Filip Šauli: How to Build a Paid Strength Community on Telegram

Filip Šauli is a young Czech strength athlete best known for his standout results in weighted calisthenics, including an absolute world record: a 60 kg weighted muscle-up and 120 kg weighted pull-ups. As a creator on Tribute, he runs a highly engaged strength-training community on Telegram, where he shares educational content, in-depth training insights, and practical guidance for athletes of all levels — and those aspiring to become one. We asked him about his path as a creator, how he built and monetized his community, and what he has learned along the way.

I got into content and monetization in 2018. Back then, I had a simple personal Instagram account — a few photos from training camps, some snapshots from my running sessions. I was competing in endurance sports, and honestly, there wasn’t much to show visually.

Everything changed when I moved into strength training. For the first time, I had something visually impressive to share — one-arm pull-ups, weighted muscle-ups. In parallel, I was running a meme page with a friend. We were just killing time in our last year of high school, but somehow the account grew to around 15k followers.

I started taking things seriously in 2022. Growth was slow at first — but by 2023, things clicked. My Instagram passed 50k, I started posting daily stories, sharing my training consistently. That’s when I launched paid content on Instagram.

About a year later, Stepan — who now helps me with strategy and management — suggested moving the whole paid project into Telegram with Tribute. I didn’t even have a Telegram account then – I literally learned the app from scratch. But he was right: Telegram gives structure and a real community feel. So I moved my first 20–30 paying subscribers there. They followed without hesitation — they were basically like friends at that point.

Since then, most growth has come straight from Instagram. I talk about the private channel in my Stories and Reels, and people join directly. I also have a public Telegram channel, but I focus my energy on Instagram because that's where most of my audience actually lives.

Inside the private channel, my goal is education. It’s not a hidden training plan with “3×10” tables. I prefer a more consistent approach, trying to teach people how to understand their bodies, how to think about strength training, and how to recognize patterns instead of blindly following routines. It’s harder than giving a pre-made PDF, but it’s genuinely valuable. Most of the content is videos — 5 to 15 minutes — plus podcasts with other athletes. Filming doesn’t take much time, but mentally I’m thinking about content, strategy, and direction constantly. I also talk about lifestyle, diet, time management, all the real-world things that matter for progress.

There are two subscription tiers: content-only, and content + access to the community chat. And honestly, interaction makes a huge difference. I’m in the chat every day, answering questions, guiding people. It may not be full one-to-one coaching, but people still experience a strong sense of mentorship. Retention is way higher in the tier that includes the community.

​​When I set the price for my subscription, the goal wasn’t to make it expensive but to keep it accessible so the community could grow. I started at €13 a month, then gradually increased it to €17 and now €20 as the project evolved. I wanted a price that feels fair — low enough for people to try without hesitation, but sustainable enough for me to keep improving the channel.

Right now, the subscription is basically all of my income. We gradually raise the price, but keep it accessible — the goal is growth through scale, not exclusivity. There’s already 432 subscribers in my paid community, and within the next month, I’m aiming for a solid 500.

If someone asks whether 2026 is a good time to start with content, I say it’s the best time ever. You have AI, you have platforms, you have tools. Yes, competition uses them too, but that’s just the game. If you have a hobby or expertise others might find interesting, start sharing it. First for free, then — if you see potential — monetize it.