101 · 15 canons

ChatGPT ads

The product contract, creative system, targeting inputs and measurement model for advertising inside an answer interface rather than a keyword result page.

TL;DR ChatGPT ads are a distinct product with context hints, agent-aware units and its own attribution rules. Start with OpenAI's official docs, then use independent platform analysis to understand the business-model tension.

Curated by Ali Abouelatta

Cofounder of Lazyweb (a16z Speedrun). Previously grew subscriptions and built native ads at Duolingo. Writes First1000 (90,000+ subscribers).

Voices in this 101

OpenAI

Ben Thompson

Reading path 1

Understand the format

Before planning creative or budget, understand where the ad appears, what is sponsored and how OpenAI separates the ad from the answer.

01
Reimagining advertising with AI ↗
OpenAI
Builder of ChatGPT, Codex, Site Tools, workspace agents and ChatGPT ads.
TL;DR
OpenAI frames ads as a financing and discovery layer that must remain clearly labeled and separate from the model's answer.
What you'll read
The product principles, initial user experience and OpenAI's stated boundary between commercial placement and answer generation.
02
Ads in ChatGPT: the basics ↗
OpenAI
Builder of ChatGPT, Codex, Site Tools, workspace agents and ChatGPT ads.
TL;DR
The basics page is the product contract: eligibility, placements, labeling, controls and the conditions under which an ad can appear.
What you'll read
Official definitions of ChatGPT ads, supported surfaces, user controls and the distinction between an ad and an organic response.
03
Sponsored agents in ChatGPT ads ↗
OpenAI
Builder of ChatGPT, Codex, Site Tools, workspace agents and ChatGPT ads.
TL;DR
A sponsored agent is an interactive commercial experience, not a conventional display unit, so the useful action and disclosure both matter.
What you'll read
How sponsored agents are presented, what advertisers provide and how interaction differs from a link or image placement.
04
New ways to buy ChatGPT ads ↗
OpenAI
Builder of ChatGPT, Codex, Site Tools, workspace agents and ChatGPT ads.
TL;DR
OpenAI is expanding buying models and formats as the ad product matures, which makes current unit and optimization assumptions explicitly temporary.
What you'll read
The newer campaign options, advertiser workflows and the product direction beyond the initial pilot.
05
Ads in ChatGPT, and why OpenAI needs ads ↗
Ben Thompson
Author of Stratechery and analyst of platforms, aggregation and advertising.
TL;DR
Advertising can subsidize ChatGPT's mass-market use, but inserting commercial incentives into a trusted answer interface creates more product risk than adding ads to a feed.
What you'll read
An independent platform and business-model analysis of OpenAI's delayed ad turn, incentives and the comparison to Instagram.

Reading path 2

Build the campaign

ChatGPT is not a keyword auction with a chat skin. These docs explain eligibility, campaign structure, context hints and agent-shaped creative.

06
ChatGPT Ads Manager availability ↗
OpenAI
Builder of ChatGPT, Codex, Site Tools, workspace agents and ChatGPT ads.
TL;DR
Availability varies by market, account and rollout stage, so access should be verified before a media plan assumes the surface exists.
What you'll read
Current eligibility, regions, account requirements and the official route into Ads Manager.
07
Create campaigns for ChatGPT ↗
OpenAI
Builder of ChatGPT, Codex, Site Tools, workspace agents and ChatGPT ads.
TL;DR
Campaign setup establishes objective, audience, budget and delivery before creative; those choices determine what the system can optimize.
What you'll read
The campaign hierarchy, objectives, budget controls, scheduling and review flow in the current Ads Manager.
08
Create ads for ChatGPT ads ↗
OpenAI
Builder of ChatGPT, Codex, Site Tools, workspace agents and ChatGPT ads.
TL;DR
Creative must make one useful commercial next step clear while meeting format, landing-page and policy requirements.
What you'll read
The supported assets, copy fields, previews, destination rules and submission workflow.
09
Write context hints for ChatGPT ads ↗
OpenAI
Builder of ChatGPT, Codex, Site Tools, workspace agents and ChatGPT ads.
TL;DR
Context hints describe the situations where an offer is useful; they are not a hidden keyword list or permission to influence the answer.
What you'll read
How to write grounded, specific hints, examples of weak and strong context, and the boundary between relevance input and ad copy.
10
Conversion-optimized campaigns ↗
OpenAI
Builder of ChatGPT, Codex, Site Tools, workspace agents and ChatGPT ads.
TL;DR
Conversion optimization only becomes meaningful when the event is reliable, sufficiently frequent and connected to the business outcome the campaign should pursue.
What you'll read
Eligibility, event requirements, learning behavior and the controls available when optimizing toward measured actions.

Reading path 3

Measure what happened

Attribution is where an unfamiliar interface gets translated back into familiar numbers. Read the exact windows and event rules before comparing channels.

11
Measure results in ChatGPT Ads Manager ↗
OpenAI
Builder of ChatGPT, Codex, Site Tools, workspace agents and ChatGPT ads.
TL;DR
Ads Manager reports delivery and attributed outcomes under its own definitions; totals are not automatically interchangeable with analytics or backend revenue.
What you'll read
Metric definitions, reporting dimensions, attribution windows and the practical checks required when numbers disagree.
12
Conversion measurement ↗
OpenAI
Builder of ChatGPT, Codex, Site Tools, workspace agents and ChatGPT ads.
TL;DR
A useful conversion setup has a stable event, deduplication, consent and a window that matches the buying cycle.
What you'll read
The event model, implementation options, attribution logic and diagnostics for missing or duplicated conversions.
13
Advertiser guidance for OpenAI web crawlers ↗
OpenAI
Builder of ChatGPT, Codex, Site Tools, workspace agents and ChatGPT ads.
TL;DR
Ad review and destination understanding can depend on crawler access; blocking the wrong bot can break delivery without saying anything about organic inclusion.
What you'll read
Crawler identities, robots guidance, destination requirements and a clean separation between advertising access and other OpenAI crawling.
14
Troubleshoot ChatGPT ads ↗
OpenAI
Builder of ChatGPT, Codex, Site Tools, workspace agents and ChatGPT ads.
TL;DR
Diagnose approval, delivery, tracking and destination problems separately rather than treating every zero as a targeting failure.
What you'll read
The official troubleshooting tree for campaign status, creative review, crawler access, conversion events and reporting lag.
15
OpenAI ads and Amazon ads in ChatGPT ↗
Ben Thompson
Author of Stratechery and analyst of platforms, aggregation and advertising.
TL;DR
Early ad performance matters strategically because commerce data and conversion feedback can improve the marketplace even when the interface is conversational.
What you'll read
A current independent analysis of OpenAI's ad traction, Amazon's distribution problem and the relationship between ads, agents and checkout.