It’s no secret that Google has reigned supreme in search for a long time. It still does. But ever since OpenAI debuted ChatGPT Search in 2024 (then called SearchGPT), the service has slowly fissured the market and is, by anyone’s definition, an increasingly prominent force in online search and discovery.
The latest data from OpenAI boasts that their flagship product has over 900 million weekly active users. There’s no arguing its popularity, from content generation to conversational queries about products and services. To capitalize on its acclaim, OpenAI recently opened its self-serve Ads Manager to everyone in a beta testing phase, allowing marketers and paid search specialists to create, manage and monitor ad campaigns — just like Google Ads.
This is a massive opportunity for B2B and B2C businesses alike. Barriers to entry are few, and the Ads Manager’s interface is quite intuitive even for those unfamiliar with ads managers in general.
With the right mix of strategy, creative, optimization and management, the ROI potential of paid ads on ChatGPT is significant. Here’s what marketers need to know about ChatGPT’s new Ads Manager and how to get started.
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ChatGPT Ads Manager Features & Functions
ChatGPT’s Ads Manager is still in its beta phase, meaning OpenAI is actively testing, iterating and updating the service as they collect data. Eventually — we don’t know when just yet — it will be released in full, likely with more features and functionality than currently available.
But what’s on offer today is already more than enough for marketers and PPC specialists to dip their toes into and get campaigns running.
OpenAI’s Ads Manager allows advertisers to:
- Create campaigns through a guided setup process or via bulk uploads.
- Monitor performance metrics such as impressions, clicks and spend.
- Manage account settings, including user permissions, billing, API access and activity logs.
All of these features are housed in a pretty clean package. ChatGPT’s Ads Manager interface is as streamlined as they come, making it easy to navigate.
Audience Targeting in ChatGPT Ads
Ad targeting in ChatGPT is heavily context-based. The algorithm considers context from associated landing pages and ad creative (title, copy), and will serve it within conversations it deems most relevant. To that end, there isn’t an extraordinary amount of targeting control for account managers, but there is some — including Ad Groups and “context hints.”
Account managers can organize campaigns into groups, just as they’re used to with Google Ads, and provide additional “context hints” for those ads that describe the ideal conversations, topics or keywords they want an ad to appear for. OpenAI has advised, however, that these context hints aren’t guaranteed; rather, they’re only meant to guide ad matching. They’re definitively not exact-match keywords.
That means context hints need to suit the longer-tail, conversational queries that are common on ChatGPT, i.e., be much more descriptive and relevant to particular queries and user needs rather than too broad. Casting a wide net isn’t a viable strategy here, and having the most control comes down to designing quality ad creative that is specific and intentional.
Ad Format
ChatGPT has explicitly spelled out how every ad will look on its platform. Every ad will include a:
- Brand name.
- Logo.
- Headline.
- Product/service description (approx. 32 characters).
- Link to a landing page.
- Image asset.
There are things to play with here, but ChatGPT ads are more constrained and native, and aren’t as creatively flexible as Google Display Ads. To compensate for these constraints:
- Lead with value immediately in the headline.
- Create highly specific descriptions, preferably focusing on one benefit.
- Use a clean, recognizable image that reinforces the message.
- Align the landing page tightly with the ad promise for continuity. You can always expound further here, outside of the ad itself.
- Keep branding clear but secondary to solving the user’s problem.
Why Brands Need to Seriously Consider Running Ads on ChatGPT
Aside from ChatGPT’s more than 900 million weekly active users — a fair portion of which are bound to be your ideal customers — there are myriad reasons to get set up with its Ads Manager.
Hyper-Relevency
The conversational and context-rich nature of ChatGPT queries means that ads can go far beyond the broad match keyword strategies that marketers might be used to. Both the algorithm and context hints will work to serve ads that are almost hyper-relevant and personalized to any given session or question — and much closer to critical purchase decision moments.
Overwhelming B2B Buyer Activity
94% of B2B buyers use AI at some point in their buying journey, according to data from 6sense. Not only are buyers using AI to research and compare vendors’ offerings, but nearly 40% also use it to create their shortlists on the very first day of that process.
If your business or product doesn’t make that day one shortlist, you’ve got just a 5% chance of redemption afterward. Overwhelmingly (95% of the time), buyers are doing business with a vendor that made their day one list.
An intuitive strategy that marries effective generative engine optimization (GEO) — so you show up prominently and positively in ChatGPT’s response — and paid ads can greatly increase your chance of being seen and considered during B2B buyers’ AI-assisted purchasing journey.
I wrote about this topic in more depth if you’re keen: How Buyers Use AI for Vendor Research, Shortlisting & Decision-Making — and How To Get Cited.
Low Risk, High Reward
When paid ads first became available within ChatGPT, they were mostly unattainable for SMB businesses. Participation was locked behind exclusive partnerships, and the six-figure minimum spend was unrealistic for anything but large, established enterprises.
This self-serve beta release removes those barriers. Anyone can set up a free account and commit as much or as little spending as they like, making it more accessible and cost-effective to experiment with. Cost per thousand impressions (CPM) and cost per click (CPC) apply here, and advertisers are free to choose between the two pricing options based on campaign strategy.
How To Get Started With ChatGPT Ads
Getting set up in the Ads Manager is straightforward enough. OpenAI provides guidance here. But from a high level, here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Create an account.
- Fill in your information.
- Set up billing.
- Verify.
From there, you’ll be able to invite team members and start creating campaigns.
Final Thoughts
ChatGPT’s user base is only growing. The platform is one of the most prominent Google Search contenders in years, and its ability to deliver ads in such a conversational and context-rich format means your brand can be that much more visible at the moment buyers make decisions.
Brafton’s paid media team has been exploring and mastering ChatGPT’s Ads Manager in preparation for this exact moment. If you’re having trouble getting your account up and running, or simply prefer agency expertise to ensure everything is in place and ready to deliver high-performing campaigns, our team can help.
Need help creating and managing campaigns once your account is set up? We can support there, too — from setup and optimization to ad creative, performance tracking and account management.
