Telegram New User Guide: How to use Bot to design the first 3 messages to improve activation and retention

After a new user follows your Telegram Bot, the first 3 messages determine 80% of the retention rate. This is not an exaggeration - the user’s attention window for the first interaction is only 5 seconds. If the Bot does not clearly convey “what is this”, “what can I get” and “what to do next” within these 5 seconds, the user will most likely close the conversation directly or even delete the Bot.

This article starts from the underlying logic of activation process design, breaks down how to use the first three messages to complete new user onboarding, and provides copywriting templates and practical steps that can be directly applied. Whether you are doing customer service, community operations or cross-border business, this method can help you reduce user churn.

Why do the first 3 messages determine whether a user will stay or leave?

When a user first opens a bot, their brain is in “rapid judgment” mode. The 5 Second Rule from psychology applies: Users will decide within 5 seconds whether to continue the interaction. Common failure scenarios include:

• Pure text bombing: A message is filled with function introduction, terms of use, and contact information. Users will close it after reading it.
• No interactive guidance: Only text is sent, there are no buttons or instructions, and the user does not know what to click.
• Self-promotional introduction: Start by writing “We are XX company, founded in 20XX, dedicated to…” - Users don’t care about who you are at all, they only care about what you can do for them.

There are only two core principles of the activation process: reduce cognitive load (so users don’t have to think) + give value immediately (let users get rewards within 10 seconds).

Message 1: Replace “Company Introduction” with “Value Notice”

The goal of the first message is not to “let the user get to know you”, but to get the user to stay. Don’t write a vague welcome message, tell users directly “what you can get.”

Copywriting formula: identity confirmation + core interests + next instructions

Disassembly formula:

Identity Confirmation: Simple greeting + confirm that the user has entered the correct scene (such as “Welcome to XX Customer Service Assistant”).
Core Benefits: Summarize in one sentence what problems Bot can help users solve (such as “helping you check orders 24 hours a day” and “pushing industry reports every week”).
Next step command: Clearly tell the user which button to click or what keyword to send.

Bad vs Good Example:

Type	Copy content
Bad	”Hello, welcome to XX Bot. We provide a variety of services, including customer service consultation, order inquiries, promotions, etc. If you need it, please send /help.”
OK	✅“Welcome to XX Assistant! I can help you: check the order status and get the latest discounts in 1 second. Click [Check Order] below to give it a try.”

**Why is the second one better? ** Because it uses buttons instead of text input, the user does not need to type, and can directly click to complete the first operation.

3 details of visual and button layout

1. Number of buttons ≤ 3: More than 3 buttons will increase the selection cost and users will easily give up. The button with the highest priority is placed far left or top.
2. Use verbs in button copywriting: Do not use nouns such as “function one” and “service”, use verb phrases such as “check orders”, “watch tutorials” and “receive benefits”.
3. Avoid plain text menus: Plain text commands (such as sending /help) require user memory and input, and buttons can complete interaction with zero threshold.

<Callout type="info" title='Activation Process Checklist'>
  When designing your first 3 messages, check the following questions: Does the user know “what this is for” within 3 seconds? Does the first operation require text input? Does the button copy contain verbs? Are "skip" or "later" options available?
</Callout>

第 2 条消息：引导「首次体验」而非「了解功能」

第 1 条消息让用户留下，第 2 条消息要让用户 完成一次有价值操作。这一步是激活流程的关键——用户只有亲自体验了 Bot 的核心价值，才有可能长期使用。

设计「5 秒完成」的互动任务

任务类型要满足：低门槛、高反馈、无需注册/登录。常见选择：

• 查询类：输入订单号、手机号后 4 位，立即返回结果。
• 预览类：点击按钮查看今日推荐商品、最新文章摘要。
• 测试类：发送关键词获取免费报告、工具包。

示例（电商客服 Bot）：

「点击下方【查优惠】，输入你的手机号后 4 位，即可查看今日专属折扣。全程只需 5 秒。」

示例（内容运营 Bot）：

「发送关键词【行业报告】，我马上给你本周的 Top 3 报告摘要。试试看？」

关键点：不要在第 2 条消息要求用户注册、登录或填写复杂表单。这些门槛会直接杀死激活率。

失败处理：当用户不点击按钮怎么办？

不是所有用户都会按你设计的路径走。你需要准备「B 计划」：

• 自动触发第二轮消息：如果用户 30 秒内未点击，自动发送一条简短提醒（如「还在吗？点【查看】立刻获得免费报告」）。
• 设置「稍后提醒」按钮：允许用户推迟互动，而不是直接关闭。例如「现在没空？点击【稍后提醒】，我 1 小时后再来。」
• 不重复发送相同内容：用户已忽略的消息，不要再原样重发。换一个角度或降低门槛（如「直接发送任意文字，我帮你分析」）。

第 3 条消息：用「下一步」建立持续互动预期

第 3 条消息不是结束，而是引导用户进入 持续互动状态。你要让用户知道：这个 Bot 不是一次性工具，而是一个可以长期依赖的服务。

标签与分群：为后续运营铺路

通过按钮让用户主动选择兴趣标签，避免盲目群发。这既尊重用户，又能提高后续消息的打开率。

示例（内容 Bot）：

「你感兴趣的主题是？点击选择：
【技术干货】｜【行业趋势】｜【产品更新】｜【跳过，先逛逛】」

用户选择后，Bot 自动为其打上标签，后续按标签分群推送。TG-Staff 的用户画像功能可以帮你自动记录这些标签，并在后台统一管理。

设置「唤醒机制」：如何让用户愿意回来

• 定时消息：设置每日/每周定时推送（如早报、周报），让用户形成查看习惯。
• 活动预告：提前告知即将上线的活动、折扣、线上分享，制造期待。
• 个性化提醒：基于用户历史行为推送相关内容，如「你上次查询的订单已更新状态」。

不同场景的示例：

场景	第 3 条消息文案
客服 Bot	「我已记录你的偏好。下次有订单问题时，直接发送订单号即可。需要帮你设置每日订单提醒吗？【开启提醒】｜【不了】」
电商 Bot	「你已成功领取优惠券！每周五我会推送最新折扣，点击【订阅提醒】不错过。另外，需要查看热销商品吗？【去逛逛】」
内容 Bot	「感谢订阅！每周三早 8 点我会推送行业周报。你也可以随时发送关键词【报告】【案例】【工具】获取对应内容。」

<Callout type="warning" title='Common misunderstanding: Don’t throw it all at once'>
  Many bots try to list all functions in one message when onboarding new users, causing users to close directly. The first three messages only focus on "the core value point", and the remaining functions are gradually displayed through the menu or subsequent messages.
</Callout>

Advanced Tips: Use automatic translation and multilingual greetings to enhance the cross-border experience

If your users come from different language regions (such as Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East), multilingual welcome messages are a powerful tool to increase activation rates. Manually configuring multilingual Bots is a tedious process, but with TG-Staff’s automatic translation function, you can:

1. Automatically detect user language: Automatically switch the welcome language according to the Telegram user’s language settings.
2. Once configured, effective in multiple languages: Set the main language copy in the visual process editor, and the system will automatically translate it into the target language.
3. Use according to package quota: The standard version includes AI translation, and the professional version additionally supports Google professional translation and DeepL professional translation. For specific quotas, please see the official website package page.

Abbreviation of configuration steps: Log in to the TG-Staff console → Enter the “Command Process” → Select the “New User Guide” process → Turn on “Automatic Translation” in the message editor → Select the target language list → Save. Detailed configuration guide is available in Documentation.

FAQ

**Q: What should I do if the user does not click the button or reply to the message? ** A: Set up an automatic retry mechanism (send a shorter message after 30 minutes), or lower the interaction threshold (such as changing the button to “Send any text to get it”). If there is still no response, the user may have left, so do not interrupt frequently.

**Q: How to test whether the new user onboarding process is effective? ** A: Use 5–10 new accounts (or ask colleagues to simulate new users) to go through the entire process and record the churn nodes at each step. Pay attention to the two core indicators of “first operation completion rate” and “second day return visit rate”.

**Q: What is the appropriate message frequency? ** A: The first 3 messages can be sent continuously within 1–2 minutes (because the user has just followed and is in a high attention state). After that, it is recommended not to exceed 1–2 messages per day to avoid harassment. When the user has not interacted for a long time, it can be reduced to 1 message per week.

**Q: Do I need to customize the welcome message for each user? ** A: If the number of users is small (< 1000), you can manually set different welcome messages for groups. When the number of users is large, it is more efficient to use the tag system to automatically match the welcome message. TG-Staff’s user portrait function supports automatic grouping by tags, source channels, and behavioral data.

Conclusion and next steps

Onboarding new users is not a one-time task, but a continuous optimization process. The first 3 messages determine whether the user is willing to give you a second chance, and it’s worth spending time refining. The core points are emphasized again:

• Message No. 1: Value preview, button guidance, avoid text bombing.
• Message 2: Design an interactive task that can be completed in 5 seconds to complete the first experience.
• Message 3: Guide users into a state of continuous interaction and build long-term expectations.

If you want to implement this process quickly, it is recommended to use TG-Staff’s Visual Command Process Editor - a zero-code drag-and-drop design that supports multi-language automatic translation, user portraits, and group messaging to help you transform Telegram new user guidance from “manual configuration” to “automated operation.”

ACT NOW:

• Sign up for a 3-day free trial of TG-Staff → app.tg-staff.com
• Check out the visual command process documentation → docs.tg-staff.com
• Contact customer service Bot to get personalized configuration suggestions → @tgstaff_robot