Telegram · Sweat Economy
185K members, a community reopened and rebuilt, and every language covered.
Sweat's Telegram opened in March 2022 with an announcement channel and a discussion group. The announcement channel ran throughout, but the discussion group closed within a week. In September 2022 we reopened it with our own team, it shot past 70,000 members, and it kept growing to 185,000. It closed for good when Sweat Economy shut down.
- 185K
- Members, from zero
- 70K+
- Members soon after reopening
- ~550K
- Messages sent
- 25K
- Average views per announcement
The growth
Built up, one phase at a time.
Mar 2022
Launch
Two channels
An announcement channel and a discussion group opened, but the discussion group never really took off.
Mar 2022
Discussion closed
Within 7 days
With little traction and no team to staff it, the discussion group closed within a week. The announcement channel stayed active the whole time.
Sep 2022
Reopened with our team
70K+, fast
We reopened the discussion group with our own team, while cutting overall community spend by 80%. It shot past 70,000 members, gaining 5,000 in a single week around TGE.
US launch onwards
Growing to 185K
2.5–3K / week
Another growth spurt at the US launch, then a steady rhythm of 2,500–3,000 messages from around 400 members a week, until Sweat Economy shut down and its channels closed.
The approach
A system that runs every week.
Telegram brings a different kind of member: a huge, global audience that expects fast, direct answers. After the first discussion group closed within a week, it had to be reopened, made safe and kept welcoming across many languages and cultures, without a big budget.
01
Reopened with our team
Staffed by our own moderators from day one, so the discussion group never went dark again.
02
Every language
Telegram's built-in translation lets every member read and reply in their own language.
03
A dedicated CIS channel
For the very large CIS community, a separate channel for translated announcements, images and discussion.
04
Events with Randy
Quizzes, games and community events run through the Randy bot.
05
Custom prize bot
Our own bot for giveaways and member stats, so rewards were fair and easy to check.
06
Spam & scam protection
A name filter bot and Rose to stop impersonators and spam, backed by custom bots and fast human moderation.
In a typical week
A steady, active group.
Averages from the group's steady phase.
- 25K
- Average views per announcement
- ~400
- Members sending messages each week
- 2.5–3K
- Messages each week
Insights & learnings
What it taught us.
React quickly
Telegram moves fast. A question left for an hour feels ignored, and a scam left for a minute spreads.
Be fair, visibly
Members watch how moderators treat everyone. Consistent, even-handed decisions build trust faster than strict ones.
Read the culture
Some communities talk directly, others warmly. Learning each group's style makes the same message land everywhere.
Staff it, or don't open it
A group with no team behind it doesn't just go quiet. It fills with scams, so a channel needs people before it needs members.
Results from our team's time at Sweat Economy. The project has since shut down, and its community channels closed with it.
Let's build your next one.
A 30-minute call, no pitch deck needed. We'll look at your channels and tell you honestly what we'd change.