Connect a Telegram bot

Create a bot with Telegram's official @BotFather, copy its token and paste it into RichAutomate. It takes about five minutes and needs no code or server.

What you need

A Telegram account on your phone or the desktop app. The bot is owned by this account, so use one your business controls.
A RichAutomate plan that includes Telegram: Pro (1 bot), White-label (3 bots) or Custom. See pricing.
A name and username for the bot. The username must be unique on Telegram and end in “bot”.

Step by step

1
Open @BotFather
In Telegram, search for @BotFather and open the one with the blue verified tick — it is Telegram's official tool for creating bots. Press Start.
2
Create the bot with /newbot
Send /newbot. BotFather asks for a name (shown in chats, e.g. “Apex Classes”) and then a username that ends in bot (e.g. apexclasses_bot). If the username is taken, try another.
3
Copy the token
BotFather replies with an HTTP API token that looks like 123456789:AAH…. Copy the full string. Treat it like a password: anyone with the token controls your bot.
4
Paste the token into RichAutomate
In the RichAutomate dashboard, open the Telegram section, choose Connect bot and paste the token. RichAutomate checks it with Telegram and starts receiving your bot's messages.
5
Send a test message
Open your bot in Telegram (t.me/your_bot_username), press Start and send “hi”. The chat appears in your Telegram inbox, and you become the first subscriber.

Polish the bot profile

In BotFather, /setuserpic adds your logo, /setdescription sets the text people see before pressing Start, and /setabouttext fills the bot's profile. A clear description tells people what they are subscribing to.

Posting to channels and groups

To post to a channel, add your bot as an administrator of the channel with permission to post messages. For a group, add the bot as a member (or admin). Telegram bots have privacy mode on by default, so in groups they only see commands and replies meant for them — that is normal and enough for posting.

How subscribers and /stop work

Telegram does not let bots start conversations. A person becomes a subscriber only after they open your bot and press Start (or message it). Share your t.me link on your website, Instagram bio or WhatsApp to grow the list. Anyone who sends /stop is opted out of broadcasts.

Send only what people asked for

Telegram limits how fast bots can send, and RichAutomate paces broadcasts to stay within those limits. Spammy or unsolicited content can still get your bot reported. For investment tips or research, only SEBI-registered advisers and research analysts may advise — read our SEBI messaging guide.

Troubleshooting

“Invalid token”

Copy the token again from BotFather (/mybots → your bot → API Token). Make sure you copied the whole string including the part before the colon, with no spaces. If you revoked the token, the old one stops working — use the new one.

Messages are not arriving in the inbox

A Telegram bot can deliver its updates to only one place at a time. If the same bot is connected to another tool or your own script, disconnect it there, then reconnect the bot in RichAutomate. Creating a separate bot for RichAutomate is the simplest fix.

A subscriber did not get a broadcast

They may have blocked the bot, deleted the chat with it, or sent /stop. Telegram does not deliver bot messages to people who blocked the bot, and opted-out subscribers are skipped.

Posting to a channel fails

Check that the bot is still an administrator of the channel and is allowed to post messages.

The token leaked

In BotFather, open /mybots → your bot → API Token → Revoke current token, then paste the new token into RichAutomate.

Next: see everything the bot can do on the Telegram automation page, or set up WhatsApp campaigns alongside it.

Stuck? Message us on WhatsApp at +91 81603 11319 or book a free 15-minute setup call on our booking page.