--- title: "Invite Link Telegram Guide: Get Leads to DM You" slug: telegram-invite-link author: "Leonardo Maldonado" category: "Channels" articleType: how-to-guide tags: ["invite link telegram","Telegram links","Telegram for coaches"] publishedAt: 2026-11-06T16:00:00.000Z updatedAt: 2026-11-06T16:00:00.000Z canonical: https://setluca.com/blog/telegram-invite-link ---# Invite Link Telegram Guide: Get Leads to DM You > Telegram has four kinds of link: a profile link (t.me/username), the invite link Telegram makes for a group or channel, a bot link, and a QR code of each. If you want leads in a 1:1 DM, share a link to your bot with a start parameter. A bot can reply once the lead writes, and the parameter tells you where they came from. Use group and channel invite links for community, not for sales conversations. ## Key takeaways - Your profile link is t.me/username, and it only exists once you set a username in Settings. - Group and channel invite links can expire, cap the number of uses, require admin approval, and be revoked instantly. - Telegram bots can't message anyone first, so a t.me link to your bot is how a lead opens the DM your bot can answer. - Add a start parameter, a short tracking code of up to 64 characters, to each bot link. Use one per placement (each place you post the link) to see which posts bring leads. - Any public username link, including a bot's, can become a QR code for print and events. --- The invite link Telegram creates for a group is only one of your links, and for a coach it's often the wrong one. Leads who want to talk about working with you need a private conversation, not a group chat. This guide covers every Telegram link type, how to make each one, and how to track where leads come from. ## What kinds of Telegram link can you share? You can share four kinds of link: a profile link, an invite link, a bot link and a QR code. Each opens a different place in Telegram, so pick the link by where you want the lead to land. | Link type | Format | Opens | Best for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Profile link | t.me/username or username.t.me | A chat with your personal account | Friends, existing clients | | Public group or channel link | t.me/groupname | The group or channel, to join | Free communities, broadcast content | | Private invite link | t.me/+code | A private group or channel | Paid or vetted groups, launches | | Bot link | t.me/yourbot?start=source | A 1:1 chat with your bot | New leads you want in a DM | | QR code | A scannable version of a link | Whatever the link opens | Print, slides, events | ## How do I get my Telegram link? You get a personal Telegram link by setting a username in Settings. Once you have one, Telegram says you can share it as t.me/username or as username.t.me. Usernames can use a to z, 0 to 9 and underscores. ### How do I set or change my username? Open Settings, tap your profile, and choose Username. Type the name you want, and Telegram tells you whether it's available. Usernames are first come, first served, so short or common names are often gone. Pick a name you'll keep, because every link and QR code you share points at it. ## How do you create a Telegram invite link for a group or channel? Open the group, go to Group Info, tap Add Member, and choose Invite to Group via Link. That's the path Telegram's FAQ gives, and channels work the same way. Anyone with the link and the app can join. Every new group or channel already has a default invite link, and you can add more. ### Can you add expiry dates and member limits? Yes. Owners and admins can create additional links with a time limit, a cap on the number of uses, or both. Find them under your group or channel Profile, then Edit, then Invite Links. Telegram also shows which users joined through each link, so separate links double as a simple source report. ### How do you revoke a link? Revoke it from the same Invite Links screen. Telegram says a revoked link stops working immediately. Revoke a link when it leaks into a place you didn't intend, or when a launch ends, then share a fresh one. ### How do join requests work? Turn on Request Admin Approval when you create an additional link. People who open it send a join request instead of joining. Admins see the requests in a bar at the top of the chat, check the person's public photos and bio, and approve or dismiss. Telegram added this in November 2021. Groups hold up to 200,000 members and channels have no subscriber cap, according to Telegram's FAQ. For most coaches, the limit that matters is how many conversations you can actually hold. Our [Telegram for coaching business](/blog/telegram-for-coaching-business) playbook covers when to run a group, a channel or both. ## How do bot links work, and how do you track leads with them? Every Telegram bot has a link, t.me/yourbot, that opens a 1:1 chat with it. Add ?start= and a short code, and the bot receives that code when the lead taps Start. That code is the start parameter, and it's how you track which placement sent each lead. ### What can the start parameter contain? Telegram's developer docs for bots set the rules. The parameter can be up to 64 characters, using A to Z, a to z, 0 to 9, underscores and hyphens. A link like t.me/yourbot?start=ig_bio makes the bot receive "/start ig_bio". For tracking, plain codes such as ig_story or yt_desc are easiest to read. ### How do you make a bot in the first place? You create a bot by messaging @BotFather, Telegram's official bot for making and managing bots, and sending /newbot. BotFather asks for a display name and a username, which has to end in "bot". Then it gives you a token, a long secret key that lets software run your bot. Keep that token private, because anyone who has it controls the bot. ## Why should DM links point to a bot instead of your profile? Point DM links at a bot, because a bot can answer every lead who writes to it. A t.me link to your bot is how that first message happens. Telegram's developer documentation says, "Bots can't start conversations with users. A user must either add them to a group or send them a message first." A bot link also carries the start parameter, which a profile link can't, so you see which placement sent each lead. A personal account has neither advantage. Its chats sit next to family and friends, and privacy settings can hide new ones. ## How do you turn a Telegram link into a QR code? Tap the QR icon next to a username, or open a chat's info page and choose QR code. Telegram added this in December 2021. It works for any user with a public username, and for groups, channels and bots too. Your own code sits in Settings, next to your username. You can choose colors and a pattern, then print it or share it. For lead tracking, make the QR code from a bot link with its own start parameter, such as ?start=event_nov, so scans from that event arrive tagged. If you change your username, every printed code stops working. ## Which link should send leads to a DM, and which to a group? Send anyone who might buy to a 1:1 DM with your bot. Send people who want to learn or belong to a group or channel. Sales happen in private conversation, and groups are better for staying in touch until people are ready, for proof and for community. | If you want | Use this link | Example | Why | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | A booked sales call | Bot link with a start parameter | t.me/yourbot?start=ig_bio | The bot can answer every lead, and you see the source | | Existing clients to reach you | Profile link | t.me/username | Personal contact with people you know | | A free community or broadcast feed | Public group or channel link | t.me/yourchannel | Easy to join, easy to share | | A paid or vetted group | Invite link with admin approval | t.me/+code | You check each person before they join | | A launch or challenge with a deadline | Invite link with expiry or a use cap | t.me/+code | The door closes on its own | | Print, slides or events | QR code of a bot link | ?start=event_nov | Scans arrive tagged by event | ### How do coaches combine a channel and a bot? Many coaches use two at once. The channel builds trust over weeks, and its pinned post points to the bot link for anyone ready to talk. Our [Telegram welcome message examples](/blog/telegram-welcome-message-examples) include scripts that do exactly that hand-off. For channel choice beyond Telegram, see our guide to the [best DM channel for coaches](/blog/best-dm-channel-for-coaches). If you run Telegram next to Instagram and Messenger, our [multi-channel DM playbook](/blog/multi-channel-dm-playbook) covers keeping one lead's story straight across apps. ## Where should you place each Telegram link? Put a tagged bot link everywhere a lead might decide to talk to you, and give each placement its own start parameter. Use the same bot each time and change only the code. That keeps every conversation in one place while still showing which placement worked. | Placement | Link | Start parameter | Note | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Instagram bio | Bot link | ig_bio | Stays up, so use a link that never expires | | Instagram story link sticker | Bot link | ig_story | Use a new code per campaign if you want detail | | Email signature or newsletter | Bot link | email_nl | Pair it with one line on what to ask you | | YouTube description | Bot link | yt_desc | Evergreen, so never use an expiring invite | | Paid ad destination | Bot link | ad_nov_a | One code per ad set | | Free community | Channel or group link | None | Pin the bot link inside it | Once a lead taps through, speed matters, which our guide to [DM response time and speed to lead](/blog/dm-response-time-speed-to-lead) explains. ## Worked example: one coach tracks three placements This example is illustrative. Mateo Reyes is a fictional nutrition coach with a bot called @ReyesNutritionBot. He creates three links for November: t.me/ReyesNutritionBot?start=ig_bio, ?start=ig_story and ?start=yt_desc. His bot setup logs each start code, and he tracks booked calls in a spreadsheet. ### What did the numbers show? After 30 days, he has 240 new conversations: 84 from his bio, 126 from stories and 30 from YouTube. Stories brought 52.5% of all conversations. Booked calls tell a different story. His bio produced 17 calls from 84 conversations, a 20.2% booking rate. Stories produced 13 from 126, or 10.3%. YouTube produced 9 from 30, or 30%. Across all three, 39 calls from 240 conversations is 16.25%. ### What did he change? Stories bring volume, but those leads are earlier in their thinking. YouTube viewers arrive after watching a long video, so more of them are ready. Mateo keeps the story links for reach and pins the yt_desc link as the first comment on each video. Our [lead qualification questions for coaches](/blog/lead-qualification-questions-for-coaches) help explain why some sources book better. ## One honest limit One honest limit: a Telegram link only opens the door, and a link can't fix a slow or generic reply. On Telegram, SetLuca replies only to leads who wrote first, within minutes, qualifies them and books the call, and you take the call and close. Our guide on [how to set up an AI setter](/blog/how-to-set-up-an-ai-setter) covers the setup. A great human setter still reads hard, emotional conversations better, which our comparison of an [AI setter vs a human setter](/blog/ai-setter-vs-human-setter) covers. ## Is the invite link Telegram gives you enough on its own? For community, yes; for sales, no. The invite link Telegram creates for a group or channel is the right tool for staying in touch until people are ready. Expiry, use caps and admin approval give you control. For leads who might buy, share a bot link with a start parameter in each placement. The bot can answer the moment a lead writes, and the code tells you which content earned it. ## FAQ ### How do I get my Telegram link? Set a username in Settings by tapping your profile and choosing Username. Your link is then t.me/username, and Telegram also accepts username.t.me. Usernames can use a to z, 0 to 9 and underscores. Without a username you have no public link, and people mostly reach you by phone number or through groups you share. ### How do I get a Telegram group link? Open the group, tap Group Info, then Add Member, then Invite to Group via Link. You can copy the default link or create more with time limits, use caps or admin approval. Public groups can also have a username link, such as t.me/groupname, that anyone can find and join. ### Can a Telegram invite link expire? Yes. Owners and admins can create additional invite links with a time limit, a limit on the number of uses, or both. When either runs out, the link stops letting people join. A revoked link also stops working immediately. The group's default link stays active until you revoke it. ### Can a Telegram bot message someone first? No. Telegram's developer docs say bots can't start conversations with users. A person has to message the bot first or add it to a group. That's why coaches share a t.me link to their bot: the lead's tap and first message open the conversation the bot can answer. ### How do I track where Telegram leads came from? Add a start parameter to your bot link, such as t.me/yourbot?start=ig_bio, and use a different code in each placement. The bot receives the code when the lead taps Start. Codes can be up to 64 characters, using letters, numbers, underscores and hyphens. ## Sources 1. [Telegram, "Telegram FAQ." Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://telegram.org/faq) 2. [Telegram, "Bots: An introduction for developers." Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://core.telegram.org/bots) 3. [Telegram, "Telegram Bot Features" (Deep Linking). Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://core.telegram.org/bots/features#deep-linking) 4. [Telegram, "Deep links." Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://core.telegram.org/api/links) 5. [Telegram, "Invites." Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://core.telegram.org/api/invites) 6. [Telegram, "Auto-Delete, Widgets and Expiring Invite Links," 2021. Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://telegram.org/blog/autodelete-inv2) 7. [Telegram, "Hyper-Speed Scrolling and Calendar View for Shared Media, Join Requests, Global Chat Themes on iOS and More," 2021. Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://telegram.org/blog/shared-media-scrolling-calendar-join-requests-and-more) 8. [Telegram, "Reactions, Spoilers, Translation and QR Codes," 2021. Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://telegram.org/blog/reactions-spoilers-translations) 9. [Telegram, "globalPrivacySettings" (API reference). Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://core.telegram.org/constructor/globalPrivacySettings) 10. [Instagram, "Expanding Sharing Links in Stories to Everyone," 2021. Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/expanding-sharing-links-in-stories-to-everyone) --- Published by SetLuca.