What ChatGPT ads are
OpenAI started showing ads in ChatGPT on February 9, 2026 — first in the US, to Free and Go users (TechCrunch). Ads appear in the context of a conversation: someone choosing a CRM, planning a renovation or looking for a contractor may see an offer from a business that solves exactly that.
According to OpenAI, ads are always labeled, kept separate from answers and do not influence what ChatGPT says; advertisers get no access to conversations (OpenAI, Aug 31, 2026).
Ads Manager: how launching works
On May 5, 2026 OpenAI opened a beta self-serve Ads Manager. Advertisers register, add payment, set budgets, bids and pacing, upload ads, launch campaigns and see performance (OpenAI, May 5, 2026). Sign-up is at ads.openai.com; ads can also be bought through OpenAI agency partners.
Pay per click or per impression
At first, ads were sold per impression (CPM). In May OpenAI added cost-per-click (CPC) bidding, where you pay only when someone clicks. OpenAI says most campaigns now run on CPC with outcome optimization. For services and B2B we usually start on CPC because it makes cost per lead easy to track.
Lead tracking: pixel and Conversions API
OpenAI launched a pixel and a Conversions API that show what happens after the click: a lead, a purchase, a sign-up. Advertisers get aggregated reporting without access to individual conversations. We set tracking up before launch, so leads and their cost are visible from day one. Product feeds, geo and platform targeting and custom audiences are available too.
Where ChatGPT ads are available
As of August 31, 2026, OpenAI says ChatGPT ads run in more than 40 countries through its team and partners, and self-serve buying through Ads Manager opened that day for advertisers in India, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (OpenAI). We check availability for your country and audience during the audit.
Why the channel is growing
In under 200 days ChatGPT ads reached a $1B annualized revenue run rate, with tens of thousands of advertisers, and ChatGPT has more than a billion weekly active users. That is market context, not our result: competition for attention in ChatGPT is only starting.
How we work — and honestly about case studies
- Audit: whether your product fits ChatGPT ads and in which situations people look for it.
- Ads Manager setup, pixel and Conversions API.
- Ads written for specific customer situations.
- A test budget and a report on leads and cost per lead.
We do not have a ChatGPT ads case study yet — the channel opened in 2026. We have 10 years in Google Ads, Meta and TikTok and projects in 40+ countries. Agency packages start at $650/month; ad spend is billed separately. For organic visibility in ChatGPT answers see AI search optimization; to compare channels see Google Ads and Facebook ads. Start with a free audit.