Two different options, and they are not interchangeable
Instagram offers two ways to put a booking link on a profile, built for different situations. The first is the native "Book Now" action button in the profile's contact section. The second is a plain external link in the bio. The difference matters: the native button only works with booking systems on Meta's closed partner list (names like OpenTable, Resy, Booksy, Fresha, Squarespace Scheduling show up there, and the list varies by country). A Telegram booking bot is not on that list under any circumstance, this isn't a limitation of any specific bot, it's the closed architecture of the feature itself.
So if bookings run through a Telegram bot (as most booking bots covered in the studio's news do), looking for it in the "Book Now" button settings is a dead end, it will never show up there. The working path is the second option, a bio link.
Step 1: confirm the account type
The profile needs to be professional, Business or Creator, not a regular personal account. Check and switch: Settings → Account → "Switch to professional account."
Step 2: try the native button, if the booking system is on the partner list
Open the profile → "Edit profile" → the contact/action button section → "Add action button" → choose "Book Now" from the offered list. If there's no ready integration with your system on that list, skip straight to step 3, there's no point searching further.
Step 3: add a bio link (the working option for a Telegram bot)
"Edit profile" → the "Links" section → "Add external link" → paste the direct bot link (t.me/...) → in the title field write a clear action like "Book now," not a bare URL.
What you'll see: the link appears in the bio under the account name, clickable straight from the feed and from Stories.
Step 4: repeat the link where it's actually seen
The bio link only works while someone is browsing the profile itself. It doesn't help someone just watching one post in the feed or a story. So:
- Add a link sticker in Stories every time a post announces a bookable service.
- Write "link in bio" directly in the caption, most of the audience does not check the bio by default.
- If someone messages asking about booking, reply with the same bot link instead of asking them to call.
Common mistakes, in short
- Looking for a Telegram bot in the "Book Now" partner list, it will never be there.
- The bio link exists, but no caption ever reminds people it's there.
- The link opens the bot's very first screen instead of going straight to picking a service, the extra step lowers conversion.
- The account stays personal instead of switching to professional, which blocks part of the contact features entirely.
Checklist
- [ ] Account switched to professional (Business or Creator)
- [ ] Checked whether the booking system is on the native button's partner list
- [ ] If not, the bot link is added under "Links" with a clear title
- [ ] A link sticker gets added to Stories with every service announcement
- [ ] Captions explicitly say "link in bio"
What you can hand off to us
Setting up the booking link in the profile is part of connecting a Telegram booking bot. You can also discuss booking from Instagram for your business.