What you can do in Ads Manager

According to OpenAI, businesses can do the following in Ads Manager2:

  • register as an advertiser and add payment information
  • set budgets, bids and pacing
  • upload ads, then launch and manage campaigns
  • view performance in the portal

OpenAI's help center keeps an Ads Manager beta overview with current eligibility6.

Who can use it, and since when

DateAccess
Feb 9, 2026Pilot with a small group of advertisers, bought on CPM through OpenAI and partners. No self-serve.72
May 5, 2026Ads Manager beta opens to US businesses, with CPC bidding, a Conversions API and a pixel.2
Jun 22, 2026UK self-serve reported open.4
Aug 31, 2026Self-serve opens in Europe, India, the Middle East and North Africa.35
Oct 21, 2026OpenAI says advertisers in its 26 newest markets can use technology partners or Ads Manager.4

Access opened gradually after each announcement2, so check the countries enabled for your own account before planning a campaign.

Bidding: CPM or CPC

The February pilot sold impressions on CPM. Ads Manager added CPC bidding, so advertisers can pay per click, and CPM is still available2. A conversion-optimized click option (oCPC) has also been described in agency coverage8. For reported price levels, see how much ChatGPT ads cost.

Targeting

ChatGPT matches ads to the conversation, not to typed keywords. In Ads Manager, ad groups are reported to use context hints, short descriptions of the conversations an ad should appear in. Campaigns can also be restricted to the iOS app, the Android app or the web4. Country targeting follows the markets enabled for your account.

Measurement

OpenAI's Conversions API and pixel track actions such as purchases, leads and sign-ups. Advertisers get aggregated results, never individual conversations2. Users' chats, chat history, memories and personal details aren't shared with advertisers7.

AI tools and integrations added in September 2026

On September 16, 2026, OpenAI added three things910:

  • an Ads Manager plugin inside ChatGPT that creates and manages campaigns from natural-language requests
  • suggested ad copy and imagery drafted from your landing page
  • integrations that let HubSpot and Shopify users create ads and track results without leaving those tools

The same update started a US test of Sponsored Agents.

Before your first campaign: a short checklist

This is our own guidance, not OpenAI's:

  1. Install the pixel or Conversions API before you spend anything. Without it, CPC results are hard to judge.
  2. Write context hints the way a person describes a problem in a chat, not as keyword lists.
  3. Make the landing page answer the question that triggered the ad. Chat users arrive mid-task.
  4. Start on CPC if you need a hard cost per visit, and on CPM if reach is the goal.
  5. Check that your category isn't near a restricted topic such as health, mental health or politics11.