Most startups still send press releases to email lists or rely on media outlets to break their news. But in 2025, the fastest, most direct way to announce a product launch, funding round, or major update isn’t through a press release portal-it’s through a Telegram channel. Companies like Notion, Supabase, and Vercel have quietly shifted their primary announcement channel from Twitter (now X) to Telegram. Why? Because no one else is there to filter, delay, or bury it.
Why Telegram Works Better Than Email or Twitter for Startups
Think about how a press release usually travels: you email journalists, they forward it to editors, editors decide if it’s worth covering, and then-days later-it might appear in a newsletter or blog. By then, the momentum is gone. Meanwhile, your target users are scrolling past your announcement because they don’t check email or follow your Twitter account.
Telegram changes that. When you post to a public Telegram channel, your message lands directly in the hands of investors, journalists, early adopters, and developers who chose to follow you. No algorithm. No shadow banning. No character limit. Just a clean, unfiltered feed.
Telegram channels can have millions of subscribers. Startups like Cursor and Fireflies.ai use them to announce beta access, API updates, and even pricing changes. One founder told me his Telegram post about a new AI feature got 87,000 views in 4 hours-none of those people were journalists. They were users who signed up because they wanted real-time updates, not curated media.
How to Set Up a Startup Newswire on Telegram
Setting up a Telegram channel isn’t complicated, but doing it right takes strategy. Here’s how to build a channel that actually moves the needle:
- Create a public channel with a clear name: "[Your Startup] Official Updates"-not "Tech News" or "Updates"
- Use a professional logo and description: "Real-time product launches, funding news, and developer updates from [Startup]. No fluff. No ads."
- Pin your first post: "Welcome to our official channel. We’ll only post here when something matters. No spam. Ever."
- Post consistently but sparingly: One high-impact update per week is better than five low-effort ones
- Enable comments only if you can moderate them-most successful channels disable comments to avoid noise
Pro tip: Use Telegram’s scheduling feature. You can draft a post at 9 AM and set it to publish at 3 PM EST, when your audience in Europe and the U.S. is most active. No need to stay up late.
What Kind of Announcements Belong on a Startup Telegram Newswire
Not everything deserves a post. Your channel should feel like a VIP briefing-not a blog. Here’s what works:
- Product launches (even beta versions)
- Funding rounds (amount, investors, purpose)
- Major API changes or deprecations
- Partnerships with other tech companies
- Open-source releases or GitHub milestones
- Team hires (especially key engineers or ex-FAANG talent)
- Event announcements (webinars, conferences, demos)
Avoid these:
- Generic motivational quotes
- Internal team photos
- Blog links without context
- “Thanks for the support!” posts
- Anything that sounds like marketing fluff
One startup, Luma AI, posted a single line: "We just open-sourced our 3D scene generator. Here’s the repo: [link]. 12,000 devs cloned it in 48 hours." That was it. No hype. No emojis. Just facts. It became a trending topic on Hacker News the next day.
How Journalists and Investors Use Startup Telegram Channels
Forget the old press kit. Today, tech reporters and VCs check Telegram before they check your website. I’ve spoken to five journalists who now subscribe to 20-40 startup Telegram channels. They don’t wait for pitches-they scroll through updates daily.
Here’s what they look for:
- First announcement of a funding round (they’ll reach out before the official press release goes out)
- Clear metrics: "We hit 500K MAU" or "Reduced latency by 40%"
- Transparency: "We’re pausing feature X because of user feedback"
- Links to public data: GitHub commits, public roadmaps, or live dashboards
One VC told me he passed on a startup because their Telegram was empty. "If they can’t be transparent with their own users," he said, "why should I trust them with my money?"
Real Examples: Who’s Doing This Right
Let’s look at three startups that nailed Telegram as a newswire:
Supabase posts every major release-database schema changes, new auth features, even internal tooling updates. Their channel has 180,000 followers. They don’t explain every detail. They just say: "New: Row-level security now supports PostgreSQL functions. Docs: [link]." Developers appreciate the precision.
Cursor (the AI code editor) uses Telegram to announce beta invites. They don’t say "Join our waitlist." They say: "We’re giving 500 invites to users who replied to our last post with their GitHub profile. Here’s who got in: [link]." That creates urgency and community.
Fireflies.ai posted a single update: "We’re shutting down our free tier on Nov 1. Here’s why: [link]." The post sparked 3,000 replies in 24 hours-not complaints, but thoughtful feedback. They used that to redesign their pricing. No survey. No focus group. Just direct user input.
Why This Beats Traditional PR
Traditional PR is slow, expensive, and unpredictable. You pay for media outreach, hope a journalist picks it up, and then pray they don’t misquote you. And even if they do, you have zero control over how the story is framed.
With Telegram, you control the message. You control the timing. You control the tone. You don’t need to convince a reporter that your product matters-you show it to the people who already care.
Plus, it’s free. No PR agency fees. No distribution costs. No waiting for a press release to be approved by legal. Just write, post, and move on.
Common Mistakes Startups Make
Most startups fail at this because they treat Telegram like a social media account. Here’s what not to do:
- Posting too often: If you post daily, people mute you
- Using emojis and memes: It makes you look unprofessional
- Linking to gated content: No one wants to sign up for a newsletter just to read your update
- Ignoring feedback: If people ask questions in comments, answer them. Even if it’s a small channel
- Not cross-promoting: If you have a Twitter or LinkedIn, link to your Telegram in your bio. Make it easy to find
One startup I worked with posted a funding announcement with a GIF of a rocket. The investors who saw it thought they were joking. They didn’t take the company seriously after that.
How to Grow Your Telegram Newswire Audience
Building followers takes time. But you don’t need millions. You need the right 5,000.
Here’s how to get them:
- Add a link to your Telegram channel in your website footer, GitHub README, and product onboarding flow
- Ask your early users to follow you: "Want the first look at what’s next? Join our channel: [link]"
- Partner with other startups: Do a cross-post with a non-competitive tool in your space
- Use your email list: Send one email saying, "We’ve moved our announcements to Telegram. Here’s why."
- Post a thread on Hacker News or Reddit: "We started a Telegram channel for our product. Here’s what we’ve learned."
Don’t buy followers. Don’t run ads. Your audience should be people who care about your product-not bots or random subscribers.
The Future of Startup Communication
Telegram isn’t replacing email or media-it’s replacing the middleman. The days of waiting for a TechCrunch article to validate your launch are over. If you’re building something for developers, investors, or power users, your audience already knows where to find you.
Startups that use Telegram as a newswire aren’t just sharing updates. They’re building trust. They’re showing they’re transparent. They’re proving they don’t need gatekeepers to speak to their users.
By 2026, the companies that win will be the ones who communicate directly, consistently, and honestly. Telegram is the tool. The strategy is simple: Say what matters. Say it clearly. And let the right people hear it.
