Making money on Telegram: honest ways and dangerous schemes

On Telegram people earn the way they do anywhere: from an audience, from other people's purchases through their link, and from reselling. Fast money with no effort is as rare here as in real life, and most "easy Telegram jobs" turn out to be schemes the worker answers for later. Here's what works.

Your own channel

A channel is the main way to earn on Telegram:

Selling ads. Once a channel has an audience, advertisers pay for posts — ads in Telegram.
Stars from subscribers. Paid posts, Star reactions and paid subscriptions. Channel Stars are withdrawn through Fragment in TON — Stars in a channel.
A share of Telegram's own ads. Channels with a big enough audience get part of the revenue from Telegram's official ads shown in them.

Where to start — create a channel and promote a channel.

Partner and referral programs

Telegram's partner program. Many bots and mini apps share part of their revenue from people who came through your partner link. The links are in Telegram's settings — referral links.
Referrals in bots. In the Shiba Bank bot your friends' purchases bring you a share in Stars to your wallet — the «🔗 Invite friends» button.

Stars: drops, cheques, selling

Stars you get in chat drops, from cheques and in giveaways pile up in the bot's wallet. You can sell them to the bot for USDT and cash the USDT out — Telegram Stars to cash. Where Stars are given away — free Stars: all the ways.

Gifts and NFTs

A regular gift can be converted to Stars in its first 7 days. Upgraded NFT gifts are sold on Telegram's gift market and other platforms — the price depends on the model's, backdrop's and symbol's rarity: sell an NFT gift and how much an NFT gift costs.

Task bots and games

Bots pay for tasks — subscribing, watching ads, inviting friends — and clicker games and mini apps promise tokens. They pay little and not always; some projects close without paying anything. Before spending time, check that withdrawals work on a small amount.

Dangerous schemes dressed as "Telegram jobs"

"Receive transfers on your card and send them on." That's money muling: the card becomes part of a fraud scheme, and its owner answers for it.
"Pay to unlock tasks", "write reviews after a deposit". A paid entry into a "job" is a scam.
"Invest and get double." A pyramid; the deposits won't come back.
Logging in "to receive a payout". They ask for your Telegram code and steal the account.

More — scams in Telegram.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make money on Telegram without investment?

Yes, but not fast: run a channel, invite friends through referral links, take part in Star drops and giveaways. Anything that promises a lot of money right away with no effort is a red flag.

Which Telegram bots really pay?

The ones whose withdrawals work and where it's clear where the money comes from: advertisers, giveaway organisers, partner programs. Test the withdrawal on a small amount first.

How do I make money with my Telegram channel?

Sell ads, turn on paid posts, Star reactions and a paid subscription, and with a large audience get a share of Telegram's ad revenue.

Can I cash out Stars I earned?

Yes: Stars in the bot's wallet sell for USDT, and USDT turns into local money on a P2P market — Telegram Stars to cash.