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ChatGPT Ads Manager is OpenAI's self-serve tool for running ads inside ChatGPT. You sign in at ads.openai.com, create an ad account for your business, add billing, then build campaigns with a budget, a bid and an ad. Some people call it OpenAI Ads Manager; it's the same product.
We set up an ad account for DidYouSEO this week, in India, billed in rupees, and connected it to OpenAI's Ads API. This guide walks through ChatGPT Ads Manager step by step, with what each screen asks for and the parts that can't be changed later.
What is ChatGPT Ads Manager?
ChatGPT Ads Manager is where you create and manage ads that appear in ChatGPT conversations. Self-serve Ads Manager opened to all US businesses in May 2026, according to PPC Land, and has since opened in more countries, including the UK (Search Engine Land) and India.
The left-hand menu has six sections:
| Section | What you do there |
|---|---|
| Overview | A summary of the account, including setup steps still to finish |
| Campaigns | Create and manage campaigns, ad groups and ads |
| Conversions | Set up the measurement pixel and the Conversions API |
| Tools | Extra campaign tools |
| Billing | Billing overview, activity, documents and billing settings |
| Settings | Account details, users, API keys and connected apps |
How is ChatGPT Ads Manager organized?
Ads Manager uses the same structure as Google Ads and Meta. OpenAI's Ads docs describe four levels, each owning its own settings:
| Level | What you set there |
|---|---|
| Ad account | Brand, currency, time zone, who has access, spend limits |
| Campaign | Objective, budget, schedule, location and platform targeting, audiences, conversion events |
| Ad group | Bid, context hints, audience bid adjustments, product set |
| Ad | The creative: title, text, image and landing page |
A simple rule from the docs: use separate campaigns when you need separate budgets or targeting, and separate ad groups when you need different bids or context hints.
How to set up ChatGPT Ads Manager
Step 1: Create your ad account
Go to ads.openai.com and sign in with your OpenAI login. Enter your business name, choose whether it's also your legal business name, and add your website.
Pay attention to location, currency and time zone. Ads Manager says plainly that these can't be changed later: to use different ones, you create a new ad account. Our account is set to India, rupees and India Standard Time, so every report and budget is in rupees.
Step 2: Pass the business review
OpenAI checks your business details before ads can run. While it does, Ads Manager shows "We're reviewing your account". You can keep building campaigns during the review; they start running automatically once the review and setup are complete.
Step 3: Add billing and a brand logo
Until both are done, a banner says "Ads cannot serve until you finish account setup". The logo is the icon people see next to your ad in ChatGPT, so use a clear, square version of your brand mark.
Step 4: Set up conversion tracking
Under Conversions, install OpenAI's measurement pixel on your site, send events from your server with the Conversions API, or both. Do this before your first campaign: without it, you can't bid for conversions and you can't tell which clicks became sign-ups or sales. OpenAI's conversion tracking docs cover each option.
Step 5: Create your first campaign
Under Campaigns, choose between a suggested campaign that Ads Manager drafts for you ("Let us build your campaign") or building your own. Either way, the campaign holds:
- Name and schedule: an optional start and end date.
- Budget: the most the campaign can spend in total.
- Bidding type: impressions (CPM), clicks (CPC) or conversions. Conversion bidding needs one active conversion event from Step 4.
- Targeting: countries or regions, ChatGPT platforms (the iOS and Android apps, or ChatGPT on the web) and custom audiences to include or exclude.
Step 6: Create an ad group with a bid and context hints
The ad group holds your maximum bid and your context hints: short descriptions or keywords of when your product is useful. ChatGPT ads don't target search keywords. ChatGPT reads the hints and shows your ad next to conversations they fit. For a project management tool, hints might be "team collaboration" and "planning a product launch".
Bids are set in your account currency, so a rupee account bids in rupees.
Step 7: Write the ad
A standard ad has:
- A title of 3 to 50 characters. Test options in a headline analyzer to stay inside the limit.
- Body text of up to 100 characters.
- A landing page URL. Add UTM tags with a UTM builder so Google Analytics shows ChatGPT Ads as its own source.
- An image, or 4 to 6 square images on accounts where that format is enabled.
Under Settings, Creative enhancement lets OpenAI adapt your headline, description, image size and landing URL to the conversation, including translations. It uses your existing ad and landing page content. Turn it off if every word of your ads needs approval first.
Step 8: Wait for ad review
Each ad goes through review and shows one of three statuses: in review, approved or rejected. A rejected ad breaks one of OpenAI's ad policies. Edit it and it goes back into review. OpenAI's crawler also checks your landing page, so make sure your firewall doesn't block it.
How to run ads on ChatGPT for clients
Agencies don't get a separate manager account. The client creates their own ad account, adds their own billing, and invites the agency under Settings → Users. The agency then uses one OpenAI login and switches between client accounts.
Each account is opened on its own, so a weekly check across ten clients means ten accounts. Our ChatGPT Ads for agencies page shows how to see every client's spend and conversions in one view.
Ads Manager settings worth knowing
- API keys (Settings → General): each key works for one ad account. Reporting tools use them to read your results.
- Advertiser type (Settings → General): changing it needs a new verification.
- Connected apps (Settings): apps connected to your ad account.
- Ads Manager in ChatGPT: OpenAI also offers an Ads Manager plugin inside ChatGPT that answers questions about the accounts your login can open.
Report on your ChatGPT Ads Manager accounts with DidYouSEO
Ads Manager shows results for one ad account at a time. DidYouSEO's ChatGPT Ads reporting reads every account you connect with an API key and shows each one's spend, clicks and conversions for the last 28 days, with the change from the previous period. You can also ask about your ads in ChatGPT, Claude or Cursor through the ChatGPT Ads MCP server. DidYouSEO only reads the data: it never creates, changes or pays for ads.
New to ChatGPT ads? Start with our overview of how ChatGPT ads work and what they cost.
FAQ
What is OpenAI Ads Manager?
It's the same product as ChatGPT Ads Manager: OpenAI's self-serve tool at ads.openai.com for creating and managing ads that appear in ChatGPT.
How do I run ads on ChatGPT?
Create an ad account at ads.openai.com, pass the business review, add billing and a brand logo, set up conversion tracking, then build a campaign with a budget, an ad group with a bid and context hints, and an ad.
Can I change my ad account's currency or time zone later?
No. Location, currency and time zone are fixed when you create the ad account. To use different ones, create a new ad account.
Why can't my ChatGPT ads run yet?
Usually because setup isn't finished. Ads can't serve until billing is added, a brand logo is uploaded and OpenAI has approved your business details. Each ad also needs its own review.
Can an agency manage several clients in ChatGPT Ads Manager?
Yes. Each client invites the agency to their own ad account under Settings → Users, and the agency switches between accounts with one login. There's no single view of all clients inside Ads Manager.
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