Telegram Channel Boosts Explained: What They Unlock and How Many You Need
Boosts are votes of support that Telegram Premium users give to a channel. Active boosts add up to the channel's level, and each level unlocks features: the first level lets a channel post stories, and higher levels add more stories per day, custom emoji reactions, name and profile colours, an emoji status, channel wallpapers and more. How many boosts you need depends on the feature you want, and the exact number for your channel is always shown on its Boosts screen. This guide explains how boosts work, what each level gives and how to plan the number you need.
What a Telegram boost is
- Only Premium users can boost. A regular account has no boosts to give. A paid Premium subscription currently comes with four boost slots, according to Telegram's documentation and FAQ.
- A boost lasts while the subscription lasts. If the user's Premium ends, their boosts stop counting. A user can move a boost to another channel, but not right away — there is a cooldown between moves.
- Channels can also get boosts through giveaways. When a channel runs a Premium giveaway, it receives boosts from each subscription it gives away, and gifting Premium to contacts also brings boosts.
- Groups can be boosted too. Supergroups use boosts for their own features, and admins can let members who boost skip some restrictions such as slow mode.
Boosts don't change the subscriber count and don't affect post views directly. They change what the channel can do and how it looks.
What boosts unlock: levels and features
Telegram's Premium FAQ lists the channel features by level. At the time of writing, the picture looks like this:
| Level | What it adds |
|---|---|
| 1 | Posting stories (1 per day), 1 custom emoji reaction, colours for the channel name, styles for links and quotes |
| 2–3 | One more story per day and one more custom reaction per level |
| 4 | Custom emoji logos on links and quotes |
| 5–6 | Colours for the channel profile cover, with more options at level 6 |
| 7 | Custom emoji logo on the profile cover |
| 8 | Emoji status for the channel, chosen from a large set |
| 9 | Channel wallpapers (backgrounds) from a preset list |
| 10 | Custom channel wallpaper |
Each level also adds one more story per day and one more custom reaction. Telegram has also tied other features to boost levels, such as automatic translation of channel posts and turning off sponsored messages in the channel; these need higher levels, and the exact level is set by Telegram and can change.
Two caveats. First, Telegram adjusts these tables over time, so a feature may move to a different level. Second, the app itself is the source of truth: in the channel's appearance settings, locked options show the level they need.
How many boosts each level needs
Telegram doesn't publish a fixed public table of boosts per level, and the thresholds have changed before. As a rule, each next level needs more boosts than the previous one, so going from level 1 to 2 is cheaper than from level 7 to 8.
The reliable way to know your number:
- Open your channel as an admin and go to its statistics, then the Boosts tab (or the boost section in channel settings, depending on your app version).
- You will see the current level, the number of active boosts and how many are missing until the next level.
- In the channel's appearance settings, check which level the feature you want requires.
- Add up the boosts you need for that level, plus a small margin: boosts from real readers can expire when their Premium ends.
The Boosts screen also gives you a boost link for the channel that you can share with readers.
How many boosts do you actually need?
Work backwards from the feature, not from a "the more the better" idea:
- You just want stories. Level 1 is enough for one story a day. If you plan several stories daily, you need the level that matches the number.
- You want a branded look. Name colours and link styles come early; cover colours, an emoji status and wallpapers need noticeably higher levels.
- You want custom reactions. The number of custom reactions grows with the level, so count how many you plan to use.
- You run a campaign. If the features matter only for a week or a month, you need the level for that period, not permanently.
Keep proportions in mind. Only Premium users can boost, and they are a minority of any audience, so a real channel collects boosts from a small share of its subscribers. A channel with 300 subscribers and several hundred boosts stands out to anyone who looks closely.
How to get boosts from your own audience
- Ask directly. Post the boost link with a clear reason: "We need N more boosts to unlock stories — here is what we'll post there." People respond to a specific goal.
- Show progress. Update readers when you reach a level and show what it unlocked.
- Run a Premium giveaway if you have the budget: the winners get Premium, and the channel receives boosts from the subscriptions given away.
- Thank boosters. A short shout-out or an exclusive story makes boosting feel worthwhile.
Readers' boosts are the most durable kind, but they come slowly in small channels. That's where many admins add boosts from outside.
Use the level once you have it
Boosts pay off only when the unlocked features are used. If you unlock stories, post them regularly: a story feed that's empty or full of stories with a handful of views looks worse than no stories at all. Pair stories with announcements of new posts, behind-the-scenes content and polls so they give readers a reason to tap.
Where paid boosts fit
Ordered Telegram channel boosts raise the level quickly when your own audience doesn't have enough Premium readers yet. On Telegos the options differ only by how long the boosts are held — 1, 7, 14, 30, 60, 90 or 180 days — and drip-feed is available if you want the boosts to arrive gradually. You only need the public channel link; no password or admin rights.
What they can do:
- Unlock stories and appearance features for the period you choose.
- Cover a launch or campaign without waiting months for organic boosts.
What they can't do: boosts don't add subscribers or views, and when the holding period ends they expire and the level falls back to what your remaining boosts support. Plan renewals before the period ends if you need the level to stay. To make unlocked stories look alive, combine boosts with story views and reactions. You can try free test boosts once per account before ordering.
Frequently asked questions
How many boosts does a channel need to post stories?
Stories open at level 1. The number of boosts for level 1 is set by Telegram and may change, so check your channel's Boosts screen: it shows exactly how many boosts are missing.
Who can boost a Telegram channel?
Only users with Telegram Premium. Each Premium subscriber has a limited number of boosts and can move them between channels after a cooldown.
What happens to the channel when boosts expire?
The level drops to what the remaining active boosts support, and features tied to the lost level stop working until you reach that level again. Posted content stays.
Do boosts increase subscribers or reach?
Not directly. They unlock features. Stories and a more recognisable look can help readers engage, but the subscriber count and post views don't change because of boosts alone.
Is buying boosts against Telegram's rules?
Telegram's terms prohibit artificial activity, and no service can honestly promise zero risk. Telegos works only with the public channel link and never asks for access to your account. Order the level you need rather than an oversized number, and weigh the risk for a large or monetised channel.