If a channel does not look transparent, walk away.

What does it cost? The right line items

The absolute cost tells you little: what matters is the cost per result. The items to line up:

• the CPM (for official Ads) or the price of a single post (for sponsorships);
• the cost per subscriber to your channel, if the goal is building an audience;
• the cost per lead or sale, if you send traffic to a website or a bot.

On Telegram, conversion almost always goes through a channel of your own or a bot: the ad brings subscribers, the channel warms them up over time. Those expecting Meta-style instant click-to-purchase are usually disappointed; those who build an audience end up with an asset that keeps paying.

How you measure (without a pixel)

No tracking pixel like Meta, but you can still measure well:

• UTM-tagged links to your site, read by any analytics tool;
• welcome bots or distinct invite links per campaign, to attribute subscribers to their source;
• channel growth and retention: how many subscribers remain after 7 and 30 days — the number that separates a real campaign from a vanity metric.

When it pays off (and when it does not)

It makes sense if your audience is already on Telegram (tech, personal finance, trading, gaming, local and niche communities, vertical news) or if you want to build a channel as a long-term asset with frequent content.

It is not the first choice if your typical customer does not use Telegram, if you need an immediate local result (Meta or Google with geo targeting work better there), or if nobody can feed the channel: a sponsored dead channel is wasted budget.

The mistakes I see most often

1. Buying sponsorships on inflated channels without verifying them.
2. Sending traffic to a site without UTMs: at the end of the campaign nobody knows what worked.
3. Sponsoring a channel before it has content: people arrive, find a void, and leave.
4. Judging after a few days: a Telegram audience is built in weeks, not hours.

I have worked with Telegram as my main channel for years: if you want to know whether it makes sense for your business — or want a campaign analysed that is not performing — get in touch.