You can find clients on Telegram in open groups where people ask each other for advice: city and neighbourhood communities, chats for Ukrainians abroad, parents' groups and topic groups. It only works when you reply to a specific request for a recommendation, follow the chat's rules and don't post ads. Below is where to find groups, how to read their rules, why groups are so noisy and what, from our experience, to expect from Telegram compared with Threads.
Channel, group, chat: where you can reply at all
Telegram has two main formats. A channel is a feed from one author or editorial team: readers can only comment on posts, and only if the owner has turned comments on. A group (often just called a chat) is a shared conversation where every member can write.
Groups are the more useful place to find clients. That is where people ask each other things like “anyone know a good dentist nearby”, “recommend a tutor for my kid” or “who did you book your trip through”. Such questions appear in comments under channel posts too, but less often and usually tied to the post's topic.
Where to look for groups
The best groups are where your clients gather, not your colleagues. Here is what to look at:
- City and neighbourhood communities. People ask about everything everyday: doctors, tradespeople, schools, clubs.
- Chats for Ukrainians abroad. People in a new country often ask who to turn to because they don't know local specialists.
- Parents' groups. Learning, clubs, doctors, holidays with children.
- Topic communities. Travel, learning, renovation, relocation, depending on your business.
- Industry groups in your own field. Careful here: they usually have more colleagues and competitors than clients.
How to find them. Telegram's built-in search finds public chats mostly by name, not by what people write in them. So try different names: the city, the district, “moms”, “Ukrainians in...”, the topic. Another source is links to other chats that people drop in conversations. Once you find a few lively groups, they usually lead to neighbouring ones.
Inside a group you belong to, word search works. It's the fastest way to check whether people there ask for recommendations in your line of business: search for “recommend”, “anyone know”, the name of your service.
Rules first, everything else second
Many groups have a pinned message with rules, and it's worth reading before you say a word. Typical options:
- ads are banned completely, and you get removed for them;
- ads are allowed only in a separate thread or on certain days;
- joining needs admin approval or an “I'm not a bot” check;
- only admins can post links.
Even where ads are banned, a helpful answer to a direct request is usually seen as help rather than advertising. But every group has its own rules. If in doubt, briefly ask the admin whether you may reply to recommendation requests on behalf of a business. It takes a minute and keeps your place in the group.
Why groups are so noisy
A lively group can have hundreds of messages a day: announcements, arguments, news, greetings, bot messages. A request for a recommendation drowns in that flow within hours. And the person who asked often gets answers in private messages, so the public thread stops.
From our experience, Telegram groups give noticeably fewer genuine recommendation requests than Threads search. We don't publish an exact comparison: everyone's set of groups is different, and the result depends heavily on which chats the account is in. But the difference follows from how the platforms work. On Threads, search covers all public posts; on Telegram you only see the groups your account belongs to. So Telegram takes more time to pick groups and gives fewer requests per hour of reading.
That doesn't mean Telegram isn't worth it. If your clients live in specific city or expat communities, that is exactly where they ask for advice. Just don't expect a stream of requests from a handful of groups.
How to reply without becoming a spammer
The rules below are the ones we follow in the product. Some are stricter than Telegram itself requires, on purpose.
- Only reply to a direct request. Don't post in a group if nobody asked anything.
- Reply to the message, not into the general chat. That way it's clear who you're answering and what about.
- Value in the first sentence, a question at the end. Same as on Threads: help for the person's situation first, then one clarifying question.
- No links or ads in the first reply. A link fits once the person has responded.
- No more than one comment per chat per day. To the same person, no more than once a month. This is our rule, not Telegram's, but it keeps you from looking like you live in the group to sell.
- Don't message people privately unless they asked. In the product, private messages are off by default.
- Don't copy one text into several chats. Identical messages in different groups are the first sign of spam, for people and for the platform.
- Listen to the platform. If Telegram asks you to wait or limits sending, stop rather than looking for a workaround.
Step by step: your first week on Telegram by hand
| Stage | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pick | Find a few groups where your clients gather | A few lively ones beat dozens of dead ones |
| Join | Read the pinned rules of each group | So you don't get kicked out for your first message |
| Observe | Read for a few days without posting | Learn the group's tone and what people ask |
| Search | Search the group for “recommend”, “anyone know”, your service | Check whether there are requests about your business |
| Reply | Value, one question, no links | Join the conversation, not the list of advertisers |
| Log | Note where requests came up and who replied | After a week, keep the groups that work |
Telegram or Threads
These are different platforms, and they don't exclude each other. Threads fits when clients ask for advice in public and anywhere: search sees all open posts. Telegram fits when clients are concentrated in specific communities, such as city or expat groups. We covered Threads separately: how to find clients on Threads.
In Zapyt, Telegram works through your account, connected with a QR code. We read the open groups and channels your account is in, score the messages and prepare a draft. After your yes, we send the approved comment from your account, with daily limits and pauses. Details are on the how it works and safety pages. A comparison with searching by hand is in Zapyt vs by hand, and plans with 7 days free are on the pricing page.
FAQ
Can I advertise in other people's Telegram groups?
Only where the rules allow it, and only in the allowed format. A helpful answer to a direct request isn't an ad, but it still goes without links in the first message.
Why do I get removed from groups?
Most often for a link in the very first message, the same text in many chats, private messages nobody asked for and breaking the pinned rules.
How many groups do I need?
We won't name a number: what matters is whether your clients ask for advice there, not the count. A few lively groups where people ask for recommendations in your line of business are worth more than dozens full of ads.
Does Zapyt message people privately?
No. Private messages are off by default until you ask us to turn them on. On social networks we reply only to people who asked for advice themselves.