Sponsored Posts on Telegram: What Does It Mean

So far Telegram didn’t have any large advertising posts. The app has been running on behalf and expense of its owner Pavel Durov. The plans about monetizing the platform have been going around for a year. Durov said, that at some point they could bring advertisement posts to the main public channels.

Now Telegram has presented Sponsored Messages – this feature will help anyone boost their bots and channels. Currently, the tool is still in the beta version, so not everyone can access it. These messages are supposed to cover Telegram’s spending on data centers and equipment in the future.

You will see Sponsored Messages only in ‘channels’, used to spread information to a large number of subscribers. They differ from ‘groups’, as they will send a notification to the user when a new post comes up.

Right now, these messages will appear on large public channels, which reached over 1000 members. The information shown in the messages will correspond with the main topic of the channel. Durov assured the users, that Sponsored Messages will not affect their communication in the app. You won’t see them in your chats or private messages.

This feature has also been installed to control the already existing ads in the channels, provided by their admins. They usually appear as short promotional messages with links and sometimes can be annoying to the users. With Sponsored Messages, advertising will become more regular and user-friendly.

It is important, that user data won’t be sold and applied to show targeted ads. Telegram is focused on maintaining users’ safety and privacy. Durov also mentioned that the ad revenue could be divided between the app and channels’ admins because they also deserved their fair share. Right now these Sponsored Messages don’t seem so bad.

Do you think this feature will help Telegram? How it will affect the app’s work? Share your ideas in the comments below.