Hello, community! Achieving a high ROI is only possible when you use your budget wisely. And what could be more rational than saving on ad spend? Especially when you’re getting the same reach for less money.
One of the best ways to get high-quality traffic at a relatively low cost is to buy it through Telegram Ads. And using Stars can help you significantly cut expenses. Not sure what we mean? Let’s break it down here!
Before we begin, a quick reminder — we’ve already covered how to run gambling offers via Telegram Ads. Highly recommended!
What Is the Stars Account and Who Should Use It?
Telegram Ads offers several account types depending on your currency of choice. You can pay for ads in traditional fiat currency (like EUR), in TON, or in Stars.
Stars are an internal Telegram currency, unlike TON. You can use them not only for advertising but also to send gifts to other users.
So, how do you get Stars? Here’s where it gets interesting.
But Before We Start — Some Disclaimers
Important: if you earn Stars through your Telegram channel (we’ll explain how below), you can only spend them on promoting that same channel.
Also, Telegram Ads applies a holding period. Your Stars will be frozen for 21 days before you can use them to buy ads or convert them to TON for withdrawal. Yes, Stars can be cashed out — 1,000 Stars is the minimum and equals around $13.
Earning or Buying Stars in Telegram
Our main interest is in getting Stars for free. All you need is a public channel with subscribers.
You’ve got two options: either create genuinely useful content and hope your readers send Stars in appreciation, or tease your audience by locking content behind a paywall.
In the latter case, you can hide images or videos behind a spoiler and prompt users to pay 1–2 Stars to reveal it. This method can be risky, though, as it may trigger negative feedback from your audience.
The better option? Paid reactions — especially ones that use Stars. If you’re confident in your content, just enable paid reactions in your channel settings. Here’s an example of how many Stars posts can earn from a channel with just over 10,000 subscribers:
Doesn’t seem like much, right? But look at the post views — five times lower than the number of subs. That’s about 1 Star per 1,000 views, which isn’t bad at all. And with a loyal audience, you can earn even more.
Even better — each viewer can donate more than one Star per post, and the process takes just one or two clicks if they’ve got Stars in their balance. So this is easily the safest and most effective way to earn free Stars without risking your audience’s loyalty.
Not the most popular option (lol), but definitely the most direct — buy Stars with real money. Here are the current prices:
The optimal package for testing would be 1,000 Stars for 789 UAH — less than $20.
Fun fact: buying 1,000 Stars via Premium Bot saves you 10 UAH.
But the best value comes from using Fragment. You’ll need to connect your TON wallet. Your savings will depend on crypto rates, but on average you’ll pay 10–15% less than other methods.
Yes, you’ll have to pass verification, but hey — all for the love of saving a few bucks you could spend on beer and dried squid, right?
In the example below, 1,000 Stars cost just $15, or around 620 UAH — 150 UAH cheaper than the options above.
The most expensive method? Buying Stars through the Telegram app on iPhone — thanks to the App Store fee.
Also, prices may vary depending on your country.
How to Save on Ads by Paying with Stars?
As we mentioned earlier, Telegram values 1,000 Stars at $13. But if you use Stars to fund your Telegram Ads account, the system will value them at €18–19. That’s euros, not dollars. (It can vary slightly — but it’s always significantly more than the TON exchange rate.)
Even without withdrawing to TON, if you look at the TON-to-Star exchange rate, you’re still getting a bonus of $3–4 per 1,000 Stars.
Why? Telegram Ads is essentially reimbursing users who bought Stars via mobile apps and had to pay platform fees (Play Market, App Store). If you didn’t pay those fees — you’re already making a profit.
In short, just convert your Stars into Telegram Ads balance and start running traffic. We’ve explained the whole process in detail here.
Conclusion
Will Telegram shut this down eventually? Is it still valid when you’re reading this? Who knows. But right now — it’s an awesome way to score a nice “top-up bonus” that can turn into real profit.
The only downside is that you can only use Stars to promote the same channel where you earned them. So plan your funnel ahead of time.
Are you into saving money on traffic? Share your tips in our Telegram community, where we keep our finger on the pulse of Ukrainian affiliate marketing!
With respect, your Geek!