# Telegram Stars affiliate links turn users into distributors

> Open a Telegram Stars affiliate program when the Mini App sells digital goods or subscriptions, so creators, channels, and even other bots can become paid distributors.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/telegram-stars-affiliate-links-turn-users-into-distributors/
- Source: [core.telegram.org](https://core.telegram.org/api/bots/referrals)
- GrowthDex source hub: [Affiliate programs](/sources/affiliate-programs-core-telegram-org/)
- Last checked: 2026-06-09T04:07:00.000Z
- Rarity: legendary
- Budget: medium
- Channels: Acquisition, Partnerships, Revenue
- Stages: telegram mini apps, affiliate loops, telegram stars, partner distribution


## Why this can grow

Most referral loops need extra tooling, external payouts, and messy attribution. Telegram has started folding that loop into the platform. Its affiliate-program docs say developers can open affiliate programs for Mini Apps, create referral links, and pay commissions in Stars on transactions from referred users. Affiliates can be a user, a bot, or a channel they control. That makes partner distribution far easier to test. Instead of begging for one-off mentions, the app can give aligned operators a reusable revenue reason to keep sharing it.

## Ian's take

From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. A partnership only compounds when both sides get trust or distribution they could not cheaply buy alone. I would start with the smallest shared win, prove it in public or in pipeline, then make the relationship bigger. I would run it small enough to learn quickly, then only scale the parts that real users repeat, save, reply to, or buy from. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.

## Action plan

1. Define one narrow startup segment where telegram stars affiliate links turn users into distributors can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the Acquisition and Partnerships channel.
3. Use the evidence from core.telegram.org to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
4. Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
5. Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.

## Source-backed example

Telegram says Mini App developers can open affiliate programs, that affiliates earn `commission_permille` on referred Mini App transactions in Telegram Stars, and that the affiliate peer can be the current user, a bot they own, or a channel they own.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Telegram Main Mini App previews before store push](/growth-ideas/telegram-main-mini-app-previews-before-store-push/) - 1 shared channel, 1 shared stage
- [Telegram localized preview media before global promo](/growth-ideas/telegram-localized-preview-media-before-global-promo/) - 1 shared channel, 1 shared stage
- [Partner-seeded templates on directory pages](/growth-ideas/partner-seeded-templates-on-directory-pages/) - 1 shared channel, 1 shared stage

## Read GrowthDex essays

Browse the plain-English essay index at [GrowthDex Blog](/blog/).

## Related GrowthDex essays

- [The Telegram Mini App should open where the habit already lives](/blog/the-telegram-mini-app-should-open-where-the-habit-already-lives/) - product-led growth, onboarding, brand trust

## Advisory

If you want help turning this into a working growth system, Ian Goh offers advisory at https://iangoh.com/advisory.