ChatGPT ads are here.

People aren't just asking Google anymore. They're asking ChatGPT. Do I need a lawyer after a car accident? Why is my AC blowing warm air? Who do I call about water damage? For years there was no way to buy a spot in those chats. Now there is. ChatGPT ads started showing in February 2026. Since May, any US business can run them through OpenAI's own ads manager. Here's what they are and what they cost. You'll also learn how to get in before your competitors do.

The short answer

ChatGPT ads are real, they're live in the US, and you can run them today. OpenAI started showing ads on February 9, 2026. They go to logged-in adults on ChatGPT's free and Go plans. In May, OpenAI opened a self-serve ads manager at ads.openai.com. It's the same idea as Google Ads or Facebook Ads Manager, but for ChatGPT. Hundreds of millions of people use ChatGPT every week. Almost none of your competitors run ads there yet. The people are already there. The fight over prices hasn't started.

What ChatGPT ads look like

It's one card, under the answer. Someone asks ChatGPT a question, and ChatGPT answers it. Below the answer sits a single ad in a lightly shaded box. It's clearly labeled “Sponsored.” Every ad has four parts:

• A headline of up to 50 characters.
• A short line of text of up to 100 characters.
• A square image.
• A link to the page on your website where people should land.

Two things matter here. First, there's one slot. It's not a page full of ads fighting to be seen. Second, the ad never changes the answer. OpenAI keeps the two apart. It's like how a sponsored result sits above the regular results on Google. Say someone asks “what should I do after a rear-end accident in California.” ChatGPT walks them through it. Your firm's card can be the only business they see. The same goes for “my ceiling has a brown water stain” and your restoration company.

There's also a product feed option. Stores upload their whole list of products, and ChatGPT builds the ads on its own. That's useful for stores, not for service businesses. For a firm or a local shop, the single card is the one that matters.

How the targeting works

This is the strangest part if you're used to Google Ads: there are no keywords. You don't bid on “personal injury lawyer near me.” ChatGPT matches your ad to the chat itself. It looks at what the person is asking right now and what they've asked before. It also uses what ChatGPT remembers about them. That means a computer picks who sees your ad. The same change has been happening inside Google Ads for years. There, AI already runs the bidding and matching in PPC.

What you control is a short written note called a context hint. In a sentence or two, you tell the system which chats you want: “people asking about car accident injuries, insurance claims, or whether they need a lawyer in Orange County.” Or: “homeowners asking why their AC is blowing warm air in Riverside.” That's how you pick who sees your ad. It feels less like a list of bids and more like telling a person who your customer is. If you've read our law firm marketing plan, you've already done this work.

A few limits are worth knowing. ChatGPT ads never show:

• To anyone under 18.
• In chats about health, mental health, or politics.
• To people on paid ChatGPT plans. They see no ads at all.

What ChatGPT ads cost

Daily budgets start around $25, and clicks have been running about $2 to $5. Now compare that to Google. There, a single click on a personal injury keyword can cost $100 to $500. Even a plumber or electrician click often costs $30 to $80. On ChatGPT, you can reach the same person for a few dollars. And they're often asking a longer, more honest version of the same question.

Why so cheap? The platform is new, and almost nobody is bidding. That never lasts. Facebook clicks cost pennies in 2010. Google clicks were cheap in 2005. The businesses that showed up early got years of low-cost customers. Everyone else waited for proof. OpenAI also gives you a tracking pixel, like Google and Meta do. It's a small piece of code that lets you count the calls and form fills your ads bring in. Counting is the part most failed ad campaigns skip.

How to start

There are two ways to do this. You can reach out, and we'll set it all up for you. This is the work we do every day. Or maybe you're just starting out and finding your first clients yourself. If so, here's the do-it-yourself version. It will feel familiar if you've ever used Google Ads or Facebook Ads Manager:

1. Create the account. You'll need your legal business name, tax ID, and a payment method at ads.openai.com.
2. Build a campaign. Pick a goal (clicks, conversions, or reach). Set a daily budget. Choose your dates.
3. Write your context hints. Describe the chats you want. Include your city or service area.
4. Make the ad. Add a headline up to 50 characters and a line of text up to 100. Add a square image. Then pick the page on your site where people should land.
5. Add the tracking pixel to your website so every call and form fill gets counted.

One note on who can run ads. OpenAI blocks some types of business. These include adult content, alcohol, tobacco, financial services, and gambling. Legal services and home services are allowed. Law firms, electricians, plumbers, and restoration companies can all run ads.

Should you get in early?

Honest answer: yes, with a small budget and fair hopes. Early tests across the industry show people click less and buy less than they do from Google search ads. That makes sense. Someone chatting through a problem isn't always ready to hire today. So don't move your Google or LSA budget. Add a small test on top. A simple first test looks like this:

• Keep your Google Ads and LSA budget where it is.
• Spend $25 to $50 a day on one ChatGPT ads campaign.
• Use your best two or three context hints.
• Add the tracking pixel so every call and form fill from your ads gets counted.

Say you spend $30 a day and clicks cost $3. That's about 10 clicks a day, or around 300 in a month, for about $900.

That test buys you two things: price and position. Price matters because clicks this cheap won't stay this cheap. These are people describing your exact problem. Position matters because the first firm or shop in a market to learn a new channel keeps that lead for years. You'll know which chats bring in calls. Your competitors will still be asking if ChatGPT ads are real.

And remember, the ad is only the paid way in. The free way is to be the business ChatGPT names inside the answer itself. That's what GEO and AEO are about. They cost work instead of money. The best plan is to do both. Earn the mention, and own the card under it.

Either way, treat month one as a test, not a final answer. Read the numbers. Keep the context hints that brought in calls. Cut the ones that didn't. Then improve it month after month. It's the same cycle we run on every channel that works.

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