02 · AI Advertising

Advertise inside ChatGPT — the moment buyers ask.

Your buyers are asking ChatGPT what to pay, what to look for, and who to hire. Since May 2026 you can pay to be in that exact moment — as the useful thing they were already looking for, not a banner they scroll past.

We find the questions worth showing up for, build the offer that wins them, run the account, and report what it actually brought in.

This channel is roughly six months old. That is the opportunity and the risk, and we will tell you which one applies to your business.

You

What should I ask before hiring a roofer?

ChatGPT

Start with licensing and insurance, then ask about warranty terms and who actually does the work…

Sponsored
The Homeowner’s Roofer Checklist
7 questions to ask any roofer before you sign — from a licensed Kansas City crew.
Get the free checklist →
Illustration — not an actual ChatGPT interface. Real placements appear below the answer, labelled Sponsored.
Feb 2026Sponsored placements went live in ChatGPT
May 2026Self-serve Ads Manager and CPC bidding opened — OpenAI
76%Of shopping questions return a sponsored placement — OtterlyAI, 2026
900MWeekly ChatGPT users — OpenAI, Feb 2026
What you can buy today

A new channel, roughly six months old.

OpenAI began testing sponsored placements in February 2026 and opened a self-serve Ads Manager with cost-per-click bidding in May. That is the whole history of this channel — which is exactly why it is worth a look, and why anyone claiming years of expertise in it is worth avoiding.

Here is precisely what exists right now, so you can judge it for yourself.

The placement
A labelled Sponsored block directly beneath ChatGPT’s answer — visually separate, not woven into the response.
How you buy
Through OpenAI’s beta self-serve Ads Manager or an approved partner, with cost-per-click bidding and campaign reporting.
Who sees it
Logged-in adults on the Free and Go tiers in live markets. Paying Plus, Pro, and Business users do not see ads at all.
What it can’t do
Buying a placement does not change the answer ChatGPT gives. The organic recommendation is earned separately — that is AEO’s job.
Why it works

Forget the banner. Be the resource.

Picture a banner ad, then forget it. Someone in your town opens ChatGPT and asks how to choose a roofer. They are not killing time — they are standing in a decision. What wins that moment is something genuinely useful sitting right where they are already looking.

01

They’re ready to act

Nobody asks ChatGPT who to hire to pass the time. They ask because they have a problem and they are close to spending money to fix it. You are not buying impressions — you are showing up for someone already reaching for their wallet.

02

It’s a quiet room

A ChatGPT answer is not a feed full of competitors and three other ads. One question, one screen, one answer, and a single sponsored block beneath it. Your offer lands in a quiet room instead of shouting over a crowded one.

03

You can still be early

Placements are concentrated in high-intent categories and most local businesses have not touched this yet. Early presence in a new channel has historically meant lower costs and a learning head start — though that window narrows every month.

Ads and AEO

Ads buy the moment. AEO earns it.

These are two different purchases and most businesses we work with run both. Ads get you into the moment now. AEO makes you the kind of name that belongs there, and keeps you showing up after the ad spend stops.

Ads
Buy the spotlight.

Paid placement inside ChatGPT. You pick the moment, you pay for the moment, you are in it. Turn the budget up and the volume goes up with it.

  • Week 1Running
  • Month 6Still running
  • Spend stopsGone that day
AEO
Earn the answer.

Content, structured data, and citations that teach the models who you are. Slower to start, but what it builds is not rented.

  • Week 1Groundwork
  • Month 6Compounding
  • Spend stopsStill there
See how AEO works →
How we run it

You stay in your business. We run the channel.

01

Find the moments

We pin down the questions your customers actually ask — how to choose, what to pay, who to trust in your trade — and which of them are worth paying to appear beside.

02

Build the useful thing

The checklist, the price guide, the offer that wins that moment. Written in your voice, with the landing page behind it built and hosted by us.

03

Run the account

Setup, budget, and bidding, all ours. Your spend goes to what works instead of paying to learn a platform that changed last month.

04

Report what it brought

Not impressions — calls, leads, jobs. A plain Friday report on what ran and what came back, and we tune from there.

Straight talk

Where this doesn’t work.

This channel is new enough that plenty of agencies are selling it without mentioning the constraints. Here are the ones that would affect whether it is worth your money.

Some categories are excluded

OpenAI restricts advertising in and around sensitive areas — health, financial services, dating, and politics among them. If that is your industry, this channel may not be open to you yet, and we will say so on the call rather than after you have paid us.

It doesn’t reach paying subscribers

Ads serve to Free and Go tier users. Anyone on Plus, Pro, Business, or Enterprise never sees them. Depending on who your buyers are, that may cut into the audience meaningfully.

The platform is still moving

Formats, bidding, markets, and policy have all changed more than once since February. We manage that for you, but nobody should be promising you a stable channel yet, and anyone who does has not been paying attention.

It won’t make ChatGPT recommend you

Paid placement sits beneath the answer. It does not change the answer. If you want to be the name the model actually names, that is AEO, and it is separate work on a slower clock.

FAQ

Questions we get a lot.

Are ChatGPT ads actually available, or is this a waitlist?

They are live. OpenAI began testing sponsored placements in February 2026 and opened a beta self-serve Ads Manager with cost-per-click bidding in May 2026. You can buy through that or an approved partner.

Will an ad make ChatGPT recommend my business?

No, and be wary of anyone who says otherwise. OpenAI states that ads do not influence the answer the model gives. The placement sits below the answer, clearly labelled. Earning the recommendation itself is AEO, which is separate work.

What does it cost?

Bidding is cost-per-click, so it depends on your category and how competitive the moment is. We will give you a realistic range for your trade on the call, and we do not recommend the channel to businesses where the maths does not work.

How is this different from Google Ads?

The intent is narrower and the screen is quieter. Someone asking ChatGPT who to hire is further along than someone typing a keyword, and there is one sponsored block rather than a page of competing results. The tradeoff is a smaller, newer, faster-changing audience.

My industry is regulated. Can I advertise?

Possibly not yet. Health, financial services, dating, and politics are restricted. Tell us your category on the call and we will check it before anyone spends anything.

Should I do this or AEO first?

If you need something moving this quarter, ads. If you want a position that holds after the spend stops, AEO. Most clients run both, with ads buying attention while the AEO work compounds underneath.

Ready?

Be the answer before your competitor is.

Thirty minutes. We will show you which questions your buyers are asking, whether your category is even eligible, and what a realistic first month costs.

Run by real people in Kansas City. Weekly meetings, a Friday report, and a direct line — not a ticket queue.