A Telegram Ads budget is calculated backward from the goal: how many leads or subscribers you need, how many clicks that takes at your expected conversion rate, how many impressions at your expected CTR, and what those impressions cost at your chosen CPM. On top of that sum you add the reseller’s fee, taxes and a reserve for testing. Below: a step-by-step formula, market benchmarks for 2026 and a media plan template.
What goes into a Telegram Ads media plan
A media plan is a table that sets the audience, forecast metrics and budget for each ad group. For Telegram Ads it usually includes these rows:
| Row | What to enter | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Goal and KPI | Subscribers, bot starts, leads, sales; the acceptable cost per result | Unit economics: average order value, margin, lead-to-sale rate |
| Segments | Channel groups, topics, interests, location, devices | Analysis of niche and competitor channels |
| CPM | Planned bid per 1,000 impressions | Your past campaigns or market benchmarks |
| CTR and CR | Click-through rate and click-to-action conversion rate | Past campaign stats, website or bot analytics |
| Budget | Spend in the ad account and the full cost including fees | The formulas below and your reseller’s terms |
| Timing | Test and scaling periods, seasonality | Your niche’s promotions and seasonal calendar |
Step-by-step budget calculation
- Set the goal in results. For example, 50 website leads per month or 1,000 channel subscribers.
- Calculate clicks. Clicks = results ÷ click-to-result conversion rate (CR).
- Calculate impressions. Impressions = clicks ÷ CTR.
- Calculate account spend. Spend = impressions × CPM ÷ 1,000.
- Add fees and taxes. With a 20% reseller fee and 22% VAT on the fee (the Russian rate), the multiplier is 1.244.
- Check against the acceptable cost per result. If the full cost per lead is higher than acceptable, change the segments, creatives or the goal.
A hypothetical example. The goal is 50 leads, website conversion is assumed at 5%, CTR is 0.65% and CPM is €2.68. You need 1,000 clicks and about 154,000 impressions; account spend is about €412, or about €513 with a 20% fee and VAT on it. The full cost per lead is about €10.30. How the metrics relate is explained in Telegram Ads metrics.
Market benchmarks for 2026
If you have no stats of your own yet, use public data for the first plan, adjusted for your niche. Figures from different sources vary a lot because they cover different samples of accounts and topics; the ones below are for Russian-language campaigns.
| Source and period | CPM | CPC | CTR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market, January 2026 (ppc.world, eLama) | €1.64 | €0.33 | — |
| Market, August 2026 (ppc.world, eLama) | €0.97 | €0.12 | — |
The minimum bid in the euro account is about €1 per 1,000 impressions for most topics. How the bid affects delivery is described in Telegram Ads auction and bids.
Maximum bid from your target cost per result
A handy reverse formula shows what CPM you can afford. It is given by the author of an article on ppc.world (June 2026): CPM_max = target cost per action × CTR × CR × 1,000.
For example, with an acceptable cost per lead of €20, a CTR of 0.65% and an assumed conversion rate of 5%, the maximum bid is €6.50 per 1,000 impressions. If the auction for that audience requires more, the campaign won’t pay off at that cost per lead, and you need to raise CTR or conversion.
How to allocate a test budget
The main planning mistake is spreading a small budget across too many ads. The author of the same ppc.world article describes accounts where €5–10 per day was split across 700–1,500 active ads, and most of them got almost no impressions. His guideline is at least €0.10 of daily budget per active ad; in the case he reviews, the number of ads was cut to 80–120.
- One hypothesis, one ad. One channel group or one interest segment per ad, so you can see what worked.
- Test first, then scale. Spend 1–2 weeks testing segments and creatives, then shift budget to the best combinations; see how to scale Telegram Ads campaigns.
- Reserve for creatives. Set aside part of the budget for new ad text variants: in narrow audiences ads wear out quickly.
Frequency, seasonality and full cost
The number of impressions per user is set in the ad. According to SA Media data for 2026, four impressions per user produced the biggest lift in CTR and subscription conversion, but at a higher CPM; tests usually start at 1–2 impressions per day. The author of the ppc.world article (June 2026) also notes CPM increases of 30–50% in December and in May–June, so plan larger budgets for those months.
The full cost of a campaign for Russian advertisers includes the first top-up through a reseller (usually €250–500 as of October 2026), a 15–20% fee (higher for some topics), 22% VAT on the fee and the conversion rate. More details are in how much Telegram Ads costs; the reviews in the resellers section help compare terms. To control bids and spend across many ads, there are automation services such as the free TG Adviser; see the services section.
Media plan template
A minimal working template can be built in any spreadsheet. One row is one ad group:
| Segment | CPM, € | CTR | CR | Goal, units | Account spend, € | Full cost, € | Cost per result, € |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competitor channels | plan | plan | plan | plan | formula | spend × 1.244 | full cost ÷ goal |
| Topic + language | plan | plan | plan | plan | formula | spend × 1.244 | full cost ÷ goal |
| Channel subscribers | plan | plan | plan | plan | formula | spend × 1.244 | full cost ÷ goal |
After the first week, replace the planned CPM, CTR and CR with actual values from the account and your analytics; that turns the media plan from a forecast into a budget management tool.
FAQ
What is the minimum budget for Telegram Ads?
For Russian advertisers working through resellers, the first top-up is usually €250–500 plus a fee and VAT (as of October 2026). But the working budget depends on your goal: calculate it from the number of results you need, not from the minimum top-up.
How do you calculate a Telegram Ads budget with a formula?
Divide the number of results you need by the click conversion rate, then by CTR to get impressions. Multiply impressions by CPM and divide by 1,000 to get account spend. Then multiply by the multiplier for the reseller’s fee and taxes.
Where do I get CTR and conversion rate if I haven’t run campaigns yet?
Use public market benchmarks and case studies from your niche, but treat them as rough estimates. After a 1–2 week test, replace them with actual data from the account, the pixel and your analytics.
How many ads should the budget be split across?
The smaller the budget, the fewer active ads. The author of a ppc.world article (June 2026) recommends at least €0.10 of daily budget per active ad; otherwise most ads get almost no impressions.
Should the reseller’s fee be included in cost per lead?
Yes. The account shows spend without the fee and taxes, so the cost per lead it implies is too low. With a 20% fee and 22% VAT on the fee, multiply spend by 1.244.
When do Telegram Ads get more expensive?
According to the author of a ppc.world article (June 2026), CPM rises by 30–50% in December and in May–June. Plan a larger budget or a higher acceptable cost per result for those periods.
