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Gaining subscribers on Telegram: how it works, what the dangers are, and is it worth the effort? — Postmypost

Gaining subscribers on Telegram: how it works, what the dangers are, and is it worth the effort?

20.06.2025
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Alexandr Nikiforov
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Telegram is not just a messenger. It is a powerful platform for businesses, media, bloggers, and even politicians. The more subscribers a channel has, the higher its authority, reach, and, consequently, income.

But what should you do if subscribers don't come on their own? Wait for months, investing in advertising, or... artificially inflate the numbers?

Artificially inflating subscribers in Telegram is the process of artificially increasing the audience using bots or special services. Some consider it a dirty method, while others see it as a necessary measure. Let's figure out how it works, what the risks are, and whether it’s worth trying at all.

How does inflation work?

When a page is first created, subscribers do not appear on their own. Many then consider artificially inflating the audience. But before taking this step, it's worth understanding how everything is actually set up.

There are different types of subscriber inflation in Telegram. The simplest and cheapest option is bots, empty accounts that read nothing and write nothing. They simply count as subscribers, but there is no real benefit from them.

Slightly better are so-called "semi-active" subscribers — sometimes they may like a post or even leave a comment, but their activity is minimal. The most expensive option is real people who subscribe for money. However, these are usually foreign users who are paid pennies for their subscription, and your content is not of real interest to them.

Technically, it looks like this: special services gradually add accounts, a few dozen a day, to avoid raising suspicions with Telegram. They use different IP addresses to create the impression that subscribers are from different cities and countries. Sometimes these accounts even imitate activity — liking or writing short comments.

Entire "farms" are involved in this — companies where hundreds of people in developing countries subscribe to groups for a small fee. There are also special websites where you can buy subscribers for money or get them for free by subscribing to other communities yourself.

But this method has serious downsides. Telegram actively fights against artificial inflation and can simply delete all fake accounts. In the most severe cases, the channel can be completely blocked.

The main problem is that artificially inflated subscribers are just numbers. They do not read your content, do not participate in discussions, and do not bring any real benefits. For some time, the channel may look solid and even attract advertisers, but sooner or later, everything will come to light.

It is much better to develop social media honestly. Interesting content, advertising on social networks, collaboration with other authors — it takes more time and effort, but it gives a real, live audience that is genuinely interested in what you publish.

Why do people inflate their audience at all?

Let's figure out why many owners resort to trickery and buy the number of accounts in subscriptions.

Psychological effect

Imagine: you see two cooking channels. One has 500 subscribers, and the other has 50,000. Which one are you more likely to subscribe to? Most will choose the second option, even without looking at the content. This works like a herd effect; we subconsciously trust what many have already chosen. This psychological trick is precisely what owners use by artificially inflating the numbers.

Money matters

The larger the audience, the more expensive advertising in the channel can be sold. Advertisers often only look at the numbers without checking if they are real people or "empty shells." A channel with 10,000 subscribers can charge 5,000 rubles for an advertising post, while a community with 1,000 can only charge 500 rubles. The difference is obvious, and it motivates people to inflate their audience.

Quick start for a new channel

Imagine you just created a channel. How do you attract the first people to the community? Waiting for people to find you can take months. Inflating subscribers on a Telegram channel in the first weeks creates the appearance of popularity and genuinely helps attract a real audience. It's like a snowball effect — the first subscribers attract the next ones.

Can you get banned for inflation?

Telegram takes artificial audience inflation seriously. Let's break down what can happen to a channel and how to avoid problems.

What penalties are possible?

The most common option is the so-called "shadow ban." The channel remains accessible to current participants, but new people won't be able to find it through search.

Another unpleasant scenario is that Telegram may simply delete some people from the channel. Imagine you've inflated by 5,000, and a week later only 500 remain. All investments would be wasted.

In the most serious cases (especially with mass inflation), the community can be completely blocked. However, this happens rarely, usually with clear fraudulent projects.

How to reduce risks?

The main rule is not to rush. If you add 100-200 profiles a day instead of 5,000 at once, the chances of staying under the radar are significantly higher. It's better to stretch the process over several weeks.

Choose services where there is inflation of real subscribers in Telegram. Yes, they are more expensive than bots, but the risks are lower. Although remember — you can't really buy active participants for money; they will still be mostly inactive users.

The most reliable method is to combine a small amount of inflation with real promotion. Advertising in other channels, interesting content, contests — this creates natural audience growth and masks artificial subscriptions.

It's important to understand. Even if everything goes well initially, Telegram may take action a month or two later. The system constantly analyzes activity and gradually identifies suspicious actions. Therefore, it's better to view inflation as a temporary aid rather than a primary growth strategy.

Is it worth inflating?

Artificially inflating an audience is a controversial method, with both supporters and opponents. Let's examine all the "pros" and "cons" to understand whether it's worth the risk.

Why are many against inflation?

The main problem is empty numbers. Bots and inactive subscribers do not bring real benefits: they do not read posts, do not participate in discussions, and certainly do not buy advertised products. Essentially, you are paying for "dead" traffic that only creates the appearance of popularity.

The second serious risk is sanctions from Telegram. The messenger actively combats inflation, and if the system suspects something is off, the channel can end up in a shadow ban (disappearing from search) or even be completely blocked. The money and effort invested will simply be lost.

Finally, there are reputational losses. If the audience or advertisers find out that the subscribers are not real, trust in you as a source will decline. And restoring that trust will be extremely difficult.

Why do some still inflate?

Despite the risks, this method has its advantages. A quick start is one of the main arguments. When a channel already has at least a few thousand subscribers, new people are more willing to join, thinking, "If there are many people here, then the content must be worthwhile."

The psychological effect also plays a role. Large numbers subconsciously inspire trust, and advertisers are more likely to agree to collaborate without checking engagement.

Additionally, if approached moderately and carefully, risks can be minimized. For example, instead of adding thousands of bots at once, you can mix artificial growth with real advertising and quality content.

Conclusion: is it worth the risk?

Inflating is merely a tool, and like any tool, it can be used in various ways. In the wrong hands, it is more likely to harm than help. But if applied cautiously and in conjunction with other promotion methods, it can achieve temporary effects.

However, it is important to remember: even inflating active subscribers in a Telegram channel will not replace a real audience. If you want long-term success, it is better to invest in valuable content and honest promotion methods. After all, the trust of people and advertisers is far more valuable than beautiful but empty numbers.

Services for inflation in Telegram

There are dozens of services online offering to "boost" your audience, but not all are equally useful. We analyzed three randomly selected platforms to show how they work, how much they cost, and what to pay attention to.

Bosslike

What is it? A domestic service where you can both buy subscribers for money and get them for free in exchange for completing tasks.

How does it work?

  • Purchase starting from 0.32 rubles per subscriber.

  • Free method: subscribe to other channels → earn points → spend them on your inflation.

Features:

  • You can choose the geolocation (Russia or other countries).

  • There is a plan for subscriber inflation in Telegram channels without unsubscribes.

  • Limits: from 10 to 10,000 pages at once.

Downsides:

  • Some of the audience consists of inactive users.

  • The free method requires time.

TapLike

What is it? Another Russian service offering inflation for money. Unlike Bosslike, there is no point system here — only paid services.

How does it work?

  • 3 plans: "Economy", "Standard", "Premium".

  • Price: starting from 0.49 rubles per subscriber.

  • Limits: from 500 to 50,000 per order.

Features:

  • Fast order fulfillment.

  • Ability to order large volumes.

Downsides:

  • It’s unclear who these subscribers are — bots or real people.

  • No guarantee that they will stay for long.

Prostospets.rf

What is it? A Russian service that positions itself as a provider of "live" subscribers — without using bots.

How does it work?

  • 4 plans: "Economy", "Standard", "Premium", "For closed channels".

  • Price: starting from 0.19 rubles per subscription (one of the cheapest options).

  • Limits: from 500 to 50,000.

Features:

  • It is claimed that the subscribers are real people.

  • There is a special plan for closed channels.

Downsides:

  • No evidence that all subscribers are indeed "live".

  • Risk of partial audience loss after inflation.

These audience inflation services in Telegram do not guarantee success.

We randomly selected and analyzed several of them, but this does not mean we recommend them. This is simply an evaluation of possible options.

However, any service, even those that promise only live users, always carries risks. If a service guarantees you exclusively "super quality" subscribers who will show engagement, we do not advise you to believe it.

Even if purchased subscribers are initially active, this effect will quickly fade. And when the ratio of audience to activity approaches zero — it is very bad for the account's statistics and is the clearest sign of inflated audience.

Conclusion

If you are considering buying subscriber inflation in Telegram, it is essential to understand: this tool alone does not guarantee success. Moreover, without a competent approach, it can harm your account. Before making a decision, carefully weigh all possible consequences.

If you do decide to inflate, it is crucial to implement professional Telegram analytics. Our service provides detailed statistics about your channel, which becomes the main control tool.

How does analytics work and why is it so important?

When you start inflation, the first days usually show positive dynamics. New subscribers may show activity — liking, leaving comments, clicking on links. At this moment, your graphs rise, and it may seem that the strategy is working.

However, without constant monitoring, you risk missing a critical moment. After some time (usually from a few days to a couple of weeks), the activity of the purchased audience begins to decline.

In analytics, this manifests as:

  • gradual decrease in engagement (likes, comments, views)

  • increase in unsubscribes

  • imbalance between the number of people in the group and real activity

Imagine you inflated by 5,000 subscribers. In the first week, they actively interact with the content — the average engagement is 8-10%. But after 10-14 days, this figure drops to 1-2%. At this point, trust among the real audience decreases (due to the suspicious imbalance of subscribers and activity), and the effectiveness of advertising integrations falls.

How to use analytics to minimize risks?

Our service allows you not only to see these changes but also to respond promptly to them. 

You will be able to:

  • Accurately determine the moment when activity begins to decline.

  • Plan additional advertising campaigns precisely when needed.

  • Test different strategies to regain activity.

Inflating active subscribers in a Telegram channel can only be justified if you use it as part of a comprehensive strategy and continuously control the process through professional analytics. Without this, you risk not only wasting your budget but also facing long-term problems with promoting your channel.

A competent combination of growth tools and constant analysis is the only way to turn inflation from a risky step into a working promotion tool.

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