How to create a ChatGPT Ads account
This guide explains how access to OpenAI’s Ads Manager works today, how to sign up and verify your business, and how to prepare if self-serve access isn’t open to you yet.
ChatGPT ads are sponsored placements that appear below a ChatGPT answer when an ad is relevant to the conversation. They are labeled as sponsored and kept visually separate from the answer, and OpenAI says ads do not influence what ChatGPT says. Advertisers get aggregated performance data, never conversations.
OpenAI runs ads through Ads Manager Beta at ads.openai.com. After a pilot from February through April 2026, OpenAI began opening self-serve onboarding gradually. The product is still labeled beta, and OpenAI says it will keep changing.
Ads show to users on the Free and Go plans. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans are ad-free, and accounts that OpenAI knows or predicts belong to someone under 18 don’t see ads. Countries are being added on a rolling basis.
Confirm your business can advertise
Read OpenAI’s ad policies before you sign up. Some categories are prohibited, including adult content, gambling, alcohol and tobacco, recreational drugs, political ads, cryptocurrency, credit repair and debt relief, and prescription medical products.
Other categories are restricted by country or to approved advertisers. Health, financial services and legal services have detailed rules that differ inside and outside the US. OpenAI notes that a licensed business is not automatically eligible for every category or market.
Check that you're in a supported country
OpenAI’s FAQ says businesses in supported countries can sign up at ads.openai.com, and businesses elsewhere can register interest through the OpenAI Advertisers Interest Form. The country list has grown several times during 2026, so check OpenAI’s current availability information rather than an older article.
OpenAI also says some new self-serve accounts can advertise only in their home country until identity verification is approved and they reach a required spend level.
As of late October 2026, OpenAI’s Ads Manager availability page lists self-serve access in dozens of countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The legal entity that advertises and gets billed must be based in an available country.
Sign up for Ads Manager Beta
Go to ads.openai.com and follow the sign-up flow. Sign in with an OpenAI account tied to your work email, or create one along the way.
One person, the account owner, should create the advertiser account for the business. If you manage several advertisers, such as an agency with multiple clients, OpenAI says each advertiser needs its own account.
Choose settings you can't change later
During setup you confirm the account timezone, currency, business country and onboarding details such as industry, advertiser type and agency status. OpenAI says these currently can’t be edited after the account is created.
Set the timezone you report in and the currency you bill in. Budget weeks and reports follow the account timezone, and minimum budgets depend on the currency.
Watch outBecause these fields can't be edited, a wrong currency or business country is hard to fix later, so check them twice.
Add your account name and logo
Go to Settings, then Account info, and confirm the Account name and Logo. OpenAI says ads will not serve until this step is complete.
Use the name customers know you by and a clear logo. OpenAI’s developer documentation notes that changing account branding later can start a new brand review, which can pause delivery while it runs.
Set up billing
Create a billing profile with your business name, business address and an invoice delivery email, then add a credit card and billing address. Campaigns can’t deliver until billing is complete.
Adding a card may trigger a temporary $100 authorization hold that is released automatically and can stay on the card for up to 3 days. Billing is postpay: you are charged after ads deliver, when unpaid spend reaches your assigned threshold, and at month end.
Complete business verification
A banner in Ads Manager prompts you to answer questions about your business. After you submit, OpenAI reviews the application, and a green banner confirms you are verified.
OpenAI says verification can take up to 7 business days. It can fail if OpenAI can’t confirm your business identity, ownership or affiliations, so make sure the account, ads and landing pages all represent the same business.
TipVerification, account approval, ad review and ad delivery are separate checks, and passing one doesn't mean the others are done.
Invite your team
Go to Settings, then Users, then Invite, and enter each person’s email address. Add the people who will build campaigns, read reports or handle billing.
OpenAI’s setup guide doesn’t describe permission levels in detail, so once people join, review what each person can do and keep the list short.
Prepare if you can't get in yet
If self-serve isn’t open to you, OpenAI also sells through agency and technology partners, and you can register interest with the Advertisers Interest Form.
Use the wait well. Make sure your landing pages load and don’t block OpenAI’s crawlers, OAI-AdsBot and OAI-SearchBot. Write several versions of your ad copy, and plan your conversion tracking so it is ready before the first dollar is spent.
Before you move on
- Your business and products are eligible under OpenAI's ad policies
- Timezone, currency and business country are correct
- Account name and logo are set under Settings
- Billing profile and card are saved
- Verification shows as complete
Official resources
- OpenAI Help Center: Ads Manager Beta account setup
- OpenAI: ChatGPT ad policies
- OpenAI: New ways to buy ChatGPT ads
- OpenAI Ads Manager
- OpenAI Help Center: Ads Manager availability
Ad platforms update their tools often. This guide was last reviewed against the official documentation above in October 2026. If your screen looks different, the official help pages have the latest steps.
At a glance
- Level
- Beginner
- Time
- About 30 minutes, plus up to 7 business days for verification
- What you need
- An OpenAI account tied to your work email (you can create one during sign-up)
- Your business name, business address and an invoice email
- A credit card for the billing profile
- A logo image for your brand
- A product or service that is eligible under OpenAI's ad policies
Rather have it done for you?
Active Digital Marketing builds and manages ChatGPT ad tests for businesses doing $25,000+ a month in revenue.
Apply to work with usOr get an ad account auditWhere DIY setups go wrong
The most common problems with self-built ChatGPT Ads setups, and what they cost.
Signing up in a prohibited category
Some categories can't advertise at all, and others are limited to approved advertisers or certain countries. Check the policies first so you don't build an account that can't serve.
Picking the wrong timezone or currency
These can't currently be changed after setup. A mismatch with your finance and reporting setup makes every report harder to reconcile.
Inconsistent business details
Verification can fail when the account, ads and landing pages don't clearly represent the same business. Use the same business name and domain everywhere.
Assuming approval means delivery
Account verification, ad review and delivery are separate. A verified account can still have ads that are rejected or not serving.
Blocking OpenAI's crawlers
OpenAI says landing pages must be reachable and not block OAI-AdsBot or OAI-SearchBot. Ads or pages its systems can't review are ineligible to run.
What this guide doesn't cover
Getting into Ads Manager is the first hurdle. ChatGPT ads are new, the tools are in beta and the rules are still moving, which puts extra weight on careful testing, clean tracking and an honest reading of results.
ADM follows OpenAI’s ad platform closely and helps established brands decide whether, when and how to test it alongside proven channels like Meta and Google.
- Deciding whether ChatGPT ads fit your category and margins
- Writing context hints that match real buying conversations
- Ad copy and image variations built for conversational intent
- Pixel and Conversions API setup with deduplication
- Measuring incremental value against search and social
- Keeping up with policy and feature changes
Common questions
Is ChatGPT Ads Manager open to everyone?
Not fully. Ads Manager is in beta, and OpenAI has been opening self-serve onboarding gradually and country by country. Businesses outside supported countries can register interest through OpenAI's Advertisers Interest Form.
Who sees ChatGPT ads?
Users on the Free and Go plans in countries where ads are live. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans are ad-free, and accounts known or predicted to be under 18 don't see ads.
How long does verification take?
OpenAI says business verification can take up to 7 business days.
Can an agency manage several clients in one account?
No. OpenAI's setup guide says each advertiser needs its own account.
Do advertisers see what users type?
No. OpenAI says conversations stay private from advertisers, who receive aggregated performance insights instead.
Keep learning
How to Create a ChatGPT Ads Campaign
Build a first ChatGPT Ads campaign in OpenAI's Ads Manager Beta: choose an objective, set targeting, write context hints and ads, then submit for review.
Read the guideHow to Set a ChatGPT Ads Budget
How ChatGPT Ads budgets work: daily vs campaign-total, currency minimums, weekly pacing, CPC and CPM billing, payment thresholds and safe budget changes.
Read the guideHow to Set Up ChatGPT Ads Conversion Tracking
Install OpenAI's Measurement Pixel, send standard events, add the Conversions API, deduplicate events and confirm ChatGPT Ads conversions are recorded.
Read the guideHow to Create a Meta Ad Account
Set up a Meta business portfolio, create an ad account, add a payment method, and give your team the right access, step by step.
Read the guideHow to Create a Google Ads Account
Step-by-step: sign up for Google Ads without a forced campaign, set billing and time zone, add users, and complete advertiser verification.
Read the guideHow to Create a TikTok Ads Manager Account
Set up TikTok Ads Manager step by step: sign-up, business details, payment method, account approval, Business Center, and team access.
Read the guideRather have it built right the first time?
If your business does $25,000+ a month in revenue, apply and Mitch will review your accounts personally. Earlier than that? An ad account audit gives you a senior-level fix list you can work through yourself.