OpenAI Ads Manager: How to set up your first ChatGPT ad campaign

The ChatGPT Ads Manager is OpenAI’s self-serve platform for buying ads inside ChatGPT. It opened to all US advertisers in May 2026 at ads.openai.com. You can register, set up billing, create campaigns with CPC or CPM bidding, and track conversions, all without going through an agency.

But the setup process has a few traps that can cost you time and flexibility. Account settings like your country, currency, and timezone are locked after you confirm them. Verification can take days because of signup volume. And negative keywords are capped at 25, so you need to be strategic from the start.

This guide walks you through every step, from registration to launching your first campaign, with the mistakes to avoid along the way.

Key Takeaways

• The ChatGPT Ads Manager at ads.openai.com is now open to all US advertisers (launched May 2026)
• Setup takes 4 steps: business details, account configuration, identity verification via Persona, and billing
• Account settings (country, currency, timezone) cannot be changed after confirmation, so choose carefully
• You need a $50,000 minimum spend commitment and a business entity with tax ID
• CPC bidding ($3-5/click recommended) is available alongside CPM ($25 average), plus a tracking pixel for conversions

What is the ChatGPT Ads Manager?

The ChatGPT Ads Manager is the self-serve advertising platform OpenAI launched in May 2026. It’s where you create, manage, and measure ad campaigns that appear inside ChatGPT conversations.

Before May 2026, the only way to run ChatGPT ads was through agency partners like Dentsu, Omnicom, Publicis, or WPP. That meant minimum spends north of $250,000 and zero hands-on control. The self-serve Ads Manager changed that. Now any US advertiser with a verified business can access the platform directly.

Here’s what you can do inside the ChatGPT Ads Manager:

• Create campaigns with Reach (CPM) or Clicks (CPC) objectives
• Set daily budgets and maximum bids
• Upload ad creative (40-character headlines, 150-character descriptions)
• Install a tracking pixel for conversion measurement
• View performance reports (impressions, clicks, conversions)
• Manage billing and pacing

If you’ve used Meta Ads Manager or Google Ads, the interface will feel familiar, though simpler. There are fewer targeting levers because ChatGPT uses conversational intent rather than audience profiles. For background on how OpenAI built this ad platform and what the early results looked like, see our breakdown of ChatGPT ads from launch day.

For a broader overview of how ChatGPT advertising works, costs, and who it’s for, see our complete guide to ChatGPT advertising.

Before you start: Requirements checklist

Don’t create your account until you have everything ready. Going in unprepared means getting stuck mid-setup or, worse, locking in wrong settings you can’t change.

What you need:

• Valid business entity (LLC, Corp, sole proprietorship with EIN)
• Tax ID / EIN
• Verified business address
• Government-issued ID for the authorized representative
• Credit card for billing
• $50,000 minimum spend commitment
• An OpenAI account (you can create one during signup if needed)

Your business must be in an approved category. Currently approved: consumer goods, lifestyle, household products, local services, travel, digital products, and education. Excluded: dating, health claims, alcohol, tobacco, healthcare, financial services, gambling, and political content.

Jenna runs a DTC skincare brand out of Nashville. She got excited when the self-serve platform launched, created her OpenAI account, and jumped straight into the Ads Manager. Halfway through, she realized she didn’t have her EIN handy, and the verification step needed her passport, not her driver’s license. She had to pause, find her documents, and restart. The whole thing took three days instead of thirty minutes. Save yourself the hassle: gather everything first.

Step-by-step: Setting up your ChatGPT ads account

Step 1: Register and enter business details

Go to ads.openai.com and click to begin the sign-up flow. If you don’t have an OpenAI account, you’ll create one as part of the process.

The first screen asks for:

• Advertiser type: Business or Individual
• Whether you operate as an agency on behalf of clients (this affects your account structure)
• Business name and contact details

Fill these in carefully. The advertiser type determines what verification steps come next.

Step 2: Configure account settings

This is the step most people rush through, and it’s the one that matters most.

You’ll set three things:

1. Country (billing country)
2. Currency (what you’ll be billed in)
3. Timezone (for reporting and campaign scheduling)

These settings cannot be changed after you confirm. If you pick the wrong timezone, your campaign schedule will be off permanently. If you choose the wrong currency, you’re stuck with it. OpenAI warns about this in the setup flow, but it’s easy to click past.

Take 30 seconds. Triple-check your selections. This is the one part of the ChatGPT Ads Manager setup where a mistake is permanent.

Step 3: Verify your identity through Persona

OpenAI uses Persona for identity verification, the same provider used by Coinbase, Robinhood, and Square. You’ll be redirected to Persona’s verification flow.

What to expect:

• Upload a government-issued photo ID
• Complete a selfie check (liveness verification)
• Business verification against public records

Important timing note: OpenAI warns that “due to a high volume of signups, verification may take some time.” Plan for 2-5 business days, not same-day approval. If you’re targeting a specific launch date, start the verification process at least a week early.

Step 4: Set up billing

Once verified, you’ll create a billing profile:

• Business name and address (must match your verified entity)
• Invoice delivery email (used for invoicing and finance communications)
• Credit card details and billing address

The $50,000 minimum spend commitment applies to your account, not per campaign. You can spread it across multiple campaigns and timeframes.

Step 5: Wait for account review

After billing is set up, your account goes through a final review by OpenAI. This is separate from the Persona identity check, it’s a policy compliance review to confirm your business category is approved.

While you wait, use the time productively:

• Draft ad creative variations (you’ll need 40-character headlines and 150-character descriptions)
• Prepare your landing pages for ChatGPT traffic
• Install the ChatGPT Pixel code on your website (you’ll receive it after approval)

Need help creating ChatGPT ad copy fast? Simplified’s AI Writer can generate dozens of headline and description variations that fit the character limits. Test different angles before your account goes live.

Bonus: How to Use ChatGPT: Full Guide to Using Its Core and Advanced Features

Creating your first ChatGPT ad campaign

Once your account is approved, you can create your first campaign. Here’s what each step involves.

Choose your objective

Two options:

• Reach (CPM): You pay per thousand impressions. Best for brand awareness. Default max bid is $60 CPM, though actual rates average around $25.
• Clicks (CPC): You pay per click. Best for driving traffic and conversions. OpenAI recommends a starting bid of $3-5 per click.

If you’re new to the ChatGPT Ads Manager, start with CPC. You only pay when someone actually clicks, which gives you cleaner data on what’s working and limits your downside while you learn the platform.

Set your budget and bid

Set a daily budget and a maximum bid for your chosen objective. The system runs a relevance-weighted second-price auction, so you’ll often pay less than your max bid.

Start conservative. You can always increase spend once you see what converts.

Build your ad creative

ChatGPT ad creative is simple by design:

• Headline: 40 characters max
• Description: 150 characters max
• Destination URL: Where clicks go

That’s it. No images. No video. Not even carousel. Just text that needs to be clear, specific, and relevant to conversations.

Tips for writing ChatGPT ad creative:

• Write for conversation, not search. Your ad appears inside a chat, not on a results page.
• Be specific about what you offer. “Project management for creative teams” beats “Great software.”
• Include a clear benefit. “Save 5 hours/week” is better than “Try our tool.”
• Test multiple variations. Even small wording changes affect click-through rates.

An AI ads generator can help you produce dozens of variations within the character limits quickly, so you can test and find winners faster.

Install the ChatGPT Pixel

The ChatGPT Pixel is a JavaScript snippet you install on your website’s conversion pages (checkout confirmation, form submissions, demo requests). It works similarly to the Meta Pixel or Google Ads conversion tag.

Place it before the closing </head> tag on the relevant pages. You’ll receive the pixel code in your Ads Manager dashboard after account approval.

OpenAI also offers a Conversions API for server-side tracking, which is useful if you need to track conversions that happen outside the browser (phone calls, offline purchases, CRM events). See OpenAI’s Ads Manager documentation for the latest technical specs.

Launch and monitor

Hit launch. Then watch your Ads Manager dashboard for:

• Impressions: How often your ad is shown
• Clicks: How many people click through
• CTR: Click-through rate
• Conversions: Actions tracked by your pixel
• Spend: How much you’ve spent against your budget

Give campaigns at least 3-5 days before making changes. The auction system needs time to find the right conversations for your ads.

ChatGPT Ads Manager tips and common mistakes

Daniel, a marketing director at a mid-size SaaS company, launched his first ChatGPT campaign on day one of getting approved. He set his timezone to UTC instead of Eastern, wrote one headline, set his bid at $10 CPC (double the recommended range), and pointed traffic to his homepage. After spending $2,400 in two days with three conversions, he paused everything and started over. Here’s what he learned, and what you should know from the start.

Don’t rush account settings. Country, currency, and timezone are permanent. UTC reporting when your team works Eastern time is a daily headache.

Start with CPC, not CPM. CPC gives you direct performance data. CPM is better once you understand what works and want to scale reach.

Write for conversation, not search. People see your ad inside a chat about their specific problem. Generic “Learn More” copy gets ignored. Speak to the conversation.

Negative keywords are capped at 25. Unlike Google Ads where you can add hundreds, the ChatGPT Ads Manager limits you to 25 negative keywords. Be strategic. Focus on your highest-waste queries.

Build conversational landing pages. Traffic from ChatGPT arrives with high intent but expects a conversational experience. Dense corporate landing pages with stock photos feel jarring. Match the tone of the conversation they came from.

Test creative aggressively. With only 40 characters for a headline, small wording changes make a big difference. Run 5-10 variations from the start.

FAQ

How long does ChatGPT Ads Manager account setup take?

The registration form takes 10-15 minutes if you have all your documents ready. Identity verification through Persona can take 2-5 business days due to high signup volume. The full process from registration to live campaign typically takes 5-10 business days.

Is the ChatGPT Ads Manager free to use?

The platform itself is free to access. You pay only for the ads you run. However, there’s a $50,000 minimum spend commitment to maintain an active account.

Can I change my ChatGPT Ads Manager account settings after setup?

No. Your country, currency, and timezone are locked after you confirm them during setup. This is the most important thing to get right during registration.

What’s the minimum budget for a ChatGPT ad campaign?

The minimum spend commitment is $50,000 for your account overall. Individual campaigns can have smaller daily budgets, but your total account spend must reach $50,000.

How is the ChatGPT Ads Manager different from Google Ads?

The ChatGPT Ads Manager is simpler. There are no keyword targeting options, no audience segments, no display network. You set an objective (Reach or Clicks), write text ads (40-char headline, 150-char description), set a bid, and the system matches your ads to relevant conversations. Negative keywords exist but are capped at 25. The targeting is entirely context-based.

Get your first ChatGPT campaign right

The ChatGPT Ads Manager is new, and getting in early matters. The advertisers who learn this platform now, while competition is low and CPCs are reasonable, will have a real advantage when the channel matures.

The setup process is straightforward if you prepare. Gather your documents, triple-check your account settings (they’re permanent), and use your verification wait time to draft creative and prepare landing pages.

Start with CPC bidding at $3-5 per click, test multiple ad variations, and give your campaigns a few days to find their footing. This is a different kind of ad platform, and the brands that treat it as a new channel to learn, rather than another place to copy-paste their Google Ads, will see the best results.