How to Track Where Telegram Bot Users Come From
If the same bot link is used in ads, a Telegram channel, and a website, the original source is usually lost after registration. Telegram deep links solve this with a start parameter.
For example: https://t.me/YourBot?start=instagram. When a user opens it and presses Start, the bot receives the value instagram.
How a deep link is structured
The basic format is https://t.me/<bot_username>?start=<parameter>. Use a short, stable label for each placement, such as instagram, telegram_channel, site_header, or partner_anna.
The bot stays the same; only the parameter changes.
Limits of the start parameter
Telegram limits the parameter to 64 characters and a base64url-compatible character set: Latin letters, digits, underscores, and hyphens. Short labels such as ig_story or partner_01 are easier to manage than long campaign descriptions.
How start differs from UTM tags
UTM tags are web URL parameters commonly analyzed by web analytics. A Telegram deep link gives the bot one start value, with Telegram’s length restriction. Do not copy a full UTM structure into it.
A practical approach is to use a short internal code such as tg_ads_01 and keep its detailed campaign meaning in your own table or system.
How to keep source labels understandable
Use one link for one placement or clearly defined source, and keep naming consistent. If you alternate between instagram, insta, and ig, your reports will treat them as different sources.
ig_bio— Instagram profileig_story— Instagram Storiestg_main— main Telegram channelsite— websitepartner_alex— a partner link
Can a source arrive more than once?
Yes. A previously registered person can open another deep link and press Start again. Your system should distinguish the known user from the source attached to this particular START event.
A new click is not automatically a new registration: one person may open several links without becoming several users.
What counts as the registration source?
Decide whether you need the first source that registered the user or every subsequent START event and its source. These are separate analytical questions. Telegram delivers the parameter; your system decides how to store it and whether to preserve the first value.
What this attribution tells you
Separate links can show which placement brought registered users, whether a website or partner link works, and whether old campaign links still receive visits. A source does not by itself prove lead quality, revenue, or ad profitability.
How Soft Lite Registration Bot handles sources
SL REG Bot stores the source delivered to your own Telegram bot at START and distinguishes the first registration from later START events. You can review source statistics and export registered users to XLSX.
The program does not collect users from other people’s channels. A person follows your link and starts your bot voluntarily.