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FAQ and Troubleshooting

Short answers to the questions that come up most often about cross-promotion, grouped by where you hit them: general, codes and joining, scheduling, limits and plans, posts and delivery, results, and the directory. Each answer links to the page with the full detail.

General​

Does cross-promotion cost anything?​

No — swaps are free. You trade reach, not budget. Optional paid extras exist (Featured directory placement, request boosts, a one-off extra-action override, per-campaign insurance add-ons), but the swap itself, partner vetting, and results never cost anything. See Rules and fairness.

Do I have to post anything manually?​

No. Once both posts are built and approved, our bot publishes them into both channels at go-live and removes them at the end of the run automatically. You'll get a DM when the campaign is scheduled confirming there's nothing more to do. See Creatives: Posts and Delivery.

Why does the bot need to be an admin of my channel?​

So it can publish your partner's post into your channel at go-live and remove it afterwards. Every flow that fetches a channel (create, join, directory listing, Blitz claim) checks this and walks you through adding the bot if needed.

Can I use a private channel?​

No — only public Telegram channels (ones with an @username) can be cross-promoted.

What's the code format?​

CP- followed by two groups of four characters, e.g. CP-7K4M-Q2XP. Entry is forgiving — case, spaces and dashes don't matter. Codes never contain easily-confused characters (no 0/O, 1/I/L). More in Manual promos with CP codes.

Codes and joining​

My partner says the code doesn't work​

  • Check it was typed correctly (though formatting doesn't matter).
  • The code may have expired — unused codes die 24 hours after creation. Create a fresh one.
  • The code may have been created in the Telegram bot — bot codes are joined in the bot, website codes on the website.
  • Someone else may have already joined — codes are one-time.

I entered my own code​

Codes are for your partner. Share it with them; you manage your side from the campaign page.

"Joining is paused for now" — why?​

You recently joined one or more campaigns and never confirmed the schedule, so those campaigns were released back to their creators. After a few of these, joining is paused for a couple of days. The message shows exactly when you can join again, and you can still create your own campaigns in the meantime. See Rules and fairness.

The campaign I joined disappeared / shows "Expired"​

If you attach a channel but don't confirm for about two days, the campaign is automatically closed so the creator isn't held hostage. Confirm (or propose changes) promptly after joining.

Scheduling​

How far ahead can I schedule?​

Any time within the next 14 days, in your own timezone. The go-live must be in the future.

The page says the go-live time has passed — what now?​

A code can sit for a while before it's actioned. If the proposed go-live elapsed before confirmation, accepting is refused — use Propose changes to agree a new time. See Schedule proposals.

Can we change the time after confirming?​

Yes. Either side can press Propose new time on a confirmed campaign while its go-live is still ahead; the other side accepts or declines. A declined proposal leaves the original confirmed schedule untouched. Full flow in Schedule proposals.

Limits and plans​

How many campaigns can I run?​

Each plan includes a monthly number of cross-promotion initiations (creating a campaign or sending a directory request). Joining other people's campaigns is unlimited. Your usage is shown in the plan strip on the create and campaign pages. Campaigns that never ran — expired, cancelled, or released because the partner ghosted — don't count.

I hit my monthly cap — options?​

The message shows which plan raises your limit, and the Telegram bot sells a one-off +1 CP Action override at the price quoted in the message. Upgrades are at https://onflowads.com/pricing.

What do higher plans add to cross-promotion?​

Depending on the plan: a larger (or unlimited) monthly allowance, a cash-equivalent completion reward credited per clean completion (rate shown in your plan strip, with a monthly cap), campaign insurance included, discounts on add-ons and paid extras (up to free at the top plan), and Blitz multi-partner campaigns. The plan strip on the create and campaign pages shows exactly what your plan includes and what the next plan would add. See Rules and fairness.

Posts and delivery​

What can a post contain?​

Text up to 1,024 characters plus up to 6 link buttons (label up to 64 characters, each with a full web link). An AI draft button can write a first version for you. See Creatives.

My partner's post isn't appearing for review​

They haven't built it yet — the page shows "Waiting for your partner to build their post." They get DM nudges too.

I approved, but the campaign isn't scheduled​

Delivery needs all of: confirmed schedule, both posts built, both reviews approved, and a go-live still in the future. If your partner edited their post after your approval, your approval reset — re-approve the new version. If the go-live slipped into the past, propose a new time.

What does "auto" next to an approval mean?​

Reviews left unanswered for 6 hours auto-approve so a silent partner can't stall a built campaign. "(auto)" marks an approval that happened that way.

Can I cancel after it's scheduled?​

Yes — up until the bot starts publishing. Once the campaign is going live, live, or finished, it can no longer be cancelled. See Campaign lifecycle.

Results​

When do results appear?​

Ad-open counts and proof links appear from go-live and update during the run. Subscriber-gain tiles appear once the campaign completes (the closing snapshot is taken at the end of the run). See Campaign results.

Why is there no subscriber-gain number?​

The member count couldn't be captured for that channel at go-live or close (for example a transient error). The tile is hidden rather than showing a wrong number. Note the gain includes organic growth, not only the swap.

I can't rate my partner​

Ratings open only after a website campaign reaches Completed, one rating per side. Bot-run campaigns are rated in the Telegram bot. See Ratings.

Directory and requests​

Why don't I appear in the directory?​

Listing is opt-in — add your channel from the List my channel tab on the Find Partners page. If you removed the listing, press List again to reactivate it. See Discovering partners.

My request expired​

Pending requests expire after 72 hours if the recipient doesn't respond. Send a fresh one — or use ⚡ Boost on your next request to jump to the top of their queue. See Partnership requests.

No. Featuring buys position at the top of browsing, nothing else — match verdicts, track records and ratings are computed identically for everyone.

Still stuck?​

Contact support from your dashboard at https://onflowads.com/telegram/dashboard/support.