AI Marketing · Guide
Advertising in ChatGPT: how OpenAI Ads work, who sees them and what they cost
Since May 2026 any US business can buy ads in ChatGPT. Ad format, who sees ads, how they are matched to conversations, pricing and the banned categories.
Contents · 8 sections
In short
For years ChatGPT was a space without banners or sponsored offers. People asked it private questions, shared business plans and code, and nobody tried to sell them anything. Running models of this size costs enormous amounts of money, though, and OpenAI needs revenue beyond subscriptions.
After a closed pilot, OpenAI opened its self-serve OpenAI Ads Manager to US businesses on 5 May 2026 and removed the spending minimum. Now almost any company can show ads inside ChatGPT conversations. Reports put OpenAI’s ad revenue target at about $2.5 billion for 2026.
What a ChatGPT ad looks like
When a conversation has clear commercial intent, for example “which running shoes are best for asphalt?” or “help me choose a CRM for a small business”, ChatGPT first writes its usual answer. A clearly labelled sponsored block appears below it.
| Element | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Logo | A small favicon of the brand |
| Advertiser name | The official company name |
| Title | 16–24 characters recommended, about 40–50 maximum |
| Description | 32–48 characters recommended, about 100–150 maximum |
| Image | Square, up to 1200 × 1200 px, PNG or JPG, at a public URL |
| Landing page | A working URL that OpenAI’s crawler can open |
Every ad carries a mandatory “sponsored” label, which also follows from the labelling rules of the EU AI Act.
Who sees the ads
Free users can switch ads off in Settings → Ads controls, but the ad-free free plan comes with fewer messages per day and no image generation or deep research.
Context instead of keywords
There are no keywords in the classic sense. OpenAI matches ads to the conversation, and three signals decide:
- the topic of the current conversation, the main signal;
- context hints from the advertiser. You cannot buy exact words, but you can describe when to show the ad, for example “when people discuss improving their home office”;
- personalisation, only if the user has memory on and has not turned off ad personalisation.
Advertisers never see what people write. They do not get names or prompts, only aggregate impressions and clicks. OpenAI says it is testing privacy-preserving methods such as server-side interest groups for matching.
What it costs
In the pilot at the start of 2026, getting into the ad account required a commitment of about $200,000 a month. In April the threshold fell to $50,000, and on 5 May it was removed. Some guides cite a minimum campaign budget of $25 a day; others report none.
| Goal | You pay for | Reported prices |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 1,000 impressions (CPM) | About $60 in the pilot, lower since, depending on the topic |
| Clicks | A click to your site (CPC) | About $3–5; below about $3 the ad may not be shown |
| Conversions | Clicks optimised for a pixel or Conversions API event | No separate price per conversion; you set a bid cap |
The auction is weighted by relevance: the system judges how well the ad fits the conversation and can give the slot to a cheaper but more useful ad. Several reports describe a second-price auction, where the winner pays just above the next bid.
What you cannot advertise
At launch OpenAI allows mainly safe consumer goods, software, services, education and travel. These categories are banned or heavily restricted:
- Finance: credit repair, debt settlement and alternative investments; financial services outside the US.
- Gambling: real-money casinos. A casino hotel promoted for its spa and leisure is the exception.
- Alcohol and tobacco: fully banned, including vapes and nicotine patches.
- Adult: dating apps, escort services and intimate products. Underwear and swimwear only as a plain catalogue.
- Politics: no election campaigns or lobbying.
- Health: no rehab centres or pharmaceuticals.
Misleading ads are a separate ban: no exaggerated results, no fake reviews and no imitation of the ChatGPT interface. A bold claim must be backed up on your site.
Is it worth testing?
ChatGPT ads change how intent is captured. You no longer guess which words a person will type: the system reads the whole conversation and offers your product where it actually solves the problem.
- It fits if you sell considered products, software, legal, financial (within the rules) or educational services to the US and the other live markets, and you can play by strict moderation.
- It does not fit yet if you need cheap clicks and reach in the millions across many GEOs. Google, Meta and Telegram are still cheaper there.
- Start small and track conversions. Connect the pixel or Conversions API before launch, and compare cost per lead with your search campaigns, not cost per click.
Questions and answers
Who can advertise in ChatGPT?
Since May 2026 businesses in the US can buy ads through the self-serve OpenAI Ads Manager. The spending minimum of the pilot, first $200,000 and then $50,000 a month, was removed.
Who sees ads in ChatGPT?
Adult users on the Free and Go plans in the countries where ads are live. Users on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans do not see ads, and neither do users who are, or appear to be, under 18.
How much do ChatGPT ads cost?
During the pilot the CPM was about $60. Reported CPC bids at launch were about $3–5 per click, and bids below about $3 may not be shown. OpenAI has not published official current rates.
Can you target keywords in ChatGPT ads?
Not in the classic sense. Ads are matched to the topic of the conversation. Advertisers can give context hints, and personal history is used only if the user allows memory and ad personalisation.
Methodology and sources
Based on OpenAI’s published ad policies and Ads Manager, and on industry coverage of the launch. OpenAI changes formats, markets and prices often, and several figures here, such as the minimum daily budget and current CPMs, come from advertisers and vendors rather than from OpenAI. Check Ads Manager before you plan a budget.
