How to set up a paid VIP Telegram channel

Telegram gives you two kinds of space. Both can be paid, but they feel different to your members.

Whichever you choose, make it private. A private channel has no public @username and can only be joined through an invite link. That matters for two reasons: a public channel can be read by anyone without joining, and Telegram does not allow some kinds of content to be publicly viewable.

This is the decision that shapes everything else. There are three common ways to charge for a Telegram channel.

Option A: Telegram Stars subscriptions

Since August 2024, a channel owner can create an invite link that charges a monthly fee in Telegram Stars. In Telegram, open your channel's settings, go to Channel Type, then Manage Invite Links, create a new link and turn on Require Monthly Fee. Telegram announced the feature here.

It is the quickest way to start, but check three things first:

• Billing is monthly only. There are no weekly passes, 90-day plans or lifetime access.
• Fans need Stars. Stars are bought through in-app purchases in the Telegram apps, so fans need a card or app store balance, which many fans in Africa do not use. Prices in the app usually include the app store's cut.
• Cashing out is Telegram's process, not yours. Telegram's terms for Stars also say buying and using Stars may be restricted in some countries. Read them before you build your income on it.

For a closer look at what you take home, read Telegram Stars vs mobile money.

Option B: Take payments by hand

Many paid channels start this way: post an account number or a mobile money number, wait for a screenshot, then send an invite link. It costs nothing to set up. It also leaks money at every step:

• Fake receipts. Edited screenshots are easy to make, and checking every payment against your statement takes time.
• Missed expiries. You have to remember when each person paid and remove them yourself. Most creators do not, so expired fans keep watching for free.
• Leaked links. An invite link sent to one fan can be forwarded to fifty people.
• Awkward reminders. You end up asking people for money from your personal number.

Option C: VIPpass

Fans pay through your VIPpass link. The VIPpass Bot, an admin of your channel, approves their join request once the payment is confirmed, and removes them when their plan ends. You never see a receipt or kick anyone by hand.

If you are weighing VIPpass against other subscription bots, compare Telegram subscription bots by how fans can pay and how you get paid.

Here is how to set up your paid channel with VIPpass.

1. Create your space. Give it a name, a short description and a non-explicit cover image.
2. Add the VIPpass Bot as an admin. It needs the rights to invite users and ban members. VIPpass checks those rights and that the channel is yours.
3. Set your invite link to ask for approval. In your channel's invite links, turn on Request admin approval, so the link only sends a join request and the VIPpass Bot decides who gets in.
4. Get verified. VIPpass is for creators aged 18 or older. You upload a government ID, take a live selfie and record a short video, and a real person reviews it. You can set everything up while you wait.
5. Share one link. Put your VIPpass link in your bio, your stories and your free channel.

Offer more than one plan. A short plan lowers the risk for a fan trying you out, and a longer one rewards the fans who already trust you.

• 7 days: an easy yes for new fans, and popular for fast-moving content.
• 30 days: the default most fans pick.
• 90 days: a discount for committing, and fewer renewals for you to chase.
• Lifetime: use it sparingly, as a launch offer or for your most loyal fans.

Price in your fans' own currency. A price of $10 reads very differently from a price in a currency fans have to convert in their heads. For a full method, read how much to charge for a VIP group.

Count the fees before you set a price. On VIPpass, starting is free and a service fee is taken on each payment, which already includes payment provider costs. On a $10 plan with a 5% fee, you either add the fee so the fan pays $10.50, or take it from your earnings so you receive $9.50. See pricing for both plans.

Nobody pays for a channel they have never seen. The paid channels that grow fastest give a taste first.

• Run a free preview channel. Post a sample of what members get, and pin your payment link at the top. On VIPpass you can link a free Telegram channel to your paid space, and fans see a “Free preview” button at checkout.
• Keep the preview private too. Make it a private channel joined by invite link, not a public @username channel.
• Put the link everywhere you already have attention: your bio, your stories and your other socials.
• Open with a launch offer. A lower first-week price or a limited lifetime offer gives fans a reason to join now rather than later.

The full playbook is in the free-to-VIP funnel.

Most paid channels lose more money to members who forget to renew than to members who leave on purpose. Build renewals in from the start.

• Remind fans before their plan ends. VIPpass reminds fans 3 days and 1 day before their plan ends, and on the day. On Telegram they can renew with /renew and check their date with /status.
• Turn on “Restrict saving content”. In your channel settings, it blocks forwarding, saving and copying in most Telegram apps.
• Act on re-sharers. If someone leaks your content or your link, remove them. On VIPpass you can report them with evidence and they can be banned from every space on the platform.
• Watch your numbers. Know how many members expire this week and what you earned, so a quiet week does not surprise you.