While Instagram used to be the undisputed leader, Telegram is now rapidly gaining momentum, offering new opportunities for promotion.
Telegram is attracting new users faster, but Instagram still leads in overall reach. Instagram currently maintains its lead in engagement, but audience loyalty is higher on Telegram.
We have been working with social networks for many years, testing different channels, analyzing statistics, and constantly communicating with clients to understand which platforms truly deliver results. If the answer to the question "Where is it better to promote?" used to be clear cut, it's not so straightforward now.
Telegram and Instagram are fundamentally different platforms, each serving its own purposes. In this article, we will explore brand promotion on social media through these channels, their key advantages, compare their effectiveness, and explain how to use them in tandem for maximum return.
Advantages of Telegram
Previously, Telegram was seen as the "dark horse" of marketing against the backdrop of the bright and noisy Instagram. But today, the situation has changed: entrepreneurs, experts, and even large brands are increasingly moving their audiences here. There are compelling reasons for promoting on Telegram.
Subscriber loyalty
An Instagram user is overwhelmed by an endless stream of content—between advertisements, stories, Reels, and friends' posts, they endlessly scroll, flip through, and ultimately forget what they've seen. Telegram offers a completely different approach.
Statistics confirm: the average CTR on Telegram is 3-5 times higher than on Instagram. If a click-through rate of 3-5% is considered a good result on the banned gram, in Telegram 10-15% is the norm. In narrower niches, such as IT, finance, or B2B, the click-through rate can reach 30%.
The reason is simple: subscribing to Telegram is a conscious choice. A person joins a channel only if they are genuinely interested in the content. There are no casual viewers here, just a targeted audience that waits for and appreciates every message you send.
Transparency
Instagram is an endless battle with algorithms. Today, your post might reach 10,000 people, tomorrow barely 3,000, and in a week, the content might even "disappear" from the feed without any explanation.
Telegram works differently. There are no hidden restrictions here—if a subscriber hasn't turned off notifications, they will definitely see your message. You won’t have to battle "shadow bans" or sudden drops in reach for no reason. Unlike Instagram*, on Telegram, the audience grows and engages steadily.
The main advantage is control. You are not at the mercy of algorithm whims; instead, you interact directly with those who genuinely want your content. Telegram provides the stability that is so lacking in other social networks.
Longer post lifespan and personalization
When a subscriber enters your channel, they see all posts published since their last visit. There’s no risk of a message getting "lost" in the feed—unlike Instagram, where the algorithm decides what to show and what to hide. In Telegram, a person will read your post regardless. Whether they linger on it depends solely on the quality of the content, not on platform whims.
In Telegram, messages remain in the feed for days, continuing to attract readers and generate sales. The platform provides long-term results rather than fleeting spikes. Here, the value of a post is determined by its real benefit to the audience. If you’re considering where to place articles for promotion rather than quick content, Telegram wins.
Advantages of Instagram
Instagram is not giving up its positions yet. It remains the primary tool for viral content and mass reach.
Huge audience
Instagram in Russia is a truly mass platform. According to Mediascope data, the monthly audience of the service exceeds 60 million people—almost every second resident of the country. Undoubtedly, Telegram is showing active growth, but it remains a more niche platform for now.
For businesses operating in areas of mass demand (be it restaurants, fashion, beauty industry, or entertainment), Instagram remains the only channel for attracting customers. This is where a large audience ready to buy is concentrated. Telegram, despite all its advantages, cannot yet offer comparable reach for such sectors.
Diversity of formats
Instagram has long transcended the simple feed of photos. Today, it is a universal multi-format platform.
Promoting Reels on Instagram is the perfect option for virality. Just create a short dynamic video with a popular sound, and it can easily garner tens of thousands of views. Stories remain a powerful tool for daily engagement: polls, stickers, questions, and other interactive elements help hold subscribers' attention.
At the same time, Instagram remains a platform of opportunities—it's possible to "hit it big" even from scratch if you catch a trend at the right time and play it smartly. The flexibility of formats and a powerful promotion algorithm make it an ideal platform for testing ideas and rapid audience growth.
Organic growth
Telegram is a closed ecosystem where business promotion on Telegram is doomed to slow growth without external promotion. Without advertising or active cross-promotion in other channels and social networks, it will be challenging to build an audience from scratch.
The promotion strategy in Instagram can be built exclusively around organic growth. Videos in Reels can land in recommendations and gather thousands of views, even if you have few followers. SEO optimization of your profile with the right keywords in the account's header works more effectively than many think. Geotags and hashtags help local businesses find customers literally in the neighboring area.
However, there is an important nuance: Instagram's algorithms have become more capricious. If previously it was easy to gain reach with simple entertainment content like cute cat videos, now a more thoughtful content strategy is required. The platform demands a more deliberate approach to content.
Let's compare the statistics
We analyzed the latest research, platform data, and trends to understand where it is more profitable to promote right now. Numbers are stubborn things, and they clearly show the real picture.
Telegram demonstrates impressive growth rates. According to the platform itself, the monthly audience of the messenger has exceeded 900 million users, with more than 550 million people using the platform daily. In 2023-2024, the growth was about 20-30% per year.
Instagram* grows more slowly—its monthly audience is about 2 billion, but the growth in recent years has not exceeded 5-7% per year (data from Meta). In developed countries (especially in the USA), the platform has nearly reached saturation, and the main growth is now coming from developing markets.
In terms of engagement, Instagram still holds the lead. The average time spent in the app is 30-40 minutes a day, which is explained by the popularity of Reels. Telegram offers more modest engagement figures—15-25 minutes a day—but shows steady growth.
The main advantage of the platform is a more predictable reach. Subscribers see about 60-80% of the published content, while this figure rarely exceeds 5-15% on Instagram.
The difference in audience trust is particularly interesting. According to research, 62% of users trust information from verified Telegram channels, while for Instagram, this figure is only 48%. Instagram is increasingly associated with entertainment content, whereas Telegram is perceived as a more honest platform.
Which to choose for promotion?
There is no unequivocal answer to the question "which platform to choose"—it all depends on your business goals and target audience.
The optimal strategy is to use Instagram* for attracting an audience (viral reach, visual content, mass appeal) and Telegram for sales and loyalty (high conversion, trust, direct communications). Both platforms complement each other: Instagram works on recognition, while promoting a Telegram channel focuses on final profit. The choice is not between "either-or," but rather in the smart combination of opportunities.
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