Direct

Direct is Presence on Telegram. It replies as you in Telegram Business chats — same Autopilot, inbox, vault, and Sandbox you already know, tuned for Direct instead of Fanvue.

You can run Direct on its own, or alongside Fanvue. Nothing goes out to real Telegram fans until you turn Autopilot on.

What Direct is for

Use Direct when fans already message you on Telegram, or when you want Telegram to be the first conversation before they subscribe.

Direct can:

• chat and build the relationship, with no selling
• share your Fanvue profile, tracking link, or free trial when someone wants more
• offer paid content in the Telegram chat

You choose that goal during setup. You can change it later in Direct settings.

Direct vs Fanvue

Presence has two surfaces. They share your account, but they do not share inboxes or live sends.

• Fanvue connects your Fanvue account and replies in Fanvue DMs.
• Direct connects Telegram Business and replies as your Telegram account.

A few differences matter in daily use:

• Direct has its own Telegram inbox. Fanvue conversations stay on the Fanvue surface.
• Direct has its own Direct vault. You can clone folders from Fanvue, but selling in Telegram uses the Direct vault.
• Direct has a bot goal: Text, Funnel, or Sell. Fanvue selling still uses your usual PPV setup.
• Telegram only lets a business bot message a fan within 24 hours of that fan’s last message. Fanvue does not have that window.
• Your bot brain can be linked to Fanvue or kept as a separate Direct personality.

If you already use Fanvue, start Direct from the Direct welcome or by opening /direct. If you only use Telegram, you can finish Direct setup without connecting Fanvue — Text mode and Lustify Pay do not require it.

Set up Direct

Direct onboarding is a short path. About five minutes. Sandbox is free. Go live only when you are ready.

1. Connect Telegram — link your account and add the Direct bot in Telegram Business.
2. Your talking style — pick the vibe closest to how you already DM.
3. Direct bot brain — copy your Fanvue bot, or start a fresh Direct personality.
4. Tell us about you — facts the bot must not get wrong.
5. When you’re online — usual hours so replies slow down when you are away.
6. Direct bot goal — Text, Funnel, or Sell.
7. Try it in Sandbox — test before anything reaches real fans.
8. Turn on Autopilot — go live on Telegram when you are ready.

You can leave and resume. The sidebar Direct setup card brings you back to the next unfinished step.

Connect Telegram Business

Direct replies through Telegram Business on the account you chat from. You need Telegram Business Chatbots available on that account.

Open Direct setup, or later Settings. Steps 1 and 2 can be done in either order. Finish both, then send a test in step 3.

1. Link your Telegram account

Generate a secure link in Presence, open it in Telegram, and tap Start when the chat opens. Presence confirms in Telegram when it is linked.

Use the Telegram account you want fans to message. If you linked the wrong one, unlink it in Presence and generate a new link.

2. Add the bot in Telegram Business

On that same Telegram account, go to Settings → Telegram Business → Chatbots and add the Direct bot as your business bot.

Then tap Verify business bot in Presence. Presence can detect the business bot even if you have not finished step 1 yet. If it is detected but the account is not linked, complete step 1 to finish connecting.

3. Test your connection

When the business bot is connected, run the connection test. Presence checks that the bot is active with Telegram and sends a note in your chat with the Direct bot.

You cannot continue onboarding until Telegram Business is connected. After you are live, a banner appears if the connection drops — finish it again from Settings.

Choose how Direct talks

Direct can share your Fanvue bot brain, or keep its own.

Copy from Fanvue

If Fanvue is connected and set up, you can copy that bot to Direct. Persona, stories, and planner stay synced. Edits in My bot apply to both surfaces.

This is the fastest way to sound like yourself on Telegram if you already tuned Fanvue.

Start fresh for Direct

Independent Direct bot. Your Fanvue setup stays untouched. Use this when Telegram should feel different — warmer, more sales-forward, or more casual than Fanvue.

You can switch later from My bot with Same brain as Fanvue.

• Same brain — Direct shares Fanvue persona, stories, and planner. Edits apply to both.
• Independent — Direct uses its own persona, stories, and planner. Fanvue stays unchanged. If you have gone independent before, your saved Direct setup comes back.

Style, facts, and hours still matter either way. See Set up your bot for voice, facts, availability, and takeover.

Choose how Direct earns

This is the Direct-specific step. It answers: should the Telegram bot only chat, send people to your page, or sell in the thread?

You can change this anytime in My bot or Settings.

Text

Chat and build the relationship. No paid drops. The bot does not push a funnel link unless you have saved a profile link and the fan asks for your page, trial, or how to subscribe.

Choose Text when Telegram is for rapport, or when you are not ready to sell there yet.

Funnel

Chat naturally, then share your Fanvue or trial link when they want more. Funnel never offers PPV in Telegram.

You must save a profile / funnel link — a Fanvue profile, tracking link, or free trial URL. The bot should not paste that link in every message. It uses it when the fan asks for more content, your page, or how to subscribe.

If Fanvue is already connected, Funnel is the recommended starting goal.

Sell

Offer paid content in the Telegram chat. You pick a pay provider:

• Fanvue media links — creates a Fanvue media link from your Direct vault when the bot offers PPV. Connect Fanvue on the Fanvue surface first.
• Lustify Pay (beta) — card checkout in Telegram. Save your Lustify API key. Each offered item needs public preview and unlock URLs on the Direct vault item.

A funnel link is still optional in Sell mode. The bot can share it when someone asks for your page, not as a substitute for a PPV offer.

Direct vault

Direct vault is separate from your Fanvue vault. Telegram Sell mode uses this vault. Funnel and Text do not need it, but it is still useful if you plan to sell later.

Fill the vault

If your Direct vault is empty:

• Clone from Fanvue — copy the Fanvue folders you want. Folder settings come along. This does not change Fanvue folders.
• Add media — upload or attach items for Telegram sell mode.
• Create a folder — Direct-only. Fanvue folders stay as they are.

Organize into clear groups. Give each folder an offer level and price range, the same way you would on Fanvue. See Vault and PPV for offer levels, spacing, and how a paid drop is chosen.

Selling in Telegram

When the goal is Sell and a fan shows interest, Direct can attach a paid piece from the Direct vault.

• Fanvue media links use the Fanvue copy of that media. Clone from Fanvue so the link can be created.
• Lustify Pay checks out off-platform. Preview and unlock URLs must be on the item.

Content a fan has already purchased is not offered to them again. The bot still replies normally when no PPV is a good fit.

Test a sale in Sandbox before you go live.

Practice in Sandbox

Direct Sandbox is private. Nothing you do there reaches real Telegram chats.

Open Sandbox on the Direct surface and write as if you were a fan. Try a hello, a longer conversation, a content request, and — if you use Funnel or Sell — a moment where they ask for more.

If a reply does not sound like you, update My bot or your Direct goal and test again. See Sandbox for what to try.

Go live on Telegram

Turn on Autopilot from the last onboarding step, Dashboard, or Settings. Direct Autopilot only sends on Telegram. It does not turn on Fanvue Autopilot.

Start after a few Sandbox conversations. Stay close for the first live chats and check the tone.

You can pause all Direct live replies anytime by turning Autopilot off. Setup stays in place. See Autopilot.

Telegram inbox and takeovers

Telegram inbox is where live Direct conversations live. Open a thread to see recent messages and whether the bot is on for that fan.

• Pause the bot for one fan without affecting everyone else.
• Type a reply to take over. A manual message from you or your VA starts takeover for that fan, using the timer you chose in My bot.
• Turn takeover on or off from the inbox whenever you want.

Fanvue inbox and Telegram inbox are separate. Taking over on one surface does not pause the other.

See Inbox and takeovers.

The 24-hour messaging window

Telegram Business only allows a bot to message a fan within 24 hours of that fan’s last message to you. Presence respects this.

If Autopilot or a nudge would send outside that window, Direct skips the send. Activity can show that skip. The fan needs to message you again before Direct can reply.

This is a Telegram rule, not a Presence setting. You cannot widen the window.

Nudges on Direct

Nudges on Direct only go to Telegram fans. Because of the 24-hour window, Direct nudges are limited to:

• manual
• scheduled
• re-engagement

Only fans who messaged in the last 24 hours, and who still have the bot on, can receive a nudge. Direct skips anyone outside the window instead of failing the whole send.

Audience presets include all eligible Telegram fans, VIPs, high spenders, tags, and selected fans.

Dashboard, activity, and fans

Direct Dashboard shows Telegram Business connection status, your current bot goal, and Autopilot. From there you can edit the bot or open the Telegram inbox.

Activity still logs what Direct sent, skipped, or could not send — including 24-hour window skips and send failures. Use it after you go live, or when a reply did not go out. See Activity and corrections.

Telegram fans and Direct analytics are the Direct views of the same Fans and Analytics tools. They only include Telegram conversations. See Fans and insights.

Stay in control

Direct uses the same safety model as Fanvue: you decide when automation is on, and you can reverse it.

• Turn Autopilot off to stop all new Direct live replies.
• Pause one fan from Telegram inbox.
• Take over by sending a manual message.
• Unlink Telegram from Settings if you need to disconnect the account.
• Test changes in Sandbox before they go live.

Sandbox has no live Telegram impact. For the broader safety model, read User safety and Safety and controls.

Follow Telegram’s and Fanvue’s rules as well as your own boundaries. Direct does not replace your responsibility for what goes out in your name.

Direct and Fanvue together

Many creators run both.

A practical split:

• Fanvue for subscribers and PPV inside Fanvue.
• Direct to catch Telegram DMs, warm people up, and either keep chatting (Text), send them to Fanvue (Funnel), or sell in Telegram (Sell).

If the brains are linked, one My bot edit updates both. If they are unlinked, you can keep a Telegram voice that is different from Fanvue.

Vaults stay separate on purpose. Clone the folders you actually want to sell on Telegram. You do not have to clone everything.

Funnel is the usual bridge: Direct chats on Telegram, then shares your Fanvue link when the fan is ready.

Troubleshooting Direct

I cannot continue past Connect

Finish both Telegram steps: tap Start on the secure link, and add the Direct bot under Settings → Telegram Business → Chatbots. Then verify and run the connection test. Use the same Telegram account for both steps.

The bot is not replying on Telegram

Check that Autopilot is on for Direct. Open Telegram inbox and make sure that fan is not paused or in takeover. Confirm Telegram Business is still connected in Settings. Check Activity for a skip or failure — including the 24-hour window.

Replies stopped after a quiet day

If the fan has not messaged in 24 hours, Telegram will not let Direct write first. Wait for them to message again, or reply yourself from Telegram inbox while the window is open.

Funnel never sends my link

Save a valid https profile / funnel link, and set the bot goal to Funnel (or keep a link saved in Text/Sell for when they ask). The bot will not paste the link in every message.

Sell will not use Fanvue media links

Connect Fanvue on the Fanvue surface first, then choose Fanvue media links as the Direct pay provider. Clone the relevant folders into the Direct vault.

Lustify checkout fails

Lustify Pay is in beta. Confirm the API key is saved in Direct settings, and that the Direct vault item has public preview and unlock URLs.

Direct does not sound like my Fanvue bot

Check Same brain as Fanvue in My bot. If it is off, Direct is using its own brain. Turn it on to share persona, stories, and planner, or retune Direct on its own.

I linked the wrong Telegram account

Unlink in Settings, generate a new link, and tap Start on the correct account. Add the Direct bot in Telegram Business on that same account.

I still need help

Try the documentation assistant with your question. If the answer is not here, contact support with what you saw, which Telegram account you connected, and when it happened.

Next: Set up your bot or Try Sandbox