Is moving to Telegram actually better for monetization than Substack?

It depends on your audience, but for many, yes. Telegram allows for much higher conversion rates because it removes the friction of email open rates and provides a more direct, intimate connection that feels like a premium community rather than just another newsletter.

Won't I lose subscribers if I move off Substack?

You will lose some, absolutely. But that's a good thing. You're effectively filtering out the 'passive' subscribers and identifying the core group that truly values your work and is willing to follow you to a more engaging platform.

How do I actually get paid on Telegram?

You can use built-in bots that integrate with payment gateways like Stripe or crypto wallets. It’s highly customizable. Many creators set up private channels that users can only join after a one-time or recurring payment is processed through these automated systems.

Doesn't Telegram feel too cluttered for professional content?

If you just dump everything in there, yes. The trick is to treat the channel as a curated feed. Use it for the things you'd never put in a polished newsletter—quick voice notes, behind-the-scenes thoughts, and direct feedback loops with your followers.

Is it hard to set up a paid Telegram channel?

It's surprisingly easy. There are dozens of 'Memberful' style bots designed specifically for Telegram that handle invites, subscription management, and auto-kicking users if their payment fails. You don't need a dev team to get started.

The Telegram Gold Rush: Why Creators Are Abandoning Substack for Channel Monetization

The Telegram Gold Rush: Why Creators Are Abandoning Substack for Channel Monetization | Blog

I remember when Substack felt like the promised land. It was clean, simple, and promised to kill the legacy media gatekeepers once and for all. Just write, hit publish, and watch the subscribers trickle in. For a few years, it worked beautifully. But lately, the mood has shifted. I talk to creators every single day, and the vibe is changing. The honeymoon phase with the newsletter model is officially over.

The reason? It’s too static. It’s a one-way street. You pour your heart out into a 2,000-word essay, hit send, and wait for the inbox gods to grant you a decent open rate. If the algorithm at Gmail or Outlook decides your email is spam, you’re invisible. If your readers are distracted which they always are they might never even open it. Enter Telegram. It’s messy, it’s loud, and frankly, it’s where the actual attention is migrating.

The Inbox Fatigue Problem

Let’s be honest. Nobody likes their inbox anymore. It’s become a graveyard for promotional junk and half-read newsletters. Substack writers are battling for scraps of attention in a space that people increasingly view as a chore. My inbox is a to-do list, not a place I go for joy.

Telegram, by contrast, feels like a living room. When you post a message, it doesn’t get buried under a pile of meeting invites. It hits the phone like a text message from a friend. That psychological difference is massive. It changes how people consume content. It’s immediate. It’s visceral.

Beyond the Newsletter: Why Real-Time Matters

I watched a creator switch from a weekly newsletter to a Telegram channel last winter. Within a month, her engagement numbers went through the roof. Why? Because she stopped writing essays and started sharing thoughts, quick audio clips, and screen grabs of things she was working on. It was raw. It wasn't 'polished' in the traditional sense, and that was the point. People were tired of the manicured, long-form content. They wanted the unfiltered stuff.

The Economics of Direct Access

Money. That’s what this usually comes down to, right? Substack takes its cut, and the platform feels increasingly like a walled garden. Telegram doesn’t care how you monetize. You can sell access through a private group, use a third-party bot to manage subscriptions, or integrate crypto payments if that’s your thing. It’s the Wild West, and for a lot of creators, the Wild West is better than the corporate office park.

The friction for a user to pay you on Telegram is almost non-existent. We’re talking two or three taps. No credit card forms, no weird logins. The conversion rates are just higher. When you lower the barrier to entry, you invite more people to support you.

Ownership and Control

Do you actually own your Substack list? Kind of. But try moving that audience to another platform without losing 30% of them to the ether. Telegram offers a different kind of control. You can export your data, you can build bots that talk to your users directly, and you aren’t bound by the platform's editorial politics or sudden changes in policy. It’s ownership in the sense that you control the pipe, not just the water.

The Cultural Shift: From Readers to Participants

Substack is a reading experience. Telegram is a participation experience. When a reader comments on a Substack post, it’s a lonely experience. You post a comment, maybe the author sees it, maybe they don’t. In a Telegram community, you’re part of a conversation. You’re seeing others reacting in real-time. It’s communal.

The creators who succeed here aren't the ones who just broadcast. They’re the ones who facilitate. They ask questions. They drop polls. They let the audience feel like they have a stake in what’s being produced. It’s not just a subscription; it’s a membership to a collective.

Practical Steps for the Transition

If you’re thinking about making the leap, don't just delete your Substack tomorrow. That’s a mistake. Start by cross-promoting. Give your newsletter subscribers a 'sneak peek' into what you’re doing on Telegram. Run a small experiment. Move your most 'premium' content to the channel and see who follows.

Set up a dedicated Telegram channel not a group initially. Keep the focus on your content.
Integrate a payment bot early. Make sure the 'paywall' experience is smooth.
Stop trying to write like a journalist. Start writing like a collaborator.
Use the poll feature to find out what your audience actually wants.

It’s going to be awkward at first. You’ll feel like you’re shouting into the void for a bit. That’s normal. The people who are truly invested in your voice will follow you to Telegram because they want the connection, not just the content.

The Future of Independent Media

We’re watching the death of the 'one-to-many' broadcast model. Everything is moving toward 'few-to-few' and high-trust, high-frequency interactions. Telegram is just the first major tool to prove this works at scale for independent creators. It won’t be the last. But for right now, it’s the place to be if you want to actually build something that lasts.

Think about the longevity of your brand. Do you want to be a newsletter writer at the mercy of inbox algorithms, or do you want to be a digital creator at the center of a community? The answer feels pretty clear to me. The gold rush isn't about finding more subscribers; it's about deepening the ones you already have. Telegram is just the shovel that makes the digging easier.

This isn't just a trend. It's a fundamental change in how we relate to digital authority. When you strip away the polished headers and the fancy landing pages, you're left with the creator and the audience. And honestly, that's enough.