ChatGPT Ads: the guide to advertising in ChatGPT (2026)
ChatGPT Ads is OpenAI's advertising network: it displays sponsored ads under ChatGPT's responses, to users of Free and Go offers. Available in France since late August 2026, it operates on a self-service basis via OpenAI's Ads Manager, with targeting based on conversation context and billing per click or impression. It's a new channel to test methodically, in addition to SEA.
In brief
Ads appear under responses, marked as sponsored, for Free and Go accounts.
In Europe, targeting is based on the conversation context, without user history or memory.
Three objectives: reach (CPM), clicks (CPC) and conversions (oCPC, billed per click), with no minimum budget.
The structure and management are similar to SEA, tracking requires particular attention.
ChatGPT Ads in France: what you need to know
OpenAI has extended its advertising network to 31 European markets, including France, in August 2026. Ads are reserved for users of Free and Go offers. Plus, Pro and Enterprise subscriptions remain ad-free (OpenAI).
Since 31 August 2026, French advertisers can create their campaigns themselves in Ads Manager, with no minimum budget. During the pilot phase, access was via OpenAI or large agency groups, with high budget commitments (Moderator's Blog).
Formats, targeting and bidding: how it works
The format. The ad appears below the assistant's response, clearly separated from the generated text and marked as sponsored. OpenAI states that advertising does not influence ChatGPT's responses and that conversations are not shared with advertisers (OpenAI).
The targeting. In Europe, ads are not personalised at this stage. They are chosen according to the current conversation topic, general location and device type, without exploiting user history or memory (Moderator's Blog). Specifically, the advertiser describes the conversations they want to reach with "contextual clues", rather than keywords.
The bidding. Three objectives: reach, billed per CPM; clicks, billed per CPC; and since summer 2026, conversions (oCPC). In the latter case, the platform seeks the clicks most likely to convert, but billing remains per click. The daily budget is now an average over seven days: spending varies from day to day, up to seven times this budget over the week. Measurement is done via the OpenAI pixel and the conversions API.
The structure. A familiar logic is found: campaign, ad group, ad.
The reporting. Advertisers see neither the conversations that triggered the ad, nor an equivalent to Google Ads' search term report. Diagnosis is therefore done by ad group: each carries a clear hypothesis (an offer, a need, a page), which is kept or cut depending on the results.
ChatGPT Ads vs Google Ads
Criterion
Google Ads (Search)
ChatGPT Ads
Contact moment
A precise search
A conversation, often in an exploration phase
Targeting
Keywords and audiences
Contextual clues, location and device
Bidding
CPC, CPA, ROAS, automated strategies
CPM, CPC or oCPC (optimised conversion, billed per click)
Measurement
Mature: GA4, offline conversions, CRM
Pixel and Conversions API, without native CRM connector
Maturity
Established channel, strong competition
New channel, few advertisers, still limited data
The right approach: treat ChatGPT Ads as a complementary channel in your acquisition strategy. Google Ads captures an expressed demand. ChatGPT Ads reaches the prospect earlier, when they are comparing and gathering information.
For which companies is the channel relevant
ChatGPT Ads makes perfect sense if your buyers are already using AI assistants to gather information and compare. This is the case for considered purchases: software, services, training, e-commerce with strong comparison.
The point of caution in B2B. Ads are only displayed to Free and Go accounts. Your most equipped buyers, on Plus, Business or Enterprise, do not see them. The channel better reaches freelancers, SMEs and decision-makers in the exploration phase than large accounts already equipped. It should therefore be approached as a test, with a dedicated budget and success criteria defined in advance.
Criterion
Relevant channel
Less suitable channel
Audience
Large: general public, freelancers, SMEs
Narrow, or buyers mostly on paid plans (Plus, Business, Enterprise)
Buyer journey
Comparison, exploration, choice between several options
Highly structured purchase, without a measurable intermediate step
Measurement
A frequent conversion: form, registration, purchase
A conversion taking several months, without an intermediate signal
Offer
Several distinct offers, each with its dedicated page
A single generic page
Launch a first campaign in 4 steps
Galadrim Method
Launch a first campaign in 4 steps
Ensure reliable tracking before launch. Pixel, Conversion API, qualified lead reporting: without proper data, management quickly becomes approximate.
Start with your most qualified offers, those with the best conversion rate in SEA.
Write precise context clues, then progressively broaden them according to observed diffusion.
Measure beyond the click : qualified leads, opportunities and revenue, compared to your other channels, at each stage of your sales funnel.
The checklist before launching
End-to-end tracking tested. Pixel and Conversion API installed, a test conversion verified in the Ads Manager, in your analytics tool and in the CRM.
UTM on each URL. Source, campaign and ad group are reported with each lead, to judge quality and not just volume.
One page per intention. Each ad group links to the page that meets its need, never to the home page.
OpenAI robots authorised. OAI-SearchBot and OAI-AdsBot must not be blocked in your robots.txt.
Truly different adverts. A quantified result, a use case, a proof: distinct reasons to click, rather than variations of synonyms.
Written stop rules. Maximum test budget, minimum volume before decision, acceptable cost per lead and lead quality criterion.
Feedback: what we've learned at Galadrim
Official OpenAI partner, Galadrim designs products daily based on its models. We launched our first ChatGPT Ads campaigns a few days after self-service opened in France. Four lessons learned from our first weeks.
SEA is a good starting point. Structure, setup and analysis follow a similar logic. Messages and angles that work in Google Ads are reusable, which speeds up launch.
Tracking requires careful verification. At the start, reporting via the Conversion API counted more events than the reality. We corrected this before interpreting the results.
The conversion objective is premature on a new account. Lack of sufficient data made conversion optimisation difficult to manage. After a few weeks of observation, we switched to a click objective with a ceiling, a new structure and broader context clues, while remaining on qualified subjects.
Start narrow, then broaden. We first advertised our most qualified services (mobile applications, AI, business software), before opening up all our offers.
ChatGPT Ads and GEO: two ways to be visible in AI
ChatGPT Ads buys a space below the answer. GEO works on the answer itself: ensuring that AI cites your brand when a prospect asks it for advice. Advertising provides immediate visibility, GEO builds a lasting presence.
Paying for the placement does not ensure the brand is cited. According to a SE Ranking study covering 50,006 commercial prompts, the advertiser's domain is cited among the sources in the answer for only 3.6% of placements. The two levers complement each other: the advert captures attention below the answer, GEO brings the brand into the answer.
GEO results are also measurable. Galadrim accompanied Orki, SaaS publisher of carbon assessments: the proportion of AI answers citing the brand increased from 8.7% to 43% in four months. We also accompanied Puncto, payroll software publisher, whose visibility on Claude doubled in two months. To combine the two levers, discover our GEO approach.
4 key takeaways
ChatGPT Ads is open for self-service in France, without a minimum budget.
Targeting is contextual : conversations are described, rather than keywords.
Tracking is the first project, before any optimisation.
It's a channel to test methodically, in addition to SEA and GEO.
Conclusion
ChatGPT Ads opens up a new space to reach your prospects during their research phase. The channel is young: it rewards advertisers who test early, with reliable tracking and clear success criteria. Do you want to structure an initial test? Let's talk.
About Galadrim. Galadrim is a marketing 3.0 agency : dedicated marketing experts, supported by 150 AI, data, and tech engineers, official partners of OpenAI, Anthropic, and Salesforce. We manage your SEO, your Ads campaigns, your GEO and your AI automations, with one objective: your leads and sales.
FAQ
How much does a ChatGPT Ads campaign cost?
There is no minimum budget for self-service. You pay per thousand impressions (CPM) for reach objective, and per click for click (CPC) and conversion (oCPC) objectives. The daily budget is an average over seven days. The real cost depends on competition for your topics, which is still low on this recent channel.
Do adverts influence ChatGPT's answers?
No, according to OpenAI: ads are displayed separately, marked as sponsored, and do not influence the content of the responses. Conversations are not shared with advertisers.
Who sees the ads in ChatGPT?
Users of Free and Go plans. Plus, Pro, and Enterprise subscribers do not see them.
How to measure conversions?
With the OpenAI pixel and the conversions API. There is not yet a native CRM connector: to link campaigns to qualified leads and revenue, you need to plan your own data upload.
Do you want support to launch your digital project?
