ChatGPT Ads is OpenAI’s advertising system that shows sponsored ads right below ChatGPT answers. You reach customers at the moment they are looking for a solution, comparing options or making a decision. In Europe the self-service Ads Manager has been available since 31 August 2026, and we already run campaigns in it for our clients. We help you with the account, tracking and a pilot campaign, so you do not have to test the new channel by trial and error.
- Availability: self-service in Europe since 31 August 2026
- Who sees the ads: adult users of the free Free version and the cheaper Go plan
- Targeting: conversation context (Context Hints), country and device
- Billing: by impressions (CPM), by clicks (CPC) or with optimisation for conversions
- Budget: according to OpenAI at least €15 per day, around €450 ad budget for a one month pilot
- Tracking: OpenAI Pixel, Conversions API and UTM parameters
- Our recommendation: a pilot of around 90 days and your own data instead of estimates
- First consultation: 60 minutes free, online via Teams or Google Meet
Book a free 60 minute consultation →
How does advertising in ChatGPT work?
The ad appears below ChatGPT’s answer, is clearly labelled as sponsored and separated from the answer. A standard ad (Chat Card) contains the advertiser’s name and logo, a title, short text, an image and a link to the landing page.
The user does not have to type a specific keyword as on Google. For example, they write: “I am looking for accounting software for a small business that handles invoices and stock.” ChatGPT answers first, and a relevant offer may appear below the answer. In selecting it, OpenAI considers the context and intent of the conversation, the ad copy, the landing page content and the Context Hints, i.e. phrases we use to describe situations and needs in which your offer is useful.
Advertising does not influence ChatGPT’s answers
Paid advertising does not make ChatGPT recommend your brand in its answers. OpenAI promises answer independence: ads are separate from answers, and nobody can pay for ChatGPT to change an answer or call a product the best. Advertisers have no access to private conversations or personal data, only to aggregated campaign results.
| ChatGPT Ads | GEO (AI optimisation) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it brings | Paid visibility below the answer | Mentions and recommendations right in the AI answer |
| When results come | Right after launch | Gradually, over months |
| What you pay for | Ad budget and management | Content, technical adjustments and building authority |
| After stopping | Visibility ends | Lasts long term |
The two approaches complement each other well. We take care of organic visibility in ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews in our service AI search optimisation (GEO).
ChatGPT Ads, Google Ads and Meta Ads
We do not currently see ChatGPT Ads as a replacement for Google Ads or Meta Ads. It is an additional channel working with different user behaviour.
| ChatGPT Ads | Google Ads | Meta Ads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main signal | Conversation context and intent | Search term and keywords | Audience, behaviour and content |
| When the customer is reached | While researching, comparing and deciding | Mainly during active search | While using social networks |
| Typical use | Consideration, traffic, conversions | Enquiries, leads, purchases | Awareness, demand, remarketing, sales |
| Platform maturity | New, still in beta | Very high | Very high |
| Available data | Very little so far | Large | Large |
If Google or Meta work reliably for you, we do not recommend moving budget to ChatGPT Ads without a test. A controlled experiment whose results we compare with your current mix is better. You will find an overview of all channels on the page PPC advertising.
Who sees ads in ChatGPT?
| ChatGPT plan | Sees ads? |
|---|---|
| Free | Yes, adult users |
| Go | Yes, adult users |
| Plus, Pro | No |
| Business, Enterprise, Edu | No |
If your audience mainly uses paid business accounts, the advertising audience may be smaller. That is another reason a real test pays off before an estimate on paper.
How does targeting work in ChatGPT Ads?
ChatGPT Ads does not work with exact keywords. In the ad group we define Context Hints, contextual signals describing the product, the customer need and suitable situations. OpenAI combines them with the context of the conversation, the ad and the landing page. Context Hints do not guarantee delivery for a specific phrasing.
- Country: Targeting of all supported countries.
- Devices: Desktop web, mobile web and apps for Android and iOS.
- Custom audiences: In the European Economic Area and Switzerland they currently cannot be used for targeting or exclusions. Targeting here is based on conversation context, country and device.
What do you pay for in ChatGPT Ads?
| Campaign objective | How it works |
|---|---|
| Impressions (Views) | Optimisation for visibility, billed per 1,000 impressions (CPM) |
| Clicks | Optimisation for traffic, billed per valid click (CPC) |
| Conversions | Optimisation for a chosen conversion event, for example an enquiry or purchase |
ChatGPT Ads works through an auction. For CPC campaigns, experience so far puts maximum bids roughly at 3 to 5 USD per click. This is not a rule and does not mean every click costs that much.
The minimum budget for an account in euros is currently €15 per day, calculated as an average over 7 days. Actual spend on individual days can be higher or lower. For a one month pilot allow around €450 of ad budget, paid directly to OpenAI, plus management.
Our first results
ChatGPT Ads is too new for reliable benchmarks. We do not publish our clients’ results, so we show what we measured on Digitalman’s own account from 2 to 15 September 2026:
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Impressions | 9 229 |
| Clicks | 246 |
| Click-through rate (CTR) | 2,67 % |
| Conversions | 0 |
These numbers are not a benchmark. It is one campaign, a short period and a small data set. That is why we do not promise new clients any specific CPC, CTR or lead numbers in advance. First we find out whether there are enough relevant people in ChatGPT for your business and at what price we can reach them.
For all the details on how it works, costs and our test, read the article ChatGPT Ads in Europe: How Advertising in ChatGPT Works.
What’s new in ChatGPT Ads (October 2026)
The OpenAI Ads Manager is still in beta and changes almost every week. These are the most important changes of recent weeks:
| Change | What it means for advertisers |
|---|---|
| Creative optimisations on by default (since late October 2026) | ChatGPT can rewrite and translate ad titles and copy, adjust images and change the destination URL without each version being approved. The feature can be turned off in account or campaign settings. |
| Ads in image generation | A new visual format that appears when someone asks ChatGPT to create an image. So far a test in the USA with selected advertisers. |
| Larger cards and images | Wider ad cards on desktop and full width images on smartphones are being tested. |
| New Conversions page | Overview of conversion events, trends and alerts about tracking errors. |
| More tracking partners | For example AppsFlyer, Adjust, Branch or Triple Whale, plus interfaces for conversions from your own systems. |
| Conversation exclusions (in preparation) | The option to exclude specific phrasings where the ad should not appear, for selected advertisers. |
We always check whether to keep creative optimisations on. For clients who need to control their copy, for example in healthcare, finance or legal claims, we turn them off. According to OpenAI, ads are now sold in 89 countries and more than 100,000 advertisers have used them since launch.
What does ChatGPT Ads management at Digitalman include?
- Potential analysis: Audience, products and stages of the purchase decision where advertising can work.
- Account: Setting up the OpenAI Ads Manager including billing and company details.
- Tracking: OpenAI Pixel, Conversions API, conversion events and UTM parameters for your analytics.
- Campaigns: Campaign planning and Context Hints, ad copy and creatives for the chat environment.
- Control over copy: Configuring creative optimisations depending on what ChatGPT may change in the ad.
- Optimisation: Bids, budget, contexts and ad variants.
- Evaluation: Report and recommendation whether to scale, adjust or stop the campaign.
How does the pilot campaign work?
First consultation
Does ChatGPT Ads make sense for you?
Setup
Account, tracking and first campaigns.
Pilot
Around 90 days of testing and optimisation.
Decision
Scale, adjust or stop, depending on the data.
We recommend a pilot of around 90 days so we do not judge the new channel after a few days without enough data.
Which businesses is ChatGPT Ads worth it for?
| Rather yes | Rather not at the moment |
|---|---|
| B2B services, software and SaaS | Businesses without a good website and without tracking |
| Online shops with products customers compare before buying | Businesses where the basics in Google Ads or Meta Ads do not work yet |
| Travel and education | Very small budgets under €450 per month |
| More expensive products with a longer decision | Audiences that mainly use paid business ChatGPT accounts |
A new channel does not solve problems in the basics of marketing. If that is your case, we recommend starting with Google Ads and clean tracking.
How much does ChatGPT Ads cost?
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Ad budget | at least €15 per day, around €450 for a one month pilot, paid directly to OpenAI |
| Setup and management | depending on scope, quote after the first consultation |
| Cost per click | set in the auction, maximum bids roughly 3 to 5 USD |
Why Digitalman?
- Experience from real campaigns. We already manage ChatGPT Ads for our clients.
- Google Partner with 15 years of experience in PPC, so we can compare ChatGPT Ads with Google Ads and Meta Ads.
- Paid and organic visibility in AI. We combine advertising in ChatGPT with AI search optimisation (GEO).
- We follow the new features, which arrive on the platform every week, and know when they make sense for you.
Campaigns are overseen by Digitalman founder Ing. Matej Tóth, who has worked in online marketing for more than 15 years.
Frequently asked questions about ChatGPT Ads
Is ChatGPT Ads available in Europe?
Yes. The self-service OpenAI Ads Manager opened to European countries on 31 August 2026.
Where do the ads appear in ChatGPT?
Below ChatGPT’s answer as separately labelled sponsored content with brand name, logo, title, description, image and a link to the landing page.
Can advertising influence ChatGPT’s answer?
No. According to OpenAI, ads do not influence generated answers. The organic answer and the sponsored ad are separate.
Do ChatGPT Plus users see ads?
No. Only adult users of the Free and Go plans see ads. Plus, Pro and paid business plans are ad free.
How much does ChatGPT Ads cost?
The minimum budget for an account in euros is currently €15 per day, and for a one month pilot allow around €450 of ad budget. Actual costs depend on the auction, objective and competition. We price management based on scope.
Can ChatGPT change the copy of my ads?
Yes, if creative optimisations are on, which has been the default since late October 2026. ChatGPT can then rewrite and translate copy, adjust images and change the destination URL without approval. We configure the feature according to how much control over the copy you need.
Can you measure whether the advertising brought a customer?
Yes. ChatGPT Ads supports conversion tracking via OpenAI Pixel and Conversions API, for example for leads, registrations or purchases. We also track the traffic in your analytics via UTM parameters.
Does ChatGPT Ads replace Google Ads?
Not at the moment. Google Ads is a mature channel with lots of data and search volume. We recommend testing ChatGPT Ads as an addition to your existing mix.
Would you like to test advertising in ChatGPT?
In the free consultation we check whether ChatGPT Ads makes sense for your business and propose a pilot campaign.
The first 60 minutes free · online via Teams or Google Meet