Why is Telegram better for monetization than Substack?

It's not necessarily 'better' in a general sense, but it offers higher engagement and real-time interaction. Telegram channels allow for direct, push-notification-based communication that bypasses the crowded inbox, leading to higher open rates and more intimate community building.

Will my subscribers actually follow me to a new platform?

The most loyal ones will. Expect a drop-off, but treat the migration as a filter. The subscribers who make the effort to move to your Telegram channel are your highest-value audience members. They are the ones actually interested in your community and future paid offerings.

How do I handle payments for a Telegram-based community?

Most creators use third-party bot integrations like Donate or custom Stripe-connected bots. These handle the membership lifecycle, automatically adding and removing users from private channels based on their subscription status.

Does moving to Telegram hurt my SEO visibility?

Yes, it can, because Telegram content is generally gated and not indexed by search engines like a public blog. Many creators solve this by keeping a 'light' version of their content on a public site (or Substack) as a lead magnet to drive people toward the private Telegram community.

Is Telegram too chaotic for professional newsletters?

It can be, but you control the channel settings. You can set it to ‘channel mode’ where only you post, keeping it clean and professional, while using a linked ‘discussion group’ for community chatter. It’s all about setting the right boundaries for your specific audience.

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 sitting in a coffee shop in late 2022, watching my inbox get absolutely hammered by Substack invitations. It felt like the golden age of the newsletter. Everyone was becoming a media company, and the promise was simple: own your audience, charge for your thoughts, and keep the gatekeepers away. It worked, mostly. But lately? The mood has shifted. The air is thinner.

If you spend any time in creator circles, you’ve probably noticed the quiet migration happening. It’s not a mass exodus not yet but it’s a steady stream of creators moving their high-intent communities off the open web and into the encrypted, chaotic, and incredibly fast-paced world of Telegram. Why? Because the feed is dead. People aren't reading long emails anymore. They’re skimming. They’re reacting. They’re living in chat.

The Friction of the Inbox

Let’s be honest with ourselves for a second. The inbox is a warzone. Your perfectly crafted essay, the one you spent four hours agonizing over on a Tuesday night? It’s sitting right between a promotional email from a clothing brand you bought one shirt from in 2019 and a desperate “We miss you” nudge from a food delivery app. Substack had a good run, but the barrier between a reader’s attention and a newsletter is growing thicker by the week.

On Telegram, things are different. It’s intimate. When you post in a channel, it feels like a text message to a friend. The read rates aren't just higher; they’re consistent. It’s the difference between sending out a press release and whispering a secret in a crowded room. People actually see it. They respond. They engage. And honestly? They pay better.

The Psychology of the Micro-Community

There’s a shift toward immediacy. We’ve been conditioned to expect content that moves with us. A long-form post is fine, but a 30-second audio note or a quick screen-recorded thought shared directly to a group of paid subscribers feels earned. It feels authentic. When a subscriber hits the ‘join’ button on a private Telegram channel, they aren't just signing up for content; they’re buying a seat at the table.

Why Telegram? The Infrastructure Problem

Platforms like Substack are great until you want to scale the human connection. Everything is asynchronous. You post, you wait for comments, you engage, it’s all very… formal. Telegram smashes that dynamic. It’s real-time. The infrastructure for payments, for bots that manage membership access, and for tiered subscription models has matured to a point where you don’t need a specialized developer anymore.

You can spin up a channel, connect it to a bot like Donate or a similar subscription management tool, and have a paid group running in an hour. It’s messy, sure. Telegram can feel like the Wild West sometimes, and managing a community in chat form requires a different set of social skills than writing a newsletter. You have to be ‘on’ more often. But the payoff? A community that feels like a collective, not just a subscriber list.

Owning Your Data, Not Just Your List

The argument about owning your list is one we’ve heard a thousand times. But owning your list on Substack still means Substack sits in the middle. With Telegram, especially if you move your subscribers off to a decentralized wallet or a direct payment integration, you’re cutting out the platform tax. You keep more of your earnings. And more importantly, you keep your relationship with your audience unmediated.

The Reality of Managing the Hustle

I don’t want to paint this like it’s all sunshine. It’s hard work. If you migrate your audience, you will lose some people. Some subscribers just want the inbox experience. They don't want another app, another notification, or another group to manage. You have to be prepared for the churn. But the people who do make the jump? They’re your real core. They’re the ones who actually care about what you’re saying.

Think about it. A paid Substack newsletter might get a 40% open rate if you’re lucky. A Telegram channel often sees 80% to 90% reach on important posts. The difference isn't just a number; it’s the difference between reaching your community and shouting into the wind. It changes the way you produce content. You stop trying to write the perfect newsletter and start sharing the raw, unpolished, valuable insight that actually helps people.

The Future of Membership

We are entering an era of ‘community-as-a-product.’ The content is becoming a commodity, but the access? The access is where the value lives. If you have a group of 500 people who trust your analysis, who you talk to every day, that’s a business. You don't need millions of followers. You don't need a huge marketing funnel. You just need a group of people who find value in what you’re doing and want to be closer to the source.

Telegram is just the vessel. The real shift is in how we view the creator-subscriber contract. It’s moving away from “I write, you read” to “We build this together.”

How to Make the Switch Without Breaking Everything

If you’re considering this, don’t just kill your newsletter overnight. That’s a recipe for burnout and frustration. Start by teasing the channel. Give your top subscribers an invite-only link to a free Telegram group. See how the energy feels. Use the newsletter as a top-of-funnel capture, and the Telegram channel as the high-retention inner sanctum. That’s where the gold is.

Test your pricing. Run small experiments. You might find that your audience prefers a flat monthly fee for access to a closed group rather than the traditional tier-based newsletter structure. You won’t know until you’re in there, talking to them.

A Final Thought

The gold rush isn’t about the platform. It’s about attention. And right now, attention is migrating to places that don’t feel like work. Your inbox is work. Your browser is work. Your chat app? That’s where you hang out. If you want your content to be part of someone’s life, you have to meet them where they live. Right now, that’s Telegram.

Don't overthink it. Just start. Build a small group, invite your favorite readers, and see what happens when you start talking to them instead of at them.