ChatGPT Ads, in plain English.
A grounded cheat sheet on OpenAI's new advertising product: what it actually is today, what you can and can't ship, and whether it belongs in your stack. Updated every week against OpenAI's live documentation.
Last verified against OpenAI documentation on September 18, 2026
Your brand, but inside the question.
One image. One clear promise. That is the format today.
Illustrative — not an actual OpenAI ad unit
The Topline
ChatGPT Ads is OpenAI's advertising platform for placing single-image ads inside ChatGPT. It's in public beta, open to eligible businesses only in supported countries, with static 1:1 creative, Maximize Results bidding, conversion-optimized campaigns, custom audiences, and integrations with measurement partners. It's a first-mover awareness play in a new intent surface — worth a controlled test, not yet a channel to bet the business on.
The Cheat Sheet
Everything you need to know, on one page.
Synthesized from OpenAI's full ChatGPT Ads help collection — 30 articles covering setup, campaigns, creative, bidding, measurement, and admin.
- Status
- Public beta. Capabilities and pricing evolving.
- Where ads run
- Inside ChatGPT surfaces, served by OpenAI Ads Manager.
- Who can advertise
- Eligible businesses only. No individual advertisers or agency-on-behalf accounts.
- Country access
- Gated by advertiser business country. Country, currency, and time zone lock at account creation.
- Ad formats
- Static 1:1 image ads. Sponsored Agents also supported. No video, no carousels.
- Campaign types
- Guided single campaigns and CSV bulk upload. Product-feed campaigns supported through a separate flow, not CSV.
- Bidding
- Maximize Results strategy. Daily budgets with automatic pacing.
- Conversions
- Conversion-optimized campaigns, conversion measurement, event-quality signals.
- Audiences
- Custom audiences setup at the campaign level.
- Measurement
- Impressions, clicks, CTR, spend + measurement-partner and mobile-MMP integrations.
- Access model
- Self-serve via Ads Manager or through ChatGPT Ads Manager inside ChatGPT. Team roles and API keys.
- Billing
- Credit card, per-advertiser billing profile. Campaigns don't deliver until billing is set.
The Pros
Why it's worth attention.
- You are in front of intent, not scroll. ChatGPT users are asking questions and comparing options, which is very different attention than a feed.
- First-mover positioning inside a new ad ecosystem. Costs and competition are still forming.
- Real infrastructure: campaigns, ad groups, bulk upload, conversion tracking, MMP integrations, roles, API keys.
- Fast performance signal. Impressions, clicks, and CTR appear within minutes.
The Current Cons
What's still missing.
- It's a beta. Features, availability, and behavior will change without warning.
- Creative is limited to a static 1:1 image. No video, no carousels, no shoppable multi-frame formats yet.
- Country, currency, and time zone lock at account creation. No self-serve edits later.
- Individual advertisers aren't supported. Agencies can only join after the client creates the account.
- Account review is manual (Persona + policy). No expedited path.
- Product-feed campaigns can't be created via CSV bulk upload today.
Getting In
How setup works.
Five steps. A few of the choices lock in permanently, so get entity, country, currency, and time zone right the first time.
Step 01
Create the advertiser account
Sign in with OpenAI. One owner per business. Enter business name, website, logo, industry, country, currency, time zone.
Step 02
Persona verification + policy review
Complete identity verification through Persona. OpenAI reviews eligibility against its Ads Policies. Rolling queue — no expedite.
Step 03
Finalize account info
Confirm account name and logo exactly as they should appear inside the ad unit. Ads will not serve until this is complete.
Step 04
Set billing and payment
Billing profile with business name, invoice email, address. Add a credit card. Campaigns don't deliver until billing is complete.
Step 05
Invite the team
Add teammates from Settings > Users. Different brands or legal entities each need their own advertiser account.
The Honest Strategic Take
How to think about it right now.
- Treat ChatGPT Ads as a positioning bet inside a new intent surface, not yet as a proven direct-response channel.
- Design creative for the constraint: one square image, one clear promise, real product, zero clutter.
- Run in parallel with your existing paid channel so you have a stable baseline to compare CTR, pacing, and downstream signal.
- Lock the account structure correctly on day one. Country, currency, and time zone can't be changed later.
Work Together
Thinking about running ChatGPT Ads?
Whether you want a sanity check on eligibility, a creative plan for the single-image format, or a full advisory arrangement while you test the channel, start a conversation.
Direct Inquiry
Fill this out and your email app will open with a structured message to send.
What is ChatGPT Ads?
OpenAI's advertising platform inside ChatGPT, managed through Ads Manager Beta. Eligible businesses create campaigns, ad groups, and ads, and measure performance in one place.
Can individuals or solo creators run ChatGPT Ads?
Not via self-serve. Only eligible business advertiser accounts are supported. Solo operators generally need a registered business entity.
What creative formats are supported right now?
Static 1:1 image creative and Sponsored Agents. No video, carousels, or multi-frame formats yet.
How fast do metrics appear?
Impressions, clicks, and CTR appear within minutes. Spend can update later, so a temporary zero-spend value doesn't necessarily mean no charges have accrued.
Should a brand be running ChatGPT Ads today?
If you're a business, your audience is inside ChatGPT, and you can commit to real creative discipline and clean testing, it's worth a controlled test. If you need a mature direct-response channel with deep attribution, wait.
How often is this page updated?
Every ChatGPT Ads help article from OpenAI is checked weekly. When something meaningful changes, this page is updated within days.
Sources & Freshness
This page tracks OpenAI's full ChatGPT Ads help collection weekly.
All 30 articles in OpenAI's ChatGPT Ads collection — covering setup, campaigns, creative, bidding, measurement, and admin — are diffed every Monday. Substantive changes flow back into this cheat sheet.
Last verified September 18, 2026