How to Monetize Games on Telegram

Telegram has evolved far beyond a simple messaging app. Today, it serves as a comprehensive ecosystem for communication, business, education, and entertainment. Telegram Mini Apps have made it possible for users to integrate custom-built applications directly into the platform. These apps and mobile games are based on chatbots and are tailored to work seamlessly with Telegram’s features and capabilities.

Telegram Mini Apps are rapidly gaining popularity. Grand View Research predicts that by the end of 2024, nearly 50% of companies will be using bots on a regular basis. This trend suggests that both games and business gamification will see significant growth.

The Telegram Mini App ecosystem includes a wide range of applications, such as websites, online stores, quizzes, and more, but the gaming sector stands out as the most prominent. Popular games like Fanton, Tap Fantasy, Egg Fight Club, and others have already captured the hearts of users.

Most Telegram games are compatible with TON and Web3 technologies, enabling developers to:

• Build their own gaming communities within Telegram
• Monetize NFTs
• Create in-game tokens
• Accept cryptocurrency payments
• Integrate decentralized finance (DeFi) methods
• Utilize the Web3 interface

Advantages of Telegram Mini Apps

Telegram Mini Apps provide developers with the opportunity to create versatile, cross-platform, and interactive applications that greatly enhance the user experience within Telegram.

• Cross-platform compatibility. Games and other applications are automatically adapted for Android, iOS, PC, Mac, and Linux, ensuring a seamless experience across all devices.
• Interactive and automated experience. Users can easily engage with various services and features directly within the messenger.
• Real-time responsiveness. Mini Apps can react to user actions instantly, offering a tailored and engaging experience.
• Dynamic interaction. Developers can leverage notifications, chats, channels, and other Telegram features to create a more interactive and immersive user experience.

Examples of Popular Games in Telegram Mini Apps

• Catizen is a play-to-earn game built on the TON and MANTLE blockchains, where players earn tokens by breeding virtual cats. 8,9 monthly active users.
• Tap Fantasy is a play-to-earn game that launched in November 2023. It uses an internal currency based on Sol and BSC, which players can earn through completing in-game tasks. The game has attracted a total of 700,000 users, with 66,000 active monthly users.
• Play Corn Battles: released in June 2024, this multiplayer strategy game has quickly attracted over 3 million users. Players assemble teams of unique corn heroes, each represented as NFTs that can be sold, exchanged, or gifted.

The market is facing a challenge that looks like this:

On one hand, we have:

• Telegram: a powerful platform that’s perfect for developing games and applications
  A Large, Engaged Audience: Telegram has 950 million active users worldwide as of 2024
• Support for Crypto and Web3: The platform is well-integrated with cryptocurrency and Web3 technologies
• An Active Community: Many teams and investors are eager to fund and develop new applications

On the other hand, monetization remains a significant challenge.

• Developers can currently only earn revenue through in-game items or currency, which results in substantial potential revenue loss and can undermine motivation.

AdsGram is the first platform designed to help monetize traffic in Telegram Mini Apps through ad displays. The creators recognize the challenges developers face and see significant potential in this area.

AdsGram is the first platform designed to help monetize traffic in Telegram Mini Apps through ad displays. The creators recognize the challenges developers face and see significant potential in this area.

Who Can Benefit From AdsGram?

AdsGram is perfect for game developers and any Telegram Mini Apps with global traffic. It features a diverse international inventory, enabling it to work with regions including Southeast Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Hong Kong. Currently, AdsGram collaborates with 150 games, and the number of new partners — including game projects and advertisers — is steadily growing.

How AdsGram Works

AdsGram operates as a traditional advertising engine, displaying ads based on established advertising system principles.

Advertisers receive two accounts to manage their campaigns. They can upload their videos and set pricing based on auction dynamics, with TON as the primary currency. AdsGram also offers various targeting options, including:

• Premium subscription status
• Device type
• Platform (iOS / Android)
• Geographic location
• Language
• Wallet availability (coming soon)

Advertisers can set Reach Frequency for their campaigns. Currently, billing is based on impressions, but payment per click will be introduced once the database is sufficiently large.

Ads can be displayed as either static banners or video banners. For video ads (up to 15 seconds), the format is divided into several stages:

• Stage 1: the video plays
• Stage 2: a call-to-action button appears
• Stage 3: a close button is added
• Stage 4: final screen shows a title, text, and image, with a close option appearing after two seconds

Metrics already demonstrate the effectiveness of the platform: the average click-through rate (CTR) for video ads is 6%, while static ads have an average CTR of 10%.

As for the metrics, AdsGram provides plenty of them, including CPM, CPC, CTR, conversions, and Fill Rate.

The creators plan to introduce more advanced tools in the coming months, including:

• Channel subscriptions: this will drive a large volume of cost-effective traffic across the Telegram and TON ecosystem.
• Wallet-Based Targeting: this includes targeting based on wallet authorization status and balance availability.
• Contract interaction targeting: based on interactions with specific contracts, such as those from the Dexa exchange, enabling targeted promotions of DeFi products and Web3 users.
• Cost-per-click Implementation: In addition to cost-per-impression, AdsGram will offer cost-per-click options.