How to Create Telegram Invite Links and Track Where Subscribers Come From

Telegram lets channel and group admins create extra invite links in the chat's settings, each with its own name, expiry date, usage limit or approval requirement. Give each place you promote its own link, and you can see how many people joined through each one. That tells you which promotion actually worked.

This guide shows how to create invite links, what the options do and how to use them to track your growth.

What an invite link is

An invite link is a t.me address that lets someone join a channel or group. There are two kinds of link you will meet.

• Public link: a public channel has a username, and its link is t.me/username. Anyone can use it.
• Invite links: every channel and group, public or private, can also have invite links. These are longer, random-looking addresses.

Private channels rely entirely on invite links. Public channels can use them too, mainly for tracking. If you are not sure which type your channel should be, read how to make a Telegram channel private or public.

The primary link and extra links

Every channel and group has a primary invite link. You can also create additional links. The extra links are the useful part, because each one can be named and counted separately.

How to create an invite link

You need to be the owner or an admin with the right to invite users via link.

1. Open the channel or group and tap its name to open the info screen.
2. Open the settings and find the invite links section.
3. Choose the option to create a new link.
4. Give the link a name that describes where you will use it, such as "Website footer" or "Partner channel, March".
5. Set any limits you want (see below).
6. Save, then copy the link.

The exact labels may vary between apps and versions. If you cannot find the section, look in the channel's settings under the channel type or members area.

Options you can set on a link

Each extra link can have its own settings. Telegram offers some or all of these, depending on your app version.

Name

A label only you and other admins see. Naming every link is what makes tracking possible.

Expiry date

The link stops working after a set time. Good for time-limited promotions or event invitations.

Usage limit

The link stops working after a set number of people have joined. Useful when you want to invite a fixed group, such as a class.

Request admin approval

People who use the link send a join request instead of joining at once. An admin then approves or declines each request. This helps keep out spam accounts and is common for private communities.

Paid subscription links

Telegram has added options for some channels to charge for access with Telegram Stars. Availability and rules can change, so check inside Telegram if this interests you. Our guides on Telegram Stars and paid Telegram channels explain the background.

How to track where subscribers come from

Here is a simple system that works for most channels.

1. List every place you promote. Your website, each social profile, each partner channel, each ad, each giveaway.
2. Create one named link per place. Do not reuse a link in two places, or you cannot tell them apart.
3. Keep a simple record. Note the link name, where you put it, the date and anything you paid.
4. Check the links regularly. In the invite links section, each link shows how many people joined through it. Tap a link to see more detail.
5. Compare like with like. A link that has been live for a month will naturally have more joins than one that went up yesterday.
6. Look at quality, not just numbers. After a promotion, check whether views per post rose too. Joins that never read are worth less.

An example

Say you promote your channel in two partner channels and on your website. You create three links: "Partner A", "Partner B" and "Website". After two weeks, you look at the join counts next to each one. If one partner brought far more people than the other, you know where to spend your next promotion. The names and numbers here are only an example.

Our guides on Telegram cross-promotion and buying ads in Telegram channels show how to use this in practice.

Using links with Telegram's statistics

Eligible channels can also see statistics on where new subscribers came from, such as search or other channels. Invite links add detail that those charts cannot, because you choose the names. See Telegram channel statistics explained for what the built-in charts show.

Managing and revoking links

Links do not need to live forever.

• Revoke a link when a promotion ends or a link leaks somewhere you did not want it. People who already joined stay.
• Edit limits if a promotion runs longer than planned.
• Replace the primary link if it has been shared too widely. Remember that every place using the old link will need the new one.

Safety tips

• Approve join requests carefully in communities where trust matters. Spam accounts often send requests in bursts.
• Do not post private links publicly if the channel is meant to be closed.
• Watch out for fake invite links. Scammers sometimes share links that look like a well-known channel's but lead somewhere else. Encourage your subscribers to use links from your official profiles. See how to spot Telegram scams.

Common mistakes

• Using one link everywhere. You will never know which place brings people.
• Not naming links. A list of unnamed links is almost as unhelpful as one link.
• Judging a link too early. Give each promotion time before comparing.
• Counting joins only. People who join and leave a day later, or never read, did not really arrive.
• Forgetting old links. Clean up expired promotions so your list stays readable.
• Revoking the primary link without warning. Every old shared link stops working.

FAQ

Can I see who joined through a specific link?

Telegram shows admins how many people joined through each link they manage, and in many cases a list of who joined. What you can see may depend on your app version and the link's settings.

Do invite links work for public channels?

Yes. Public channels can create named invite links in addition to their public username link, which makes them useful for tracking.

Will revoking a link remove subscribers?

No. Revoking only stops the link from working for new people. Everyone who already joined stays.

How many invite links can I create?

Telegram has limits that may change. For tracking, a handful of well-named links is usually more useful than dozens.

Can I use invite links on TGDirectory?

TGDirectory lists public channels by their public username, because our measured figures are read from the channel's public web preview. You can submit your channel for free; every submission is reviewed by a person.

Summary

Invite links are one of the simplest tools Telegram gives channel owners. Create one named link for every place you promote, add expiry dates, usage limits or approvals when you need them, and check the join counts regularly. Compare links fairly, look at whether new subscribers actually read, and revoke links you no longer need.