Ads announced
OpenAI announces a test for logged-in US adults on the Free and Go plans.
NEWChatGPT Ads management, nationwide
Be the ad they see when they ask ChatGPT for local businesses.
More than a billion people ask ChatGPT questions every week, and since May 2026 businesses can place ads right below its answers. Media Spearhead was among the first agencies to build a ChatGPT Ads management service for local service businesses. We set up and verify your account, target the conversations your customers are having, track every call and form, and optimize every week, right alongside your Google Ads.
- Google Premier Partner
- All 50 states
- Month-to-month
- English & Spanish
Example ad
AI chatFREE PLAN
Water is pooling under my water heater in Dallas. Is it an emergency, and should I repair it or replace it?
Here's how to think about it:
- Turn off the water supply and the power or gas to the heater.
- A leak from the tank itself usually means replacement.
- Leaks from valves or fittings are often a repair.
- Ask for an itemized quote that includes haul-away and permits.
T
Ads sit below the answer. They never change it.
Who fixes a leaking water heater today?Is this roof damage covered by insurance?How much does AC repair cost?Do I need a lawyer after a car accident?Best body shop that works with my insuranceWhy is my breaker tripping?How do I get rid of termites?Who mounts TVs this weekend?Who fixes a leaking water heater today?Is this roof damage covered by insurance?How much does AC repair cost?Do I need a lawyer after a car accident?Best body shop that works with my insuranceWhy is my breaker tripping?How do I get rid of termites?Who mounts TVs this weekend?
Tankless or tank water heater?Is it worth repairing a 15-year-old furnace?How long does collision repair take?Who cleans carpets after a flood?What does a dental implant cost?Moving company for a one-bedroomDo I need a permit for a fence?Who does emergency lockouts at night?Tankless or tank water heater?Is it worth repairing a 15-year-old furnace?How long does collision repair take?Who cleans carpets after a flood?What does a dental implant cost?Moving company for a one-bedroomDo I need a permit for a fence?Who does emergency lockouts at night?
1.2Bpeople reach ChatGPT every week
89countries where ChatGPT Ads run
100K+advertisers have run campaigns since launch
$25minimum daily budget per campaign
Figures from OpenAI (October 5, 2026; Ads Manager help center) and Reuters (October 21, 2026). Sources
How it works
What are ChatGPT Ads, and where do they show?
ChatGPT Ads are sponsored units that appear below a ChatGPT response, clearly labeled and separate from the answer, shown to logged-in adults on the Free and Go plans. Businesses buy them in OpenAI's Ads Manager, which opened to US advertisers on May 5, 2026.
01 · The question
Your customer asks ChatGPT about a problem.
Not a keyword: a real question, with the city, the symptom and the urgency. OpenAI picks an ad by the context and intent of the conversation, the ad and its landing page, your bid and the person's general location.
02 · The answer
ChatGPT answers. Ads never change that answer.
OpenAI says ads do not influence what ChatGPT answers, and advertisers never see chats, names or precise location. Being named inside the answer is a separate job: answer engine optimization, which we also run.
03 · The ad
Your ad appears right below, labeled Sponsored.
A name, icon, title, description and a button like Book Now, targeted by US state, DMA or ZIP code. You bid for views (CPM) or clicks (CPC) and guide matching with context hints.
04 · The lead
The call or form lands, and we count it.
OpenAI's pixel and Conversions API, UTM tags and call tracking on the landing page put every ChatGPT lead next to your Google Ads leads, so cost per lead is a real number, not a guess.
Check your industry
Can my business advertise on ChatGPT?
Most local service businesses can. OpenAI's ad policies primarily allow local services, review health and finance case by case in the US, allow legal services only where the firm is licensed, and prohibit some categories outright. Tap your industry.
Summary of OpenAI's ad policies (updated September 10, 2026). OpenAI makes the final call on every account and ad.
Try it
Build your ChatGPT ad in ten seconds.
A ChatGPT ad has an advertiser name, a small icon, a title, a short description and a landing page. Type yours and watch it build, with the kinds of conversations we would target.
Live preview
…
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Conversations we would target (example context hints)
Budget explorer
How many clicks can my budget buy on ChatGPT?
OpenAI suggests starting click bids around $3 to $5, with a $25 minimum daily budget per campaign. Drag the sliders to see what that buys, and what it could mean in leads at your own conversion rate.
$1,520average monthly ad spend
10–17clicks a day at $3 to $5 a click
304–507clicks a month
24–41leads a month at your conversion rate
A planning estimate from OpenAI's suggested starting bid range, not a forecast. Real costs depend on your market, your ad and competition. OpenAI treats daily budgets as averages, so a single day can spend up to twice the daily amount.
Drag to compare
How are ChatGPT Ads different from Google Ads?
Google Ads reach people searching for a service right now. ChatGPT Ads reach people earlier, while they are still asking questions and comparing options. The best plans for local businesses run both under one strategy.
Where the ad shows
Above and below Google search results, in Maps and across Google's network.
What triggers it
Keywords the person types into Google.
Customer mindset
Ready to call: "emergency plumber near me".
Local targeting
Radius, city, ZIP code and more.
How you pay
Mostly per click, with automated bidding.
Tracking
Google tag, call tracking and offline conversions.
Where the ad shows
Below a ChatGPT answer, labeled Sponsored, on the Free and Go plans.
What triggers it
The context and intent of the conversation, guided by your context hints.
Customer mindset
Still deciding: asking what's wrong, what it costs and who to trust.
Local targeting
US state, DMA or ZIP code, plus device.
How you pay
Per view (CPM) or per click (CPC); $25 a day minimum per campaign.
Tracking
OpenAI pixel, Conversions API and UTM tags, plus call tracking on the landing page.
Drag the handle (or use the arrow keys) to swap between the two.Tap Google Ads or ChatGPT Ads to switch.
2026, month by month
How did ChatGPT Ads get here so fast?
From a US test in February to more than 100,000 advertisers and 89 countries by October 2026. The tools for local businesses arrived in May.
US testing begins
The first ads run below answers, with large brand advertisers.
Self-serve for every business
Ads Manager opens to US advertisers, with click bidding, a pixel and a Conversions API.
Local targeting
Daily budgets and US state, DMA and ZIP code targeting, plus tests of "Book Now" style buttons.
$1B run rate
OpenAI reports a $1 billion annualized run rate in under 200 days, with small businesses a material share.
Sponsored Agents
A US test lets people chat with a business's own labeled agent after clicking an ad.
Measurement partners
A visual ad format test, 20 measurement partners and negative phrases.
89 countries
26 more countries, and more than 100,000 advertisers since launch.
ChatGPT Ads management
What does Media Spearhead do in your ChatGPT Ads account?
Everything from verification to weekly optimization, in your own Ads Manager account, measured in calls and booked jobs.
Account setup and verification
OpenAI requires your business to create the account and invite us, and verification can take up to seven business days. We walk you through it on one short call, then set the name, logo and billing so ads can serve.
Landing pages OpenAI can approve
The ad and the page must promote the same offer, and OpenAI's ad checker (OAI-AdsBot) must be able to read the page. We build or fix the page and make sure your firewall and robots.txt let it in.
Hints, geography, negatives
Context hints for every service, the states, DMAs or ZIP codes you serve, and negative phrases to keep spend off the wrong chats.
Ads that read like help
Titles and descriptions written for people mid-conversation, with buttons like Book Now where OpenAI offers them.
Every call and form tracked
Pixel, Conversions API, UTM tags and call tracking, side by side with your Google Ads leads.
Weekly optimization and a plain-English report
Bids, budgets, hints and ads adjusted every week, with cost per lead compared directly against Google Ads, so you know where the next dollar should go.
Why us
Why choose Media Spearhead for ChatGPT Ads?
Because we already run the two things ChatGPT Ads sit between: paid search as a Google Premier Partner, and answer engine optimization, the work of getting named inside AI answers.
Early
Among the first, nationwide
We were among the first agencies to offer ChatGPT Ads management to local service businesses, in all 50 states, in English and Spanish.
Top 3%
Google Premier Partner
The tracking, testing and cost-per-lead discipline that makes Google Ads profitable is exactly what a new ad platform needs.
AEO
We know how ChatGPT answers
Our AEO work gets businesses named inside ChatGPT's answers, and AI assistants are our own biggest source of new clients. Ads plus AEO: in the answer and below it.
0
Long-term contracts
Month-to-month. Your ChatGPT Ads account, data and landing pages stay yours, and ad spend is billed to your card by OpenAI.
Questions
ChatGPT Ads, answered.
What are ChatGPT Ads?
ChatGPT Ads are paid placements from OpenAI that appear below a ChatGPT response, clearly labeled as sponsored and kept separate from the answer. Businesses buy them in OpenAI's Ads Manager, which opened to US advertisers on May 5, 2026, and they are shown to logged-in adults on ChatGPT's Free and Go plans.
Do ChatGPT Ads change what ChatGPT recommends?
No. OpenAI says ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives. The ad appears below the response as a separate, labeled unit. Getting named inside the answer itself is answer engine optimization (AEO), which we also run.
Can a local service business advertise on ChatGPT?
Yes. OpenAI lists local services among the categories it primarily allows, and US campaigns can target by state, DMA or ZIP code. Some categories are case by case (such as dental or insurance), legal services must be licensed where the ad shows, and some are not allowed at all, such as housing rentals and sales.
How much do ChatGPT Ads cost?
You set the budget. OpenAI requires at least $25 a day per campaign, and suggests starting click bids around $3 to $5. Ad spend is billed by OpenAI to your card. Our management fee is quoted on a free strategy call, and every plan is month-to-month.
How do you track leads from ChatGPT Ads?
With OpenAI's pixel and Conversions API, UTM tags on every ad, and call and form tracking on the landing page, so a phone call from a ChatGPT ad is counted as a lead just like one from Google Ads.
Who owns the ChatGPT Ads account?
You do. OpenAI requires the business to create its own advertiser account and invite the agency, and verification can take up to seven business days. We walk you through it on a short call.
Should I run ChatGPT Ads instead of Google Ads?
For most local businesses, alongside, not instead. Google Ads catches people searching for a service right now; ChatGPT Ads reach people while they are still asking questions and comparing options. We run both under one strategy so they do not compete for the same budget.
Is Media Spearhead affiliated with OpenAI?
No. Media Spearhead is an independent agency and Google Premier Partner. We manage ChatGPT Ads in our clients' own OpenAI Ads Manager accounts, following OpenAI's published policies.
Be early
Be the business they see when they ask ChatGPT.
ChatGPT Ads are new, and new ad platforms usually start with fewer competitors bidding. Book a free call and we'll tell you whether your industry is eligible, what a starting budget looks like and how we'd track every lead.
Sources. OpenAI, our approach to advertising (Jan 16, 2026) · OpenAI Help, ads in ChatGPT · OpenAI, new ways to buy ChatGPT Ads (May 5, 2026) · Search Engine Roundtable, Ads Manager updates (May 2026) · OpenAI Help, budgets and targeting · OpenAI Help, ads, bidding and measurement · OpenAI Help, accounts and verification · OpenAI Help, allowing OAI-AdsBot · OpenAI ad policies (Sep 10, 2026) · OpenAI, expanding access (Aug 31, 2026) · OpenAI, Sponsored Agents (Sep 16, 2026) · OpenAI, new format and measurement (Oct 5, 2026) · Reuters via The Star, 26 more countries (Oct 21, 2026). Media Spearhead is an independent agency and is not affiliated with OpenAI. ChatGPT is a trademark of OpenAI. Example ads on this page use made-up businesses.