Telegram for brands in Kazakhstan: how to launch and grow a channel
Telegram in Kazakhstan means 12.5 million monthly users and the main platform for business and expert audiences. A brand channel works when it is built like a media outlet: it has a topic, an editorial team, sections and a promotion budget. A channel “about us and our promotions” almost never grows.
Why Telegram matters for brands in Kazakhstan
In July 2024, Pavel Durov said that 12.5 million of Kazakhstan's 20 million people use Telegram every month, 25% more than a year earlier. In 2024–2025, official Telegram Ads accounts became available for Kazakhstan.
But what matters most is not the size of the audience but its composition and mindset. On Telegram, people read industry news, analysis and expert opinions. Executives, specialists and entrepreneurs go there. For B2B, fintech, IT, telecom and pharma, it is often the shortest path to decision-makers.
Types of brand channels
| Channel type | For whom | What it gives the business |
|---|---|---|
| Independent industry media | B2B, niche markets | professionals' trust, expert status |
| A company's expert channel | fintech, IT, consulting | leads, nurturing a long sales cycle |
| A topical channel of a media outlet | Publishers, large brands | new audience, partnerships |
| Community channel or chat | consumer brands with fans | loyalty, feedback |
| Service channel or bot | retail, banks, telecom | repeat sales, lower support load |
Case: bailanys, a media for a narrow audience
Kazakhstan's telecom had no platform where professionals openly discussed the market. We launched bailanys, an independent Telegram media with an editorial team of people who had worked at telecom companies themselves. In the first six months, the channel gained 2,700 subscribers, ERR was about 22%, and average post reach was 85% of subscribers. The project won two bronzes at Tagline Awards 2025.
The lesson: in a narrow niche, 2,700 of the right readers, including the industry's top managers, are worth more than tens of thousands of random ones.
Case: KURSIV Digital, growth through content sections and partnerships
For KURSIV Digital, we ran a channel about IT in Kazakhstan. We created nine formats, from news and interviews to tool roundups, and promoted it through collaborations, partnerships and expert comments. In eight months, reach grew 2.5 times and ERR rose from 20% to 46%.
How to launch a channel: step by step
- Topic and position. Answer in one sentence: why a person would subscribe and not unsubscribe a week later. “Telecom market insights from insiders” works; “news of company X” does not.
- Editorial policy. Sections, frequency, tone, what we do not write about, who approves. To start, 4–6 sections and 3–5 posts a week are enough.
- Editorial team. An editor who understands the industry matters more than a perfect copywriter.
- Design. An avatar, a description with a clear benefit, a pinned navigation post, branded section covers. A sticker pack is an inexpensive way to get noticed.
- A content buffer. Before promotion starts, the channel should have 10–15 strong posts: people decide whether to subscribe by looking at the feed.
- Promotion. Seeding in channels with a similar audience, Telegram Ads, collaborations, cross-promotion from the brand's other channels. More in the article “Seeding and Telegram Ads in Kazakhstan”.
- Analytics. Once a month, we look at which sections people read and forward, and rework the plan.
Formats that keep readers
- Analysis and explainers: “why tariff discounts are actually a bad deal”.
- Interviews and live streams with market players.
- Useful roundups: tools, job openings, events, courses.
- Discussions in the comments and polls.
- Comics, cards, stickers: things people forward.
Metrics: what counts as a good result
- Post reach relative to the number of subscribers. In a lively topical channel it stays high; if it falls, the content has stopped meeting the audience's needs.
- ERR: the share of reactions relative to reach. It shows whether content engages.
- Shares and saves: the main signal of value and free growth.
- Cost per subscriber for each promotion channel and the share of those who stayed after a month.
- The business goal: leads, clicks, brand mentions in the industry.
Sources: TASS: Telegram's audience in Kazakhstan grew by 25% · vc.ru: Telegram Ads in Kazakhstan, Belarus and Uzbekistan