How to get the first 100 users for a Telegram bot or Mini App

Define what counts as a real user

A Telegram username on a list is not a product user. Define the first meaningful action: finishing onboarding, opening the Main Mini App, completing one task, making the first claim, creating a referral link or using the core tool. Acquisition only creates an opportunity; activation proves the promise was understood.

Track three numbers separately: starts, activated users and retained users. A campaign that delivers one hundred starts but five activations has exposed a product or targeting problem. Buying another thousand starts hides the lesson rather than solving it.

Prepare the product before inviting anyone

Telegram recommends enabling the Main Mini App, uploading profile screenshots or video previews and accepting Stars where payments are part of the product. Localized preview media can match the user’s Telegram language. These details make the profile a conversion page before the Mini App even opens.

• A clear bot name, image and one-sentence promise
• A Main Mini App or menu button that opens the intended experience
• A working /start flow for a completely new account
• One obvious first action above the fold
• A reward or result delivered without hidden requirements
• A short rules and support path
• Events for start, activation, error and return
• A referral link that attributes the source correctly

Recruit the first 25 by hand

Start with people close enough to answer a follow-up question but relevant enough to behave like the intended audience. A gaming Mini App needs players, not only supportive friends. An airdrop tool needs community operators or participants. A utility bot needs people who already perform the job it replaces.

Send a specific invitation: what the product does, what you want them to attempt and where feedback should go. Watch where they stop. Do not explain the interface while they use it; the product must eventually communicate without you.

1. Five direct contacts

   Find obvious errors and confusing language.

2. Ten niche participants

   Test whether the promise matters outside your circle.

3. Ten cold but qualified users

   Measure the profile, onboarding and first action without personal context.

Reach 50 with native Telegram distribution

Telegram now supports suggested posts funded in Stars or Gram, official bot advertising, affiliate programs and a Mini App Store. These can become scale channels later, but the first cohort usually benefits from direct placement in one precise community rather than broad reach.

• Publish a useful demonstration in a relevant channel or group where promotion is permitted.
• Use a deep link with a source-specific start parameter for every channel or partner.
• Create a shareable result, score, card or milestone instead of asking users to forward a generic link.
• Offer a referral benefit only after the invited person activates, not simply after a click.
• Ask a small channel owner for a transparent suggested or sponsored post with a defined test budget.
• Enable profile previews so shared links have context when the recipient investigates.

Use paid promotion for the next 50

Paid acquisition becomes useful after the first journey works. Mini Empire Promote lets an owner select a bot or Mini App and purchase measured distribution. The starter preset is 100 users for $3; larger presets reduce the unit price. The current product flow counts unique new users who open the promoted bot or Mini App, rather than selling an imported contact list.

Treat this traffic like an experiment. Give the campaign its own referral or start attribution, record the cohort date and compare activation and return against organic users. Pause if the activation rate collapses. Cheap acquisition is expensive when every user leaves.

Run the 100-user review

A useful first hundred often looks uneven. One source may bring fewer starts but far more retained users. One feature may be popular but unprofitable. The point is to locate the repeatable combination of promise, audience and loop before scaling.

1. Segment sources

   Separate direct, community, referral, partner and paid cohorts.

2. Read the funnel

   Find the largest loss between profile view, start, activation and return.

3. Review support

   Group every question, error and trust concern by theme.

4. Interview five users

   Speak to two retained, two inactive and one who never activated.

5. Choose one correction

   Fix the highest-impact product problem before the next campaign.

6. Set the next acquisition ceiling

   Buy or recruit only enough users to validate that correction.

What not to buy

Avoid lists of accounts, forced additions, unverifiable members and any offer that cannot explain the user action being purchased. These inflate a counter without creating consent or product usage. They also make activation and retention analytics meaningless.

Buy a measurable discovery opportunity, not the appearance of popularity. The campaign should lead a real person to the real bot or Mini App and let them decide whether the product deserves another session.