What's a Telegram bot, and how can you use it for your business?

You've surely seen them and probably also used them: Telegram bots. From helping admins moderate a group to translating chat messages, Telegram bots can be extremely useful. But, what are they exactly? And how can you use them? 

Telegram might have started as an underdog in the world of instant messaging apps, but quickly became the fastest growing messaging tool. Part of the reason for that is: the easy integration and use of Telegram bots. 

In this guide, we'll take a closer look at Telegram's chatbots, and explore what they are, how you can create and connect them, and check out some examples of Telegram bots in action. 

What's a Telegram chatbot? 

A Telegram chatbot is an application that runs on the Telegram messaging platform. It's set up to interact with users and automate specific tasks or provide information automatically when prompted. 

Users can interact with these bots by sending commands or messages, and the bots respond accordingly. You can either use Telegram's own bot builder, the BotFather or the API to create bots.

Why are bots on Telegram so popular?

Unlike WhatsApp, Telegram is an open-source platform that supports the integration of third-party bots (similar to Discord). As a result, anybody who has fun building chatbots, can add a bot to the platform. This has led to a plethora of Telegram bots that can help users with a variety of tasks. 

These range from getting automatic updates about cheap flights to checking your Gmail to translating messages in a chat. This makes it both easy and fun for people to use and engage with the bots, which has made Telegram bots so popular. 

How to use a Telegram bot

The easiest way to use a Telegram bot is to search for an existing one on the platform, and activate it. You'll find game bots that you can use to play games with friends on Telegram, translation tools, and many more. 

The best way to use a Telegram bot is to simply check out the ones you like, and try them out! If you don't know what bots even exist on Telegram, check out our overview of the coolest bots on Telegram right now. 

Create and add a bot to Telegram

Every bot has a unique name. You can add an existing bot on Telegram by searching for its name, and then clicking on it. You'll then an explanation of what the bot can do, and you can deploy it. 

If you want to create a Telegram chatbot, the BotFather is actually the perfect starting point, as it's a chatbot designed to create other bots.  Following the prompt /newbot, you can use this bot to help you design new ones. The BotFather guides you through the initial process.