ChatGPT Ads is the new advertising platform inside ChatGPT: OpenAI has started showing ads within the chat itself and, with more than 900 million weekly users, this is the largest new ad inventory to appear in years. At Deeploy we’ve already put the format to the test in United States and Canada accounts, and in this guide we’ll walk you through how it works, how targeting is done, and the real results we saw.
The short version: launching a campaign is surprisingly simple, the whole game is in how you tell ChatGPT when your product is relevant, and the format still has room to grow on visibility. Let’s break it down.
What Are ChatGPT Ads?
ChatGPT Ads are ads that appear at the end of ChatGPT’s answers when there’s a sponsored product or service relevant to the conversation in progress. They’re clearly labelled and kept separate from the organic answer: OpenAI is emphatic that ads do not influence what ChatGPT replies — they run on systems separate from the chat model, and no advertiser can alter, rank, or condition the responses.
It’s essentially contextual, intent-based advertising: far closer to Google than to Meta. It isn’t a system that targets by behavioral profile, but one based on intent — what the person is asking about in that exact moment.
How Targeting Works: Catalog or Context Hints
This is the heart of the format. Unlike Google Ads, you don’t choose keywords or build manual exact-match targeting. There are two ways to tell ChatGPT when your product is relevant:
1. Product Catalog (Product Feed)
For e-commerce and retail, you upload your product catalog to the ChatGPT Ads Manager and the platform generates the ads automatically from each product’s name, images, and attributes. You don’t have to build one ad per SKU: the system constructs and serves them beneath relevant answers. It supports up to one million SKUs per advertiser, with a minimum of 100 to get started.
2. Context Hints
For services — or when you don’t have a catalog — you use context hints. These are a description, in your own words, of the conversations, topics, or words where your product or service might be relevant. As the platform itself defines it: “describe the conversations, topics, or keywords where your products or services may be relevant; these hints guide matching but are not exact-match targeting rules.”
That last sentence matters: context hints guide, they don’t force. Contextual intent — what the person is asking in that moment — remains the dominant signal, and the final match is resolved by a relevance-weighted second-price auction. You describe the terrain; the algorithm decides where you appear.
How to Launch a ChatGPT Ads Campaign, Step by Step
In practice, the process is simpler than building a campaign in Google Ads:
- Create your account in the ChatGPT Ads Manager and verify your business.
- Choose your targeting method: upload your product catalog (retail) or write your context hints (services).
- Set your budget and bid. The system works with a daily minimum and an auction model; you set how much you’re willing to pay per click.
- Write clear context hints if you go that route: describe real customer scenarios (“someone planning a trip to Canada,” “comparing invoicing software for small businesses”), not just isolated keywords.
- Launch and monitor. Watch CPC, CTR, and conversions, and adjust your context hints or catalog based on what performs.
Our Results: What We Learned Testing ChatGPT Ads
We tested the format in real United States and Canada accounts. These are the ranges we observed:
- Cost per click (CPC): between $2 and $5 USD, in line with competitive search channels.
- CTR: below 1%. The format still has a low click-through rate compared with traditional search.
- Minimum spend: a floor of $25 USD per day for the campaign to accumulate data and deliver.
The takeaway is nuanced. On one hand, intent-based targeting is promising: you appear in front of someone who is literally asking for what you offer, in a very high-trust environment. On the other hand, the format’s visibility still has room to improve: the ad lives at the end of the answer, and in many conversations the user already got what they needed before reaching it. In our experience, that’s the main factor behind the sub-1% CTR.
It’s a channel to enter early and learn — not yet one to migrate large budgets to from your Google Ads campaigns or Meta. The advertiser who masters context hints and catalog structure today will be well positioned when OpenAI opens up more surfaces and the format matures. If you want it managed end to end, that’s exactly what our ChatGPT Ads management service is built for.
Who Should Try ChatGPT Ads Today?
- E-commerce and retail with broad catalogs that want presence in a new channel with little competition.
- Brands and services willing to experiment and learn the logic of context hints before their competitors do.
- Advertisers with a presence in the United States and Canada, which is where the format is available in this early phase.
Because the format is live in the US and Canada right now, businesses operating there can start testing today — and availability will keep expanding. It’s the same logic as Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): visibility inside AI platforms is becoming a channel of its own, and the advantage goes to whoever learns it first.
Is It Worth It for Your Business?
Our recommendation: if you already invest in digital media and have operations in the US or Canada, set aside a test budget for ChatGPT Ads to build first-hand learnings. Don’t expect it to replace Google or Meta today, but do expect it to give you an early position in what will likely be one of the most important advertising channels of the coming years.
At Deeploy we’re already testing and measuring these emerging formats for our clients. If you’d like to explore ChatGPT Ads — or any digital media channel — with a team that already has hands-on experience, book a free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which countries have ChatGPT Ads available?
In this early phase the format is rolling out in markets such as the United States and Canada. Availability will expand gradually to other regions over time.
How much does it cost to advertise on ChatGPT?
In our tests, cost per click ranged between $2 and $5 USD, with a minimum spend of around $25 USD per day for the campaign to gather enough data. The final cost depends on the competition for each type of conversation.
What are context hints?
They’re descriptions of the conversations, topics, or keywords where your product or service may be relevant. They guide how the ad is matched, but they don’t work like exact-match targeting: the intent of the ongoing conversation remains the primary signal.
Do the ads affect ChatGPT’s answers?
No. According to OpenAI, ads run on systems separate from the chat model, they’re clearly labelled, and no advertiser can alter, rank, or condition ChatGPT’s organic responses.
Does ChatGPT Ads replace Google Ads or Meta Ads?
Not yet. Today it’s a complementary channel to enter early and learn, with a still-low CTR because of the ad’s position. Google and Meta remain the primary channels for scaling budget with predictable returns.