Connect a Telegram Channel

This guide shows you how to connect your Telegram channel to AdTarget so conversions are tracked automatically.

Prerequisites

• Created a Telegram bot
• A Telegram channel (you must be an admin)
• Bot token added to AdTarget

Step 1: Add Bot to Your Channel

1. Open your Telegram channel
2. Tap the channel name at the top
3. Tap Administrators
4. Tap Add Administrator
5. Search for your bot’s username
6. Select the bot and tap Done

Required Permissions

When adding the bot as admin, make sure these permissions are enabled:

• ✅ See members (required)
• ✅ Add new members (optional but recommended)

Other permissions can be disabled.

Step 2: Connect in AdTarget

1. Go to your AdTarget dashboard 
2. Navigate to Channels
3. Click Add Channel
4. Select your bot from the dropdown
5. Enter your channel username (without @)
6. Click Connect

Finding Your Channel Username

Public channels: The username is in the channel link (e.g., t.me/yourchannel → username is yourchannel)

Private channels: Use the channel’s numeric ID instead. To find it:

1. Forward a message from your channel to @userinfobot
2. It will reply with the channel ID (starts with -100)

Step 3: Verify Connection

After connecting, AdTarget shows the channel status:

• 🟢 Connected - Everything working
• 🟡 Pending - Waiting for first event
• 🔴 Error - Check bot permissions

To test the connection:

1. Join your channel from a different account
2. Check AdTarget within 30 seconds
3. You should see the join event

Multiple Channels

You can connect multiple channels to the same AdTarget site:

1. Add your bot as admin to each channel
2. Add each channel in AdTarget
3. Each channel’s conversions are tracked separately

Tip: Use the same bot for all channels to simplify management.

Private vs Public Channels

Public Channels

• Users join via t.me/channelname link
• AdTarget generates unique invite links per visitor
• Attribution works automatically

Private Channels

• Users need an invite link
• AdTarget generates unique invite links automatically
• Each visitor gets a trackable invite link

Both types work the same way in AdTarget.

Channel Settings

Edit Channel Connection

1. Go to Channels in your dashboard
2. Click on the channel
3. Update settings as needed
4. Click Save

Disconnect a Channel

1. Go to Channels in your dashboard
2. Click on the channel
3. Click Disconnect
4. Confirm the action

Note: Historical data is retained after disconnecting.

Troubleshooting

“Bot is not an administrator”

• Add the bot as admin to your channel
• Ensure “See members” permission is enabled
• Wait 30 seconds and retry

“Channel not found”

• For public channels: check the username spelling
• For private channels: use the numeric ID
• Ensure the bot is a member of the channel

Not detecting joins?

• Verify bot has admin permissions
• Check that privacy mode is disabled (in BotFather)
• Test by joining from a different account

Delayed events?

• Telegram webhooks occasionally have delays
• Events typically appear within 5 seconds
• If consistently slow, contact support

Best Practices

Use descriptive channel names: Name channels clearly in AdTarget so you can identify them in reports.

Test before running ads: Verify tracking works by joining from a test account before spending on ads.

Monitor channel status: Check the dashboard periodically to ensure channels stay connected.

Next Steps

With your channel connected, set up Meta Pixel integration to send conversion events back to Meta.