These Ad Policies and Guidelines apply to all ads displayed on the Telegram Ad Platform and describe what ad content is allowed on Telegram.
Advertisers are responsible for their ads and for complying with these Ad Policies and Guidelines, the Telegram Ad Platform Terms of Service, the Telegram Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
1. Ad format
2. Editorial requirements
3. Link format
4. Destination
5. Prohibited content
5.1. Graphic, shocking, or sexual content
5.2. Hate, violence, harassment
5.3. Third party rights
5.4. Deceptive, misleading, or predatory advertising
5.5. Election or political ads
5.6. Gambling
5.7. Deceptive or harmful financial products or services
5.8. Medical services, medications, supplements
5.9. Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, fast food
5.10. Weapons, firearms, explosives, ammunition
5.11. Spam software, malware, hacking
5.12. Products of questionable legality
1. Ad format
Ads can only promote products inside Telegram, such as channels or bots. Each ad consists of an ad text and a button that opens a link to the advertised product. The maximum length of the ad text is 160 characters including spaces.
2. Editorial requirements
Standard requirements of style, clarity, spelling and punctuation apply to all ads. Numbers, marks and symbols must be used properly. The following is not allowed:
- Profanity or vulgarity, including slur acronyms and spelling variations, in any language, and masked vulgarity (e.g., f**k)
- Unrecognizable or unclear meaning, such as overbroad or vague descriptions, repetition of words and phrases
- Excessive or gimmicky use of CaPiTaLiZaTiOn, highlighting, s p a c i n g and s,y,m,b,o,l,s, including Unicode art, ASCII art and box-drawing
- Intrusive, excessive or gimmicky use of emoji and other emoticons
- Line breaks, bullet points, numbering lists
3. Link format
In addition to the main ad link submitted in the ‘URL’ field, ads may also include one optional link in the ad text itself, using the format t.me/link or @link. The ad link and the link in the ad text must both lead to the same channel or bot on Telegram.
If the destination is a Telegram bot, links may include start parameters for the bot.
Links must be used properly. Particularly, the following is not allowed:
- Using more than one link in the ad text
- Using any external links, such as URL shorteners or links to any other websites, even if users are ultimately redirected to the channel or bot
4. Destination
The destination channel or bot on Telegram must be technically and visually complete and functional, and its content should be consistent with the ad. Destination channels must be public. Particularly, the following is not allowed:
- Destinations solely designed for displaying ads
- Unrelated destinations, such as when the destination link doesn’t correspond with the ad text
- Invalid or unsupported destinations, such as external links, etc.
5. Prohibited content
These Ad Policies and Guidelines prohibit some types of content to ensure a safe and pleasant experience for Telegram users. The following requirements apply to ads on the Telegram Ad Platform and to the products they promote, whether implied or explicit. All examples given are non-exhaustive.
5.1. Graphic, shocking, or sexual content
Ads must not promote graphic, shocking, or sexual content, products and services.
Examples:
- Gruesome, disgusting, or shocking imagery, including gore, bodily fluids, accident photos, graphic details of torture
- Nudity, sexually explicit and sexually suggestive content, including excessively exposed intimate body parts, sexual merchandize and entertainment, dating services
5.2. Hate, violence, harassment
Ads must not promote hatred, intolerance, harassment, discrimination, violence, or abuse.
Examples:
- Violence and its promotion, including supporting organizations or movements with ties to violence
- Promoting harassment or bullying, including dehumanizing speech, statements of inferiority, defamatory content, disclosing contact details or personal data
- Discrimination towards individuals, groups, or organizations, including hateful messages on the basis of race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, beliefs, sexual orientation or practices, physical or mental abilities
5.3. Third party rights
Ads and promoted content must not violate third party rights, including trademark, copyright, privacy or other personal or proprietary rights.
Examples:
- Unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content, including pirated software and content such as movies, music, or books
- Plagiarism, including impersonating public figures or brands, misusing brand logos or assets, e.g., the Telegram logo
5.4. Deceptive, misleading, or predatory advertising
Ads must not contain information that is false, misleading or simply does not match the product. This includes false statements, claims or offers, together with predatory advertising practices.
Examples:
- Clickbait or similar unrealistic statements, including you-just-won-X claims, shock or scare tactics
- Exaggerated comparisons and absolute claims, including unsupported use of comparatives and superlatives: “highest incomes”, “best company”, and comparing your brand to a different one
- Asserting personal attributes, including by using words ‘your’, ‘other’ and derivatives, such as “We know that your family prefers Telegram”
- Capitalizing on tragedies, health crises or acts of mass violence
5.5. Election or political ads
Ads must not promote political campaigns, elections, political parties, movements, or candidates.
Examples:
- Advocating for or against a politician, political party, or political movement
- Exploiting political controversy, including encouraging political unrest, disrupting public order
5.6. Gambling
Ads must not promote online or offline gambling, gaming, or casino-based activities involving real money, prizes, or goods of any value.
Examples:
- Games of chance or casinos, including sports betting, lotteries, bingo, fantasy sports
- Tips, odds, forecasts, including sports picks, odds calculators
5.7. Deceptive or harmful financial products or services
Ads must not promote content, products, or services associated with deceptive or harmful financial practices.
Examples:
- Payday loans, cash loans, predatory lending, including short-term loans
- Get-rich-quick offers, pyramid schemes, multilevel marketing, including offers of investment with guaranteed return, claims on providing insider tips on investments
5.8. Medical services, medications, supplements
Ads must not promote content, products, or services related to health and wellness.
Examples:
- Nutrition products, including weight loss products, herbal drugs, dietary supplements, vitamins, pregnancy, and fertility-related products
- Medical devices, services, and treatments, including medical masks, plastic surgeries, pregnancy termination, therapies
- Products with claims of healthful, curative or stimulating effects
- Prescriptions for medications
5.9. Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, fast food
Ads must not promote psychoactive substances, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products or fast food.
Examples:
- Alcoholic beverages, including home brewing kits, non-alcoholic beer
- Tobacco, including e-cigarettes, rolling papers, chewing tobacco
- Recreational drugs, including equipment and paraphernalia, e.g., pipes, bongs
- Instructions on producing drugs
- Fast food, including fast-food chains, pizza delivery, etc.
5.10. Weapons, firearms, explosives, ammunition
Ads must not promote the sale of weapons, explosives or ammunition, or any related content.
Examples:
- Firearms, including sporting, recreational guns, or any antique functioning guns that can cause harm
- Ammunition or accessories, including any firearm parts or components, even unfinished, such as magazines, scopes, silencers
- Knives and other melee weapons, including pepper spray, daggers, axes
- Explosives, including bombs, grenades, fireworks, or firecrackers
- Instructions on assembling or acquiring any product covered in this section
5.11. Spam software, malware, hacking
Ads must not promote content, products, or services that facilitate unsolicited communications, are intended to harm or gain unauthorized access to a user's device, or cause deceptive or unexpected consequences.
Examples:
- Social media growth manipulation, including encouraging growth of social media profiles
- Incentivized or automated clicks, including requests to perform actions on websites or services, complete online surveys
- Services for generating automated traffic, including services for inflating metrics/followers, sending automated content to social media platforms or other services
- Phishing, including promotion of services that trick a user into providing personal or other information
- Software causing deceptive or unexpected consequences, including modified apps containing malware, viruses, or any other malicious code
5.12. Products of questionable legality
Ads must not promote content, products, or services of questionable legality.
Examples:
- Forgery, including fake IDs, passports, visas, official documents
- Human-trafficking, including marriage brokering
- Stolen or leaked data, including carding, passwords to subscription services
- Sale of body parts, including bodily fluids
- Counterfeit products, including fake or bootleg goods, inauthentic artwork or digital goods, counterfeit currency
All examples on this page are non-exhaustive.