Telegram giveaways aren’t just a way to get more followers. For news publishers, they’re one of the most effective tools to turn free subscribers into paying customers - if you do them right.
In 2023, Telegram rolled out native giveaways. No more third-party bots. No more fake accounts slipping through. Just a clean, reliable system built into the app itself. By November 2025, 87% of the top 100 news channels on Telegram were using giveaways to grow their paid subscriber base. And it’s not just about numbers. Each giveaway you run gives you something else: channel boosts. These aren’t just vanity metrics. They unlock real features that make your channel more engaging - and more profitable.
How Telegram Giveaways Actually Work
Here’s the simple version: you pick a prize - either a Telegram Premium subscription (3, 6, or 12 months) or Telegram Stars (the platform’s in-app currency) - and people enter by joining your channel. Telegram randomly picks winners. That’s it.
But here’s what most people miss: every Premium subscription you give away adds 4 channel boosts to your account. You need 100 boosts to hit Level 50. At that level, you unlock Stories, custom channel colors, and other tools that increase reader retention by 27%, according to Such.chat’s April 2025 analysis. More retention means more people stick around long enough to pay.
Telegram Premium giveaways cost $4.99 per month per subscription. So a 12-month prize costs $59.88. Sounds expensive? Not when you consider what you get back: 48 boosts (if you give away 12 Premium subs), plus hundreds of new subscribers who now see your content every day.
Why Giveaways Beat Other Growth Tactics for News
Let’s compare this to other methods.
Email campaigns? They convert about 7.1% of participants to paid subscribers. Instagram contests? Around 7.1% too. Telegram giveaways? 22.7% within 30 days, according to SweepWidget’s June 2025 study. That’s over three times higher.
Why? Because Telegram’s system blocks fake accounts. Yastime’s November 2024 audit found it reduces fraudulent entries by 92% compared to third-party tools. That means every person who enters is real - and more likely to stick around.
Also, unlike Substack or Patreon, where you have to drive people off-platform to pay, Telegram lets you keep them inside the app. They’re already there. You just need to show them why paying is worth it.
The Big Mistake 78% of News Channels Make
Most people run giveaways the wrong way. They think: “Give away a Premium subscription. Get subscribers. Profit.”
That’s not how it works.
Yastime’s workflow analysis shows that 78% of channels that run giveaways without connecting them to a membership system convert less than 5% of participants into paying subscribers. Why? Because they don’t follow up. They don’t nurture. They just hand out prizes and disappear.
The winning strategy? Use a tool like InviteMember - used by 63% of successful news channels, per Uplup’s August 2025 survey. Here’s how it works:
- Set up a giveaway where entry requires joining your Telegram channel.
- When someone wins, they don’t just get a Premium subscription - they also get 7 days of free access to your paid content.
- After 7 days, they’re automatically charged unless they cancel.
This is what Alexei Ivanov, CEO of InviteMember, calls “an onboarding funnel.” It’s not a giveaway. It’s a trial.
David Miller, a news publisher on Reddit’s r/TelegramMarketing, used this method and converted 317 out of 1,200 giveaway participants - 26.4% - into paying subscribers. His average revenue per subscriber? $8.73. His cost per acquisition? Under $3.50.
Choosing the Right Prize
Not all prizes are created equal.
Telegram Premium is great for visibility. But if you want direct revenue, use Telegram Stars. In January 2025, Telegram updated the system so winners can spend Stars directly on your paid content - exclusive reports, newsletters, video briefings, even early access to breaking news.
The New York Times used this in Q1 2025 and earned $127,000 in direct revenue from Stars spent on paid media. That’s not a side effect. That’s the point.
Here’s what works:
- For financial news: 12-month Premium + access to weekly market analysis PDFs.
- For tech news: 6-month Premium + early access to product reviews.
- For geopolitical news: 3-month Premium + private Q&A with your analysts.
Prizes must feel valuable and exclusive. If your prize is just “a free subscription,” you’re attracting people who want free stuff - not loyal readers.
Setting Up Your First Giveaway (Step by Step)
You don’t need to be a tech expert. Here’s what to do:
- Check your channel level. You need at least 50 subscribers to run a giveaway.
- Connect InviteMember. This takes about 5 hours. Link your Telegram channel to your paid membership plan. Set up the free trial period (7-14 days).
- Choose your prize. Pick Premium or Stars. Don’t pick both unless you’re testing.
- Set the duration. Telegram requires a minimum of 14 days. Use the full time to build hype.
- Write clear rules. “To enter: join this channel. Winners will be chosen randomly and notified via DM.”
- Promote it. Post in your channel daily. Use Stories (if you’re Level 50). Share on Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit.
- Run it. Let Telegram pick the winners automatically.
- Follow up. Send a message to all participants: “Thanks for entering. If you didn’t win, here’s a 20% discount on your first month.”
Politico Europe did this in April 2025 and hit their goal: 500 new paying subscribers at $3.48 CAC. Total time spent setting up? 10 hours.
What Can Go Wrong - And How to Avoid It
There are two big traps.
Trap 1: You attract the wrong people. Sarah Chen from Digiday found that giveaway-acquired subscribers have 41% higher churn if you don’t nurture them. That means you get 100 new subscribers, but 40 leave in a month. Why? Because they only joined for the free prize.
Solution: Send them content they care about. If you’re a financial news channel, send them a weekly earnings digest. If you’re a tech channel, send them a roundup of the week’s biggest product launches. Give them value before asking for money.
Trap 2: You don’t track results. Reddit users in r/TelegramDevelopers report that 62% struggle to track conversions without external tools. You can’t improve what you don’t measure.
Solution: Use InviteMember’s dashboard. Track:
- How many entered the giveaway?
- How many became paying subscribers?
- What’s your cost per acquired subscriber?
Target: under $5.25. If you’re above that, tweak your prize or your follow-up.
The Bigger Picture: Why This Works Now
Telegram’s news channel base hit 487 million users in Q2 2025. 31% of them are willing to pay for content - up from 17% in 2023. That’s a 14-point jump in just two years.
Meanwhile, Substack is great for long-form writing. Twitter/X is great for breaking news. But Telegram? It’s encrypted. It’s private. It’s trusted. People share sensitive stories here. That builds loyalty.
And with the rumored “Sponsored Stories” feature coming in late 2025, channels that hit Level 50 will soon be able to monetize their Stories directly - turning engagement into ad revenue.
This isn’t a trend. It’s a shift.
Final Thought: It’s Not About the Prize. It’s About the Path.
Telegram giveaways aren’t magic. They’re a bridge. You’re not giving away a subscription. You’re giving people a reason to try your content - and a clear next step to keep it.
The best news publishers don’t run giveaways to grow followers. They run them to grow readers.
Do it right, and you won’t just get subscribers. You’ll get a community that pays - and stays.
Can I run a Telegram giveaway with fewer than 50 subscribers?
No. Telegram requires channels to have at least 50 subscribers before you can launch a giveaway. This is a built-in restriction to prevent spam and low-quality channels from abusing the system. If you’re below 50, focus on growing your audience with consistent, valuable content before running a giveaway.
Do Telegram giveaways cost money?
Yes. If you give away Telegram Premium subscriptions, each month of subscription costs $4.99. A 12-month prize costs $59.88. If you give away Telegram Stars, you pay for the Stars upfront - they’re sold in packs starting at $1. You don’t pay for entries or participation, only for the prizes you award.
Can I use Telegram giveaways to sell subscriptions directly?
Not directly. Telegram’s native giveaway system doesn’t allow you to charge people to enter. But you can use third-party tools like InviteMember to tie giveaway entry to a paid membership. Winners get free access for a set time, then automatically convert to paying subscribers unless they cancel. This is the most effective way to monetize giveaways.
How long should a Telegram giveaway last?
Telegram requires a minimum of 14 days. For best results, run it for 21-28 days. This gives you enough time to promote it across other platforms, build momentum, and attract high-quality entrants. Shorter giveaways tend to attract last-minute sign-ups, which lowers conversion quality.
Are Telegram giveaways worth it for small news outlets?
Yes - if you’re strategic. Even small outlets with 2,000 subscribers can run a $60 Premium giveaway and convert 50-100 paying subscribers. The key is integration: connect your giveaway to a membership tool like InviteMember and follow up with targeted content. The ROI is higher than email campaigns or paid ads for most niche news publishers.
What’s the biggest risk of using Telegram giveaways?
The biggest risk is attracting low-quality subscribers who leave after the prize ends. If you don’t nurture them with valuable, consistent content after the giveaway, your churn rate will spike. The solution is simple: send them something useful every day for the first two weeks. Make them feel like they’re part of an exclusive community - not just a winner of a free subscription.
