Telegram is a messaging platform for desktop and mobile, primarily focusing on speed and privacy. Telegram was founded in 2013 by two brothers and is now one of the most popular messaging apps globally and among the top 5 most popular social media apps, with over one billion users worldwide. With Telegram, you can create channels/groups that can be used in many ways, whether simply talking to your friends or adding bots to make it more of a community.
While Telegram is frequently used for average daily communication, there is also a big market for paid groups/communities with something to offer. In 2020, Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, stated that over ten million channels had been founded on the platform and that over one hundred thousand new groups are being created daily. Many of these groups will be providing a service to people for money - usually following a subscription model, which you can do, too, thanks to Whop!
Telegram vs. Discord
While Telegram and Discord are both popular options for creating paid gated communities, they cater to different demographics and use cases. Deciding between the two platforms depends on your needs. If speed and privacy are important, Telegram is a clear winner over Discord. If you run a larger community and want to split your group into multiple channels, Discord may be a better option. In addition to this, Telegram supports groups with sizes of up to 200,000 members, whereas Discord servers can host tens of millions of people, the largest server as of August 2024 being Midjourney with 20.8 million members.
We’ve compiled a short list of pros and cons for both Telegram and Discord to help you decide which is best for you:
Telegram pros and cons
✅Pros:
- Lightweight and fast, it performs well even on slow internet connections or older devices.
- Strong emphasis on user privacy and security, including self-destructing messages and end-to-end encryption in chats.
- Allows large groups (up to 200,000 members) and channels to cater to larger communities.
❌ Cons:
- Lacks some community features, such as voice channels, member roles, stages, etc., compared to Discord.
- Limited tools for moderation and community management.
Discord pros and cons
✅Pros:
- Provides many community-focused features, including multiple text channels, stages, roles, etc.
- Highly customizable with bots, permissions, and various integrations with other platforms and services.
- Boasts a beautiful and customizable user interface, even offering themes (for those with a paid Discord Nitro subscription).
❌ Cons:
- Less lightweight than Telegram, requiring more resources and data usage.
- Discord's privacy and security measures are nowhere near as solid as Telegram’s.
Whichever platform you choose, we’re confident you can create a healthy, active community that you can easily monetize with Whop. If you believe Discord may be a better fit for you, check out our article “How To Create A Paid Discord Server.”
Telegram groups vs. Telegram channels: which should you choose?
Telegram has a unique selection when it comes to creating a community. You can opt to create either a group or a channel, but what’s the difference? A group is precisely what it sounds like - a place where individuals can chat back and forth, share images, etc. A channel, however, is quite different. Only admins can send messages in a channel; other members can react and reply - then members can reply to those messages in a thread and chat back and forth there.
Groups are ideal for smaller communities where discussion is key. Small, tight-knit communities benefit most from a group as groups allow for in-depth discussions where everyone can express themselves. As you might’ve already picked up, groups tend to be much more intimate than channels, as everyone can contribute, which is excellent for building a true community. Some examples of when you may want to use a group over a channel include an F&F (Friends & Family) community, coaching, and many other things that involve discussion.
If your goal is primarily to broadcast information to many individuals, a channel is perfect for you. Paired with Telegram’s extremely reliable notification system, a channel is a fantastic way of alerting members as soon as you send a message. Some examples of when you may want to use a channel over a group include sports betting picks, stock picks, announcements, changelogs, etc.
Integrating with Whop
Integrating Whop into your Telegram channel or group couldn’t be easier and can be done in just a couple of simple steps and you're going to need a whop. A whop is a place where you can create your own dream digital platform - but it can also be a gate for other platforms like Discord and Telegram.
All of the functionality of a whop is determined by which apps it has, and we're going to use the Telegram app on Whop to integrate your Telegram channel or group into Whop so that you can control who joins your channel/group and how. On a whop, you determine how people can access a particular app (the Telegram app in this case), and this is done by using products, which we'll get into later in the guide.
Adding the Telegram app to your whop
Adding the Telegram app to your whop is a super simple process that can be done with just a few clicks. But first, you have to have a whop first. If you don't already have one, we suggest you take a look at our How to Create Your Own whop guide to see how you can create one in under 5 minutes.
If you got your whop ready to go, let's see how you can add the Telegram app to it. Let's click open up your whop and click on the Add apps button under the Admin Area. This is going to take you to the app list, where you can find all available apps. Once there, find the Telegram app and click on its Add app button. If you don't want to bother with finding it, you can just search for it using the search bar at the top left of the app list.
Using the Telegram app
Once you've added the Telegram app to your whop, you'll be directed to its Set up section. Almost all apps on Whop have three sections: Set up, Preview as user, and Access. They allow you to set the app up, see it from the perspective of a user, and determine how people can access the app, respectively.
1. Set up
The first thing you're going to see in the Set up section of the Telegram app is the Connect Telegram button. Clicking on it will take you to the screen where you can see the steps of connecting the Whop Bot with your channels/groups.
As you can see on the screen, there are two steps to connecting the Whop telegram bot to a channel/group. Whichever one you choose, the second step stays the same. If you want to connect a Telegram group to Whop, you have to add the Whop Bot to it as a member. On the other hand, if you want to connect a channel, again, you have to add the Whop Bot but this time, make it an admin. After you're done with the first step, you're expected to send the verification code that you can see under the second step to the channel/group. Doing this will list the channel/group as an "available channel."
Once you've connected your channel/group, you'll be directed back to the landing page of the Set up section. But this time, you'll see two different sections: Channels included in 'Telegram' and Available channels.
The channel/group you've connected will be listed under the Available channels section with an Add Channel button. Clicking the Add Channel button will "include" the channel/group to the app.
"Including a channel/group to the app" means that when a user claims access in the Telegram app, they will be added to the "included" channels/groups.
After you add a channel/group to the app, you can use the Add Channel/Group button at the top right of your screen to add more or use the Remove button next to the included channels to remove them from the app.
2. Preview as user
As its name suggests, the Preview as user section of the Telegram app allows you to see it from the perspective of a regular user. There, you'll be able to see a Log in with Telegram button, and if you did connect your Telegram to your Whop account before, you'll be able to see a "using your telegram account: {account name}" box below the button.
Below the log in button, you can also see a list of the channels/groups that users can "claim." Clicking the "Claim!" button next to the channel/group, will add the user to it.
3. Access
When you click on the Access section, you'll see a single option named Paid/Private. Most apps on Whop have two options here: Free and Paid/Private. But apps like Discord and Telegram only have the latter.
You're going to see a list of the products on your whop under the Paid/Private option with toggle buttons next to them. Clicking on the toggle buttons will link the app with the product - meaning that only the users who obtained the product will be able to access the Telegram app, thus being able to join the channels/groups.
If you don't have any products, you can create them using the Create Product buttons under the Paid/Private option. While the steps of creating a product are so easy that you'll be able to understand every quirk, we suggest you check out the How to Create a Whop Product to learn everything there is to learn about Whop products.
What’s next?
Now that your Telegram community is set up and integrated with Whop, you’re almost ready to become a trillionaire. Before you do anything else, set up a payment method with Whop so you can receive payments for your product. Whop currently supports Stripe (debit/credit card payments), Crypto, and PayPal. You can link a payment method here, and it’ll be set up in no time.
Now you’re ready to sell - how exciting. Ensure your store page looks appealing and as descriptive as you deem fit. Now that that’s done, you should look to promote your community. There are many ways to promote such a product, and the way(s) you choose depends on your niche and overall needs. Take some time to research these and consider using multiple promotion strategies to increase the likelihood of obtaining new customers.
Whop’s affiliate scheme is an excellent way of attracting new community members via your existing members. Whop’s affiliate scheme allows community members to recommend your product to others and turn a profit. This is an awesome strategy that everyone benefits from and can help boost sales. You can view Whop’s documentation for more info on affiliate marketing here.
This may go without saying, but always focus on improving your product! Monitor and analyze all aspects of your community (e.g., when it’s most active, what people like, which promotion strategies are most effective, etc.) and improve areas that appear lacking. Also, ensure that your community is active, as there’s nothing less appealing than an inactive community. To keep your community active, engage with members and take in all feedback given so you can improve.
Time to take the next step
That’s all it takes to create a paid telegram community with the help of Whop - as easy as pressing a few buttons. Now that you’re all set up and your Telegram group/channel is ready, get out there and start selling.
Ready to create your own Telegram community? The two minutes it takes to sign up could be the start of a new successful career, so what are you waiting for?
