Checking a subscription before sending a lead magnet in Instagram and Telegram
How to give a guide or other lead magnet only to subscribers — in Telegram with the "Channel subscription" condition, in Instagram with "Follows the account". Step by step, with the pitfalls.
Checking a subscription before sending a lead magnet#
In short: in Craft you put a condition in front of the guide. In Telegram it's "Channel subscription", in Instagram it's "Follows the account". Subscribers go down the "Yes" branch and get the file; everyone else goes down "No", where you ask them to subscribe and check again.
Who this is for#
- You give away a guide, checklist or resource for a keyword and want people to subscribe to your channel or account in exchange.
- You send people from Reels to Telegram and want to grow the channel, not just the bot's contact list.
- You open private material to subscribers only.
How it works#
A funnel is started only by /start, a bot link or a keyword (details). After that the flow is the same on both platforms:
- The person starts the funnel.
- A condition block checks the subscription.
- "Yes" branch → message with the guide.
- "No" branch → "please subscribe" message with a button that leads back to the condition.
Setup in Telegram#
Step 1. Make the bot a channel administrator#
Telegram shows a channel's member list only to its administrators. Without that status the subscription can't be checked.
- Open the channel in Telegram → "Manage channel" → "Administrators".
- Tap "Add administrator" and find your bot by name.
- Save. You don't need to enable any rights — the status itself is enough.
The same goes for a group or chat.
🔴 If the bot isn't an admin, everyone goes down the "No" branch. Even long-time subscribers. Nobody gets the guide, and people think they've been tricked.
Step 2. Add the "Channel subscription" condition#
In the builder, put a "Channel subscription" condition after the opening message and enter the channel: its public name with @, e.g. @mychannel. A private channel without a public name needs its numeric ID starting with -100.
Step 3. "Yes" branch — send the guide#
Add a message and attach the file with "Add photo, video or file". In Telegram you can send a PDF, Word, Excel, presentation or archive up to 50 MB. One attachment per block: guide plus video means two blocks in a row (about attachments).
Step 4. "No" branch — ask them to subscribe#
A message like "Check your subscription and try again" with a link button to the channel and a "Check subscription" button.
🔴 The "Check subscription" button must lead back to the condition. If it leads straight to the guide, anyone who taps it gets the material — even without subscribing. In older funnels this button is called "I subscribed" — check it too.
💡 How you'll know the check is broken. If the bot can't see the members, Craft sends the funnel owner a message saying the subscription check for … isn't working — no more than once every 12 hours per channel. It arrives if Telegram is linked to your Craft account.
Setup in Instagram#
Step 1. Start with a keyword#
An Instagram funnel is started by a keyword in a comment or a direct message. Without a keyword it doesn't start at all.
Step 2. The "Follows the account" condition#
Put a "Follows the account" condition before the guide message. Same branches: "Yes" — the guide, "No" — a request to follow.
What happens to people who came from a comment#
If someone left a keyword in a comment and has never messaged you in Direct, Instagram won't say whether they follow you until they tap a button. So Craft sends them one short message with a "Get it" button. They tap it and the check runs right away: followers get the material, non-followers land in your "please follow" message.
If the person has already messaged you in Direct, there's no such message: the check runs immediately. Nothing to configure; in English funnels the message and button are sent in English.
⚠️ After a comment in Instagram — one message, then only after the person replies. Don't chain several messages before they tap: Instagram won't let the second one through.
⚠️ Instagram doesn't send documents. Photos, video and audio only. Give a PDF guide as a link on a button, or move the person to Telegram.
In VK — be careful#
A VK community funnel has a "Community subscription" condition; nobody needs to be made an admin.
🔴 VK rules forbid giving materials only to community members — bots get disabled for it. Use the condition to talk differently to members and everyone else, and give what you promised to everyone. Details — VK funnels.
Not available yet#
- Checking a Telegram subscription without the bot having admin status — that's a Telegram limitation.
- Sending documents (PDF and other files) straight into Instagram Direct — photos, video and audio only.
- Giving materials only to VK community members — the platform's rules forbid it.
Full reference on the condition — Checking a Telegram channel subscription in a funnel.
FAQ#
Why don't subscribers get the guide in Telegram?#
Almost always the bot isn't a channel admin. Add it under "Administrators" — no rights need enabling.
Can I check a subscription to a private channel?#
Yes. Enter the channel's numeric ID starting with -100 and make the bot an admin.
Someone tapped "Check subscription" without subscribing and got the guide — why?#
The button leads straight to the guide instead of back to the condition. Reconnect it to the "Channel subscription" condition.
What does a commenter see in Instagram?#
One short message with a "Get it" button. After the tap, Craft checks the follow and sends them down the right branch.
Can I do the same in VK?#
The condition exists, but giving material only to members is forbidden there. Give what you promised to everyone.