Focus on three things:
Click-to-chat (Sponsored Agents) OpenAI has been testing in the US since September 16, 2026, and there is no date for Europe yet.
Yes, as of recently, Slovenian companies can also advertise on ChatGPT. Ads have been appearing in Slovenia since the end of August 2026, and on August 31, OpenAI launched the self-service Ads Manager, where you can create a campaign yourself with minimalnim dnevnim proračunom 15 €.
An ad appears below the AI's response and is marked as sponsored, and ChatGPT selects it based on the topic of the current conversation. In this guide, we explain how ad selection works, what the costs are for an initial test, what the differences are between Europe and the U.S., and whether this channel makes sense for your business.
We have also included analytical data from the Slovenian websites we manage: how much traffic ChatGPT is already bringing today and what results you can expect and at what prices.
Yes, OpenAI first tested ads in ChatGPT in the US, In February 2026, he started displaying them to Free and Go package users for the first time..
Takrat je bil vstop v prve kampanje zelo drag: razni oglaševalci so poročali o CPM (strošek na 1000 prikazov) v višini okoli 60 USD in o minimalnem proračunu okoli 200.000 USD za izbrane oglaševalce.
Aprila se je minimalni znesek znižal na 50.000 USD, OpenAI also recently launched a self-service Ads Manager with no minimum budget..
On August 18, 2026, OpenAI announced its expansion into 31 European markets, which includes all 27 EU member states. Ads started showing a week later, On August 31, self-service access also became available in Slovenia..
The company that advertises and pays for campaigns, It must be based in a country from this list.
Slovenian users received a notification in mid-August that The Free package in Go displayed ads.
The first European campaigns were conducted through OpenAI's sales team, agencies, and technology partners, the self-service Ads Manager also made advertising accessible to smaller businesses.
Most of the more than one billion weekly ChatGPT users are on the free tier. With ads, OpenAI ensures that this package remains free.
According to OpenAI data as of August 31, 2026, they were with ads reached a one billion USD annualized revenue run rate in under 200 days. Tens of thousands of companies are already advertising on the platform.
This channel is already very widespread in the USA. We have only been able to use it in Europe for a few weeks.
Ads Manager is still in beta in Europe. This means three things: only approved categories can advertise, Every ad is reviewed before publication and functions are changing from week to week.
For example, between June and August They introduced product catalog ads.
They also added prices and stars to the product cards and product carousel ads.
An ad in ChatGPT is a card that appears below the answer and is clearly marked as sponsored. It contains the advertiser's name and logo, a headline, a short description, and a square image.
You can also add a link to the website. The model should first answer the question, The ad then prompts the user to take the next step.
Like that redirect to a product, service, or landing page, where he continues his journey.
OpenAI ensures that ads are displayed via a system that is separate from the chat model itself. Therefore As an advertiser, you cannot influence the content of the response..
The user can also hide the ad, report him or check why he even sees him.
Examples of video ads in real conversations are shown, published by OpenAI. We also see them in ads recorded by US users in the first months.
The ad always appears below the answer and is separated from it by a line. It often relates to the topic of the user's question.
In addition to the static ad, there are also product catalog ad and product carousel.
In the US, OpenAI is also testing an ad that opens a chat with the brand. All three formats are described in the next chapter.
A static ad with a title, description, and image is the basic format. Right now, it's the only one that any company can use.
Starting in June 2026, online stores will have two additional formats available that automatically generate from the product catalog.
These two formats are most similar to Google Shopping ads.
Upload the catalog to Ads Manager, The system automatically creates an advertisement with the product name, image, price, and stock.. Starting July 24, star ratings are also displayed on the card.
Catalog campaigns can only be targeted at the country level. Therefore, you must ensure that The catalog contains correct prices and availability data for the Slovenian market..
Carousel, introduced on August 6, displays multiple products in a single ad unit. The user can swipe through them.
This format is suitable for questions, where the user is still choosing between multiple options. A good example is the question »what do I need for espresso at home«.
On September 16, OpenAI launched the Sponsored Agents pilot project in the US. After clicking on an ad, the user receives a response in the same chat from a clearly labeled brand agent, which answers additional questions and directs them to the website when they are ready. Early participants include Wayfair, Angi, Best Buy, and Lowe's. This format is not yet available in Europe, and the launch date is unknown. You can test it in an interactive example at the top of the article under the »Click to Chat« tab.
Ads are seen by adult users of the Free and Go packages. Subscribers to the Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans do not see ads.
Ads are not shown in Temporary Chat and to users under 18 years of age. OpenAI estimates age based on account data and usage patterns.
A free tier user can also turn off ads. This lowers his message limit.
This means that the ad reaches a large portion of users, but not all of them. Business users will not see ads in the business ad package.
For B2B services targeting decision-makers in large enterprises, this is important range limitation.
For each ad, the user has four options. They can hide the ad, report it, open the »About this ad« explanation, or share with ChatGPT and ask for details.
The last option is interesting, as the user can ask further questions about the product. You do not see the conversations in this process.
Accept it summary data on impressions, clicks, and conversions.
Most foreign guidebooks describe the American version, which does not fully apply in Europe.
There are four differences, and all of them affect, How will you set up the first campaign.
No personalization. In the EEA and Switzerland, OpenAI does not currently display personalized ads.
The advertisement is selected solely based on the current conversation, approximate locations and languages. Past conversations and the choice memory have no influence on this.
The use of custom audiences is not recommended. You can upload the list of clients.
OpenAI advises against its use for European campaigns, until personalization is available. In the US as well, the list must reach at least 25,000 matches.
Initially, only the home country. Some new self-serve accounts may initially only advertise in the country where the business is registered.
You unlock other markets after identity verification and a certain amount of spending in the domestic market.
Therefore, you will be the first campaigns probably led only in Slovenia.
Ad language. The ad may also appear in a conversation in another language. This is because the system takes into account the location, language settings, and the language of the conversation.
Slovenian ChatGPT users often ask in English. That is why it makes sense prepare both language versions of the advertisement.
In ChatGPT, you do not buy keywords or select interests. The system reads what the user is talking about and finds ads among them that match the conversation.
Taking this into account, the title and description of the ad, the content of the landing page and context hints, that you define in the ad group.
Only ads that pass this filter, I am going to the ad auction.
The ad does not appear with every response., which is very important to know.
It occurs most frequently in conversations with a clear commercial intent, for example when a user compares products, asks about price, or is looking for a provider.
It appears less frequently in general questions, copywriting, or programming, and for sensitive topics it is not displayed at all.
The ad display system takes into account the bid and ad relevance. A more relevant ad can beat a competitor's higher bid. You pay only as much as is necessary to win.
The consequence is clear, as money only partly compensates for a poor match. A good product description and a high-quality landing page lower the price.
Context hints are descriptions of conversations, topics, or terms for which the ad should appear. They feel looser than keywords and do not guarantee impressions. They tell the system where your offer helps the user.
In their early campaigns, Search Engine Land compared context hints written as a list of terms with hints in the form of questions. The list of terms received more impressions, a slightly higher CTR (click-through rate), and a lower cost per click.
When writing context hints, use three components to help you: situation, purpose, and obstacle.
Context hint should describe the user's situation, what they want to achieve, and what is hindering them.
Before committing to ads, check what ChatGPT can already do for you.
We have reviewed certain Slovenian websites that we manage, and extracted visits from the chatgpt.com and openai.com domains for the period from September 2025 to August 2026.
What does this mean? ChatGPT is currently a small source of traffic that is growing faster than any other. Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity combined bring in less than a tenth of what ChatGPT brings in.
Visitors from ChatGPT behave similarly on the site to average visitors. Stopnja angažiranosti je med 64 in 66 %, povprečje celotnih strani pa je med 62 in 75 %.
In Ads Manager, you select one of three objectives and with it the payment method. For the impressions goal, you pay per thousand impressions, or CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions), while for the clicks goal, you pay per click, or CPC (cost per click).
For the conversion goal, the system optimizes for on-site actions. You still pay per click or thousand impressions, as ChatGPT does not offer pay-per-conversion.
Set the highest bid at the ad group level. OpenAI za začetek priporoča najvišjo ceno na klik od 3 do 5 USD.
Search Engine Land poroča, da sistem pri bidu pod 3 USD opozori, da se oglas morda ne bo prikazoval. Povprečni CPC v njihovih ameriških kampanjah je bil med 2 in 5 USD.
Data for Europe is not yet available, as the market has only been open for three weeks.
Najmanjši dnevni budget za račune v evrih je 15 € na kampanjo. The daily budget is an average over the week. One day can spend up to twice the amount, but in the week from Sunday to Saturday at most seven times.
Pri 15 € na dan to pomeni, da lahko posamezen dan stane 30 €, teden pa ne več kot 105 €.
Poglejte vrstico EUR: najmanj 15 € na dan za vsako kampanjo.
| Period | Terms and conditions | Who could advertise |
|---|---|---|
| January and February 2026 | CPM okoli 60 USD, min. 200.000 USD | Selected major advertisers in the US |
| April 2026 | Minimum znižan na 50.000 USD | Narrow audience in Ads Manager |
| May 2026 | Minimum 25 USD na dan | Self-service in the USA |
| As of August 31, 2026 | 15 € na dan na kampanjo | Self-service in 31 European countries, including Slovenia |
Vir: OpenAI Help Center in objave OpenAI (maj, avgust 2026), Adweek (minimalni znesek 200.000 USD), Digiday (april 2026). Podatek o CPM 60 USD izvira iz poročila The Information in je bil potrjen le posredno.
The first test should last at least four weeks so that the system gathers enough data and you notice the difference between the days of the week. Pri minimalnih 15 € na dan to pomeni okoli 420 € za oglase.
Whether this is enough depends on the cost-per-click and how many visitors submit an inquiry. Enter your assumptions:
Move the sliders or enter your own numbers. The calculation is an illustration and shows whether the test will yield enough data for a decision.
Vnesite pozitivne vrednosti. Delež je lahko največ 100 %.
Financial illustration of ad spend, excluding management and creative production. The weekly maximum takes into account the rule that spending in a week does not exceed seven times the daily budget.The calculation reveals the main pitfall of smaller tests. Pri ceni klika okoli 3,5 € in 3-odstotni stopnji konverzije štirje tedni pri 15 € na dan prinesejo okoli 120 klikov in od tri do štiri povpraševanja.
That is too little for evaluating channel performance. If you have a longer sales cycle, it is better to increase the daily budget or extend the test rather than stopping it after two weeks.
You open an account at ads.openai.com with an OpenAI account linked to your work email address. The company must be registered in a country from the list.
The data must match the business register, as OpenAI verifies the company name. You cannot change the account country and currency later.
Because OpenAI verifies the business and reviews the ads, this takes a certain amount of time. Therefore, open the account a few days before the planned launch.
The account is owned by the company. The agency cannot open it on behalf of the client. However, you can invite it to the account with the appropriate role.
Manager of multiple accounts, as you know it from Google or Meta, does not yet exist in the Ads Manager tool.
| Self-service (Ads Manager) | OpenAI Ads Solutions and partners | |
|---|---|---|
| For whom | Small and medium-sized enterprises, agencies on behalf of the client | Large advertisers with larger budgets |
| Enter | Od 15 € na dan, brez zaveze | Agreement with the sales team or technology partner |
| Management | Sami or agency with a role in your account | OpenAI or partner team support |
| Available in Slovenia | From August 31, 2026, beta | From the end of August 2026 |
Source: OpenAI, announcement on expansion to Europe (August 18 and 31, 2026) and Help Center.
The structure is similar to other tools. At the campaign level, you select the objective, budget, dates, countries, and platforms.
At the ad group level, specify highest bid and context hints.
At the ad level, you write a headline and description, add an image, and landing page.
The ad is being read by a user who has just received an answer, so the ad must suggest the next step.
Ads that directly continue the question work best. If the user asks how to choose a heat pump for an old house, the ad should offer a calculation for an old house.
General brand benefits At this moment, they are not helping the user.
| Element | Recommendation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Title | up to 50 characters | The initial beta guidelines stated 30 characters, while advertiser reports from August indicated 50. OpenAI publicly lists only recommended limits. |
| Description | up to 100 characters | The first beta guidelines specified 60 characters. A longer description may appear incomplete. |
| Image | square aspect ratio 1:1, PNG or JPG, upload at 1200 × 1200 px | Sources specify at least 256 × 256 px or 640 px, and a larger image satisfies both conditions. |
| Logo | square, display in a size of approximately 32 × 32 px | Check readability in dark mode. |
| Link | a landing page with UTM parameters | Parameters remain on click. |
Source: OpenAI Help Center (ad components), Search Engine Land (Aug. 10, 2026) and early advertiser guides for character counts and image sizes. The ad does not support videos, GIFs, and extensions.
In ChatGPT, the ad appears only, as matches the conversation. Every additional topic, use case, or purchase phase opens up new conversations in which you can participate.
Based on initial US campaigns, StackAdapt reports that razširitev s 7 na 16 kreativnih različic povečala prikaze za 421 % in CTR (odstotek klikov) za 5 %.
These are the details of the partner selling this channel, so consider them only as rough guideline.
ChatGPT users are asking questions at all stages of the purchase. They are asking when they are just defining the problem, when they are comparing solutions, and when they are deciding where to buy.
Each phase requires different hints, a different message, and a different call to action.
It makes sense to separate into ad groups, to see which ads are working.
We recommend that already in the first test cover all three phases.
In our Slovenian campaigns, the CTR is highest for informative questions, inquiries are coming from all phases.
Separate ad groups show you after four weeks, which phase generates the lowest cost demand.
You have available for measurement OpenAI Pixel, Conversions API and measurement partner integrations. Install the pixel on the website just like with other platforms.
Conversions API sends events from the server and it is more reliable, as ad blockers do not stop it.
If you use both, prevent event duplication with a single event ID.
In the Ads Manager reports, you can see impressions, clicks, spend, CTR, average CPC (cost per click), CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions), and conversions. You can export the data in CSV format.
Conversations and questions, which triggered the ad, You don't see. OpenAI provides advertisers with aggregate data only.
The reports are divided only by countries.
Ad traffic and organic traffic from ChatGPT come from the same domain. Without UTM parameters, they will get mixed up in GA4.
The organic traffic you already have will look like ad success.
Therefore, in all ad links add utm_source=chatgpt and utm_medium=cpc in GA4, compare both sources separately.
The numbers in Ads Manager and GA4 tools will not match. Ads Manager counts clicks, but GA4 drops them.
In addition, these conversion tools attribute according to different rules. Therefore Do not look for an exact match.
Monitor whether The weekly trend of clicks, sessions, and inquiries is moving in the same direction..
Pri 15 do 25 € na dan boste v prvem mesecu zbrali nekaj sto klikov. To je dovolj za smer, premalo pa za hitre odločitve. Kampanjo zato spreminjajte po tednih in vsakič spremenite le eno stvar.
Do not change the first week of the campaign. Just check whether the events are being recorded correctly.
In the second week, remove the context hints that did not generate impressions. Increase the bid, if the ad gets almost no impressions.
In the third week, add new variations of the winning ads and related topics. In the fourth week Compare demand prices with Google search ads. then decide whether to continue testing.
OpenAI last updated its advertising policies on September 10, 2026. During the testing phase, consumer categories such as lifestyle, home, local services, travel, digital products, and education are primarily permitted.
Financial services, healthcare, and legal services can only be advertised by approved advertisers based on manual review.
Prepovedani so zmenki in spolna vsebina, zdravstvene trditve, alkohol z več kot 0,5 % alkohola, droge, tobak, igre na srečo, politični oglasi in ponaredki. The rules apply to the ad and the landing page.
The advertisement must also not mimic the ChatGPT interface. Ads are not shown on sensitive topics, such as personal and mental health or politics, even when your category is allowed.
OpenAI says it does not yet have industry benchmarks.
The most independent data comes from Similarweb's analysis of US ads from May 2026. Povprečni CTR (razmerje med kliki in prikazi) je bil 0,68 %, zgornja četrtina oglaševalcev je dosegla 1 %, najboljše znamke 1,57 %, najboljši posamezni oglas pa 5,4 %.
Nekatere agencije poročajo o CTR od 3,8 do 4 %, kar se ne ujema z neodvisnimi podatki. Pri primerjavi upoštevajte, for the ad to be displayed only after the user has already received the answer.
A lower CTR is therefore expected, and the more important question is, What is the price of the result. Official European comparisons will not be available until the end of September 2026, so we are publishing our own below.
We have been running campaigns in ChatGPT for subscribers since the end of August 2026. The findings below are the average of campaigns that were active when the article was prepared.
We do not highlight individual clients, as we are interested in, how the channel behaves as a whole.
Left ad for the Slovenian market, right for the Italian one.
Pri iskalnih oglasih na Googlu običajno beležimo CTR 7 % ali več, na Facebooku in Instagramu pa med 0,5 in 2 %. Oglasi v ChatGPT-ju so trenutno nekje vmes, s CTR med 2 in 3 %.
That is significantly higher than the US average measured by Similarweb in May. The likely reason for this is, that there are still few advertisers in Slovenia, which is why the displayed ads often match the query well.
A click in ChatGPT is more expensive than on Meta, but the visit generates more leads. The user arrives on the page with a clear question and having already read the answer, so they are more prepared for the next step.
Therefore, the final conversion cost in our campaigns is comparable with Facebook and Instagram campaigns.
We have the best experience with campaigns that cover all stages of the purchase., from the initial general questions to the final and more specific ones. The CTR is significantly higher for informational queries.
We believe that ChatGPT users use most of the time right for informational product inquiries. They are asking how something works, how the models differ, and what they need to watch out for.
If the ad appears only for purchase queries, leave out most of the conversations in which the decision is still being shaped.
We will update the data, once we have obtained results from the campaigns for several months. If you want a comparison for your industry, contact us via the page ChatGPT advertising.
ChatGPT does not replace search engines and the Meta platform. On Google, the user types what they are looking for, on Meta you interrupt them in the middle of browsing, and in ChatGPT you reach them in the middle of a conversation, when they are already thinking about a purchase and have received an answer.
Each channel has a different way of targeting and measuring, and different maturity level of the tools.
The biggest difference is how much the user shares. He types a few words into Google, for example »accounting service Ljubljana«.
You describe the whole situation to ChatGPT, such as company size, specifics, and selection criteria. An ad can therefore respond to a precise need, described by the user.
This is the basis for our recommendation. Test ChatGPT ads as an addition to your existing search advertising and do not shrink them because of the search engine.
The search engine has 20 years of measurement and attribution tools, ChatGPT is building them now.
The advertisement and mention in the reply are two separate things. OpenAI explicitly states that ads run on a separate system and do not affect the answers.
So, a paid ad it will not improve the chances, so that ChatGPT mentions you when asked about the best provider.
You are building unpaid presence differently. ChatGPT uses the OAI-SearchBot robot when searching the web, so it your website must not block.
Stores can share product data via the Agentic Commerce Protocol or automatically via the Shopify catalog.
The answers are based on content that clearly answers the questions and they cite other sources. This is how the visits shown in the data above were created.
For most companies No need to choose. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) ensures users can find you on Google.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) ensures that ChatGPT and other assistants mention you in their answers. Ads, however, ensure display in conversations where you The model wouldn't have mentioned it himself.
If ChatGPT is already bringing you traffic, as the data above shows, ads expand their presence to questions, where the answer does not yet list you.
Your bid is too low. Pri bidu pod 3 USD na klik sistem opozori, da se oglas morda ne bo prikazoval.
Začnite pri priporočenih 3 do 5 USD in Only lower your bid once you have impressions.
2. There are too few context hints or they are too narrow. The context hint, which describes only your product name, matches a small number of conversations.
Describe the problems, use cases, and comparisons, what users are asking for.
3. The web crawler cannot read the landing page. If a site blocks the OAI-AdsBot crawler, it cannot be verified.
Check the robots.txt file and security settings., for example, Cloudflare.
4. The ad is still pending review or has been rejected. The rules also apply to landing page.
Promising results, health claims, and mimicking the ChatGPT interface are most common reasons for rejection.
5. The topic is sensitive. Ads do not appear in conversations about health, mental health, or politics., regardless of your settings.
Advertising works best for companies whose products or services users they are asking ChatGPT before buying.
These are the questions where the user compares, chooses, or seeks advice.
Online stores with a catalog. Product ads and carousels show the price and rating at the exact moment the user she asks what she should buy.
Local services and tradespeople. Questions like »how much does a bathroom renovation cost« or »how to choose a repair technician« are common and have jasen namen.
Tourism and hospitality. Trip planning is one of the most common topics.
ChatGPT users often do this describe the date, companions and wishes.
Digital products, software, and education. Users are comparing tools and courses.
See you soon decide for a test or registration.
The general conditions are landing page that answers the same question as the ad, and measurement that shows post-click activity.
When setting up and measuring the first test, you we help as part of the service ChatGPT advertising.
New channels are attractive because competition is still small. That applies here too.
Early entry is still not worth it for everyone. The following companies would advised against testing or postponed it:
Companies without functioning measurement. If you currently don't know how many inquiries Google brings in, ads in ChatGPT you will not be able to evaluate.
Therefore first edit the measurement.
Regulated industries. Finance, healthcare and legal services require manual approval.
Advertising of alcohol and gambling is prohibited. For these companies, organic presence is currently the only real way.
B2B companies with a very narrow market in Slovenia. There is no personalization in Europe, and ChatGPT Business plans do not show ads, so decision-makers' reach is small.
With a few hundred potential buyers, LinkedIn or direct outreach more efficient.
A budget that doesn't last four weeks. Testing that you stop after ten days will yield Not enough data to decide.
Če ne morete nameniti vsaj 15 do 25 € na dan za mesec dni, Wait.
Yes. Make yourself heard in Slovenia they have been showing since the end of August 2026.
The self-service Ads Manager has been open for Slovenian companies since August 31, 2026. Slovenia is on the official OpenAI list. marked as »Available«.
The minimum daily budget is 15 € na kampanjo.
You pay CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) or CPC (cost per click). OpenAI recommends to start with najvišji bid od 3 do 5 USD.
A four-week test on a minimal budget costs okoli 420 €.
They see the ads adult users of the Free plan and the Go plan.
Users of the Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans Ads are not visible.
They also do not appear in Temporary Chat and to users under the age of 18.
According to OpenAI, no. Ads operate in a system separate from the chat model, are clearly marked as sponsored and appear below the answer.
There are no classic keywords. Define them instead context hints that describe topics and conversations.
The system uses them as one of the signals, along with the ad text and landing page, but it does not guarantee an exact match.
OpenAI mentions targeting regions and cities where available. However, reports are divided only by countries.
European sources report that targeting in Europe is currently only possible at the country level.
No. Advertisers receive only summary data on impressions, clicks, spend, and conversions.
User conversations remain private.
No. The account must be opened by the advertising company, and confirm it with data from the business register.
NATO Agency invite to the account with the appropriate role.
With the new self-service accounts initially You only advertise in your home country.
Other countries are unlocked after identity verification and a certain amount of spend in your home country. Larger advertisers can collaborate with the OpenAI team or partners.
Technically yes, but OpenAI for campaigns in the EEA and Switzerland discourages custom audiences, until personalized ads are available.
The list must reach at least 25,000 matches.
Ads and organic results are separate, so ads do not affect the frequency of mentions.
For mentions in answers you need a page that the OAI-SearchBot crawler can read, and content that clearly answers customers' questions.
It pays off for companies with working measurement, permitted category and budget for at least four weeks of testing.
The channel is new and there is no European benchmark data yet. Therefore, it test as an addition to search advertising.
Own data. The data comes from GA4 properties of certain Slovenian websites, led by the Notic Agency.
We used the session source dimension for the period from September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2026. Pages are not named.
Official OpenAI sources. Ads in ChatGPT, Ads Manager availability, Create campaigns for ChatGPT ads, ChatGPT ads expand across Europe, Advertising policies and OpenAI crawlers.
The media and early advertisers. We sourced the data from Search Engine Land (8/10/2026) in Similarweb transition Search Engine Roundtable.
We also used sources such as Adweek, Digiday in StackAdapt.
What is not in the article. We do not publish US prices converted into Euros and presented as Slovenian ones. Nor do we disclose client names alongside the results and consumption amounts.
You will not find in the article scope of searches for Slovenian terms. That is close to zero for now due to the novelty of the topic.
First, let's check, how much traffic is ChatGPT bringing you already. In addition, we check whether your category is allowed and whether the measurement is working.
Then together We are preparing the first four-week test and context hints.
ChatGPT advertising with Notic
