What are ChatGPT ads?
ChatGPT ads are sponsored units that OpenAI shows inside ChatGPT. The ad sits below the answer, in its own area, carrying a sponsored label, and it does not change the answer itself. Ads run only on the Free and Go plans, and never for users under eighteen. Each unit holds the advertiser name, a headline, a description, an image and a landing page.
Where do ChatGPT ads appear, and who sees them?
The ad sits under the answer in the conversation, in an area of its own. A sponsored label runs above it, which keeps it apart from the answer. OpenAI states that the ad does not change the reply the model gives.
The plan decides who sees anything. Ads run on the Free and Go plans. There are no ads on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu. Users under eighteen are not shown ads at all.
Region matters too. Personalised advertising is not switched on in the European Economic Area or Switzerland at the start. Ads are also kept away from sensitive conversations, which OpenAI covers under brand safety.
- The ad appears below the answer, in its own area.
- A sponsored label sits above the ad.
- Only the Free and Go plans carry ads.
- Users under eighteen see none.
- The unit holds a name, headline, description, image and landing page.
Which signals decide when an ad shows?
This does not work the way a search auction works. According to OpenAI, the selection weighs the context and intent of the conversation. The landing page, the ad text and the context hints written into the ad group count as well.
Context hints are not exact keywords. You write topics and words into the ad group, but those hints do not promise that the ad will be delivered. OpenAI is explicit that delivery is not promised.
Where personalisation is switched on, further signals join in. That setting belongs to the user, and it starts switched off in the European Economic Area and Switzerland. OpenAI's ad policies also require the text, the image and the landing page to be accurate.
- The context and intent of the conversation are weighed.
- Landing page and ad text feed the match.
- Context hints are not exact keywords.
- Delivery is never promised.
Which sectors are allowed to advertise?
The permitted list is narrow during the test phase. OpenAI names lifestyle and home products, local services, travel and experiences, and digital products and education.
The restricted list is longer. Healthcare services and health claims, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, dating and adult content and political content all sit on it. Financial services outside the United States and legal services outside the United States cannot advertise. Certain job adverts and housing rental or sale listings are restricted as well.
One rule sits above the categories. The ad text, the image and the landing page have to be accurate, and false comparisons, exaggerated outcomes and fake endorsements are not allowed. The full list sits on OpenAI's ad policies page.
- Allowed: lifestyle and home products, local services.
- Allowed: travel and experiences, digital products and education.
- Restricted: healthcare, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, political content.
- Financial and legal services outside the United States cannot advertise.
- Housing listings and certain job adverts are restricted.
Where is the ad account opened?
The account is opened at ads.openai.com. The self-service Ads Manager is in beta and limited to a list of countries. On the list OpenAI publishes, Turkey, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are shown as available.
The condition is about the legal entity. The advertising and billed company has to sit in one of the listed countries. The list is widening in phases, so it is worth checking OpenAI's page before a campaign is planned.
Campaigns, ad groups, ads and creatives are managed in the panel. The same objects can be handled programmatically through the Advertiser API. The account is opened in the client's name and the access stays with the client.
- Account address: ads.openai.com.
- Turkey, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are shown as available.
- The advertising and billed entity must sit in a listed country.
- Management runs through the panel or the Advertiser API.
How do bidding and payment work?
There are two ways to pay. Views are bought on a CPM basis, and valid clicks on a CPC basis. Campaigns with a conversion goal use oCPC, where payment is still taken per click.
Bids are set at ad group level. The auction is a relevance-weighted second price auction, so the amount paid can be lower than the bid itself.
OpenAI suggests a starting range for the click bid: 3 USD to 5 USD. That is a starting point published in the help pages, not a price promise. What a click actually costs is settled in the auction.
- Views are paid on CPM.
- Valid clicks are paid on CPC.
- Conversion campaigns use oCPC.
- Bids sit at ad group level.
- OpenAI's suggested starting click bid is 3 USD to 5 USD.
How are conversions measured?
Measurement has two parts. The first is OpenAI's measurement pixel, placed on the site to record what happens after the click. The second is the Conversions API, which sends a sale or a form entry from your server.
UTM parameters survive the click, so the traffic shows up separately in your own reporting as well. The panel reports impressions, clicks, spend, click-through rate, average CPC or CPM, and conversions.
The channel is new, so nobody should promise an outcome. Budget opens once measurement is in place, the campaign is read weekly, and spend is compared against conversions and cost per conversion. ALTAI Digital opens the account in the client's name and charges a fixed management fee, never a share of the budget.
- The OpenAI measurement pixel goes on the site.
- The Conversions API sends conversions from the server.
- UTM parameters survive the click.
- Weekly report: spend, conversions, cost per conversion.
ChatGPT adsFrequently asked questions
Both countries are shown as available on the list OpenAI publishes. The condition is that the advertising and billed entity sits in a listed country. The list widens in phases, so it is checked again before each campaign.
OpenAI states that it does not. The ad sits below the answer, in its own area, with a sponsored label. The content of the answer itself is not sold to advertisers.
You write context hints into the ad group, but they are not exact keywords. Writing a hint does not promise delivery. The match weighs the conversation context, the landing page and the ad text together.
The amount is settled in the auction. OpenAI suggests a starting click bid of 3 USD to 5 USD in its help pages. Whether you pay per view or per click depends on the campaign goal.
Not during the test phase. Healthcare services and health claims sit on the restricted list, and legal services outside the United States cannot advertise. Financial services carry the same restriction outside the United States.
No, it sits alongside. A search ad catches somebody who already knows what they want, while a ChatGPT ad appears inside the conversation. Each channel is measured on its own and the budget follows the results.
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