Every week someone asks me a version of the same question: “Can you really pay to advertise on ChatGPT?” The short answer is yes. It has only been possible for a few weeks, and almost nobody in Spain is taking advantage of it yet.
What ChatGPT advertising is and why it’s growing
Advertising on ChatGPT means sponsored ads that appear below the AI’s answer, inside the conversation itself, when the system detects that the conversation has commercial intent. It isn’t a banner or a forced video ad. It’s a clearly labelled card that shows up at the exact moment someone is asking about something related to your product or service.
The reason it’s growing so fast is no mystery. OpenAI needs to monetise ChatGPT’s free plans, which is where the vast majority of its users are, and advertising is the most direct way to do that without touching the paid plans. That means the number of users exposed to these ads is already huge from day one, while competition between advertisers is still minimal.
Cost per click on ChatGPT: how much it costs to advertise
This is, by far, the question I get asked most. Cost per click on ChatGPT Ads currently sits somewhere between 6 and 10 euros, depending on the industry and the competition within that specific conversation context. That may look high compared with Google Ads in low-competition sectors, but it’s worth keeping in perspective: this is traffic with very high purchase intent, because the user is already in the middle of deciding or comparing when the ad appears.
Bidding works as a real-time auction, similar to Google Ads, but without individual keywords. Instead, you set up context hints at ad group level, which tell the system in which kinds of conversations it makes sense to show your ad. The minimum daily budget is usually around 15 euros, although by using a total campaign budget instead of a daily budget you can start with much smaller amounts for an initial test.
How the ChatGPT Ads Manager works
OpenAI’s Ads Manager is the self-serve platform where campaigns are created and managed, and its logic will feel quite familiar to anyone used to Google Ads or Meta Ads Manager. You create a campaign, choose an objective (traffic, conversions), set up the context hints that guide the system on which conversations are relevant, and upload the ad creative, which in this case is mainly text, with some limited visual elements depending on the format.
One important difference from what we’re used to on Meta or Google is that, for now, you can’t upload custom audiences or build lookalike audiences from existing customers, at least within the European Economic Area. All targeting depends on the real context of the conversation as it happens, not on the user’s behavioural history.
Which businesses can advertise now
Since late August 2026, any Spanish business can open an account and launch campaigns without going through an intermediary, something that was previously only possible through OpenAI’s own team or partner agencies. This has opened the door to businesses of every size, not just the big brands that tested the channel during the initial phase in the United States.
That said, not every business gets the same value from this channel right now. It works especially well for companies whose potential customers regularly use ChatGPT to research, compare options or answer questions before making a purchase decision, which is very common in professional services, software, training, and products that need some explanation before the sale.
Why hire an agency instead of managing it yourself
It’s a fair question, and I’d rather answer it honestly than sell you something you don’t need. If you have the time, digital advertising know-how and the appetite to experiment with a brand-new channel, you can start on your own without any problem. The Ads Manager is designed to be accessible.
What a specialised agency brings to a channel as young as this one is avoiding the beginner mistakes that get expensive precisely because the terrain hasn’t been mapped yet. Poorly configured context hints, budget wasted on conversations with no real commercial intent, or not knowing how to measure conversions in an environment so different from Google or Meta are common mistakes when someone comes in without prior experience of the channel. With competition as low as it is right now, every badly spent euro weighs more than it will in a few months, when the channel is more mature and there’s more room to learn without paying for it.
Frequently asked questions
What is ChatGPT Ads Beta and how is it different from the final version?
At the time of writing, ChatGPT Ads is still officially in beta, which means OpenAI is still adjusting features, targeting options and auction conditions. There’s no announced date for leaving beta, so anyone getting in now is working with a platform whose rules may change over the coming months.
Do ChatGPT Search Ads exist?
It’s a term that’s starting to circulate to describe ads linked to the search features inside ChatGPT, but for now it doesn’t exist as a separate, established ad format. What is live are contextual ads inside the conversation, which is the main format available today.
How long does it take for an ad account to be approved?
Approval is usually quick, normally a matter of days, although it can vary depending on the volume of requests OpenAI is handling at any given time, since the channel is still scaling its advertiser support team.
Is there a minimum spend to get started?
The minimum daily budget is usually around 15 euros, although by setting the campaign up with a total budget instead of a daily one you can start with smaller amounts for a first test before committing more spend.
About me, ChatGPT Ads agency in Spain
My name is Mónica and I’ve spent more than nine years in digital advertising, working at seven national and international paid media agencies and as a Senior Account Manager at Google, where I managed more than five hundred international accounts and was recognised as a Top Performer. Since ChatGPT Ads arrived in Spain in August 2026, I’ve specialised in this channel from its launch, applying the same targeting and optimisation logic that has worked for me for years in Google Ads and Meta Ads to this new conversational format.
I deliberately keep a limited number of clients so I can be personally involved in every account. If you’re coming from an agency that misses deadlines, disappears for days without a word or promises a lot and delivers little, with me the strategy, the setup and the direct contact are always with me, not with a junior learning the channel on your budget. And that shows in the results.
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