ChatGPT Ads Are Now Live: What Businesses Need to Know Before Getting Started

What You'll Need Before Launching

Getting started is relatively straightforward. Before creating your first campaign, you'll want to have a few essentials in place.

Your Business Owns the Ad Account

Unlike Google Ads, OpenAI doesn't currently use a traditional agency account structure with multiple client subaccounts.

Instead, the business creates its own OpenAI Ads account and then grants access to its marketing agency. This keeps ownership of the account with the business while allowing agencies like Digital Division to create, manage, and optimize campaigns on the company's behalf.

During setup, you'll create the account as a business advertising for itself before inviting additional users or agency partners.

Have These Items Ready

Before logging into OpenAI Ads Manager, it's helpful to have the essentials in place.

*Platform requirements are current as of the publication date and may change over time.

Having these pieces prepared beforehand will make the campaign setup much smoother.

How to Set Up Your First ChatGPT Ads Campaign

The campaign creation process is relatively simple and will feel familiar if you've worked with other paid advertising platforms.

The Campaign Setup Process

Creating a ChatGPT Ads campaign generally follows four steps:

1. Create your campaign.
2. Configure your ad group and targeting.
3. Build your ad creative.
4. Set up conversion tracking and launch.

Let's look at each step.

Campaign Settings

The first step is configuring your campaign.

You'll choose:

• Campaign name
• Campaign objective
• Daily budget
• Geographic targeting

At the time of writing, location targeting is based on Designated Market Areas (DMAs) rather than highly specific city or ZIP code targeting like Google Ads.

Ad Group Settings

Next, you'll create your ad group and define how your ads should be delivered.

You'll configure:

• Website URL
• Maximum CPC bid
• Context hints

Instead of relying only on traditional keywords, ChatGPT Ads use context hints to help the platform understand the types of conversations where your ad may be relevant.

Create Your Ad

Once your targeting is configured, you'll build your ad creative.

Current ad requirements include:

• Business logo
• One headline (up to 50 characters)
• One description (up to 100 characters)

Because space is limited, your messaging should be concise, relevant, and focused on the value you provide.

Set Up Conversion Tracking

Before launching your campaign, you'll want to configure conversion tracking so you can accurately measure performance.

For most lead generation businesses, the setup is relatively straightforward.

A Simple Conversion Tracking Setup

1. Install the OpenAI pixel on your website.
2. Create a "Lead Created" conversion event (or the closest available lead conversion) and trigger it when visitors reach your Thank You page after submitting a contact form.
3. Create a second conversion event to track qualified phone calls if calls are an important source of leads.

This approach helps you measure the actions that matter most and provides clearer reporting as your campaigns begin generating traffic.

As OpenAI Ads Manager continues to evolve, advertisers can expect additional reporting and conversion tracking capabilities over time.

Traditional Keywords vs. Context Hints

One of the biggest differences between Google Ads and ChatGPT Ads is how campaigns are targeted.

Rather than focusing entirely on individual keywords, ChatGPT Ads place greater emphasis on the overall intent behind a conversation.

This doesn't mean keywords disappear. Instead, marketers need to think more about the problems their ideal customers are trying to solve and less about exact search phrases.

Is It Too Early to Advertise on ChatGPT?

Not necessarily.

Like most new advertising platforms, ChatGPT Ads are expected to evolve quickly as more businesses begin using them. Features, targeting options, and reporting capabilities will likely continue to improve over time.

That also creates an opportunity for businesses willing to test emerging marketing channels before they become more competitive.

While ChatGPT Ads shouldn't replace your Google Ads campaigns, SEO strategy, or other marketing channels, they may become an important addition to a well-rounded digital marketing strategy as AI-powered search continues to grow.

Is Your Business a Good Fit for ChatGPT Ads?

Not every business needs to jump into ChatGPT Ads immediately.

Right now, the platform is best suited for businesses that already have a solid digital marketing foundation and want to test emerging advertising opportunities.

You may be a good fit if you:

• Already invest in Google Ads or paid search
• Have conversion tracking in place
• Sell products or services with longer research cycles
• Want to reach buyers earlier in the decision-making process
• Have the budget to test and optimize new advertising channels

If you're just getting started with digital marketing, your budget may generate a stronger return through established channels like Google Ads or SEO first.

That's where having a clear marketing strategy becomes important. Instead of chasing every new platform, businesses should evaluate how ChatGPT Ads fit into their broader growth goals.

Frequently Asked Questions