# Telegram channel

> Connect a Telegram bot and send broadcast campaigns and automated journey messages to your audience.

Reach customers on Telegram by connecting a Telegram bot you control. Once connected, you can include Telegram message steps in journeys and broadcasts alongside your other channels.

> **Plan** Telegram is included on Business and above. On Starter, Lite, or Growth, you can add it as an add-on. See [Caramel pricing](https://joincaramel.com/pricing/) for add-on costs.

> **Add-on** To enable Telegram on Starter, Lite, or Growth: go to **Settings → Messaging Channels**, find the **Telegram** card, and click **Enable add-on**.

## How Telegram delivery works

Caramel sends messages through the Telegram Bot API using a bot you create and own. Delivery is free — Telegram charges nothing per message. Your customers must have started a conversation with your bot (sent `/start`) before Caramel can message them.

## Before you begin

- Create a Telegram bot via [@BotFather](https://t.me/BotFather) on Telegram. This takes under 2 minutes.
- Copy the bot token BotFather gives you (format: `123456789:ABCdef…`).

## Connect your Telegram bot

1. Go to **Settings → Messaging Channels**.
2. Under **Telegram**, click **Configure**.
3. Paste your bot token into the **Bot Token** field.
4. Click **Verify connection**. Caramel checks that the token is valid and retrieves your bot's name and username.
5. Click **Save**. The badge updates to **Connected**.

<!-- screenshot: Settings → Messaging Channels, Telegram card showing the bot token field and a Connected badge -->

## Add Telegram to a journey or broadcast

Once connected, Telegram appears as a channel option in the step picker when you build or edit a journey or broadcast in **Omnichannel**.

> **Important** A customer can only receive a Telegram message if they have previously sent `/start` to your bot. Customers who haven't initiated contact are silently skipped. Prompt new customers to start a conversation with your bot — for example, include your bot link in a welcome email or on your website.

## Inline buttons and rich media

Telegram messages can include:

- **Inline buttons** — link buttons or callback buttons that let customers tap to respond.
- **Images and documents** — attach a photo or PDF to a message step.
- **Formatted text** — bold, italic, links, and code blocks using Telegram's Markdown dialect.

Configure these options in the message composer when building your journey step.

## Next steps

- [Email channel](email) — Set up email for broader reach.
- [WhatsApp channel](whatsapp) — WhatsApp add-on for a different messaging channel.
- [Journeys](../journeys) — Build multi-step campaigns with Telegram steps.
- [Billing — capacity packs and add-ons](../../billing/capacity-packs-and-add-ons)
- [Settings — Messaging Channels](../../settings/messaging-channels)