ChatGPT Ads Are Here: What Founders Need to Know

Your customer is already turning to AI. They’re asking what to buy, comparing brands, and making spending decisions. Now is the time for your business to join the conversation while they're still deciding.

OpenAI is expanding advertising in ChatGPT to include new AI-powered tools to make campaigns easier to create, launch, and manage. As a busy founder, you probably already have Google, Meta, and SEO in the mix. ChatGPT ads give your business another way to show up while customers weigh their options.

What are ChatGPT ads?

ChatGPT ads let businesses place clearly labeled ads within ChatGPT as customers search for products and services. Ads are separate from ChatGPT’s answers, and business advertisers can manage their campaigns through OpenAI’s ads manager.

If you’re familiar with traditional search advertising, the focus is on keywords and how customers search for a product or service. ChatGPT ads are designed to engage customers in a conversation. What makes ChatGPT ads different is the context customers share as they ask questions and narrow down their options.

Think less “best 7-day calendar planner for moms” and more “what would be the best paper planner to use as a full-time working mom of 3.”

The picture is much richer in terms of what the customer needs. For founders, the opportunity is to ensure your products and services are clearly positioned to be relevant during these kinds of buying conversations.

How to get started with ChatGPT advertising

OpenAI pitches, “Less time learning the new platform, more time growing your business.” That’s poetry to any busy founder. The good news is that getting started with ChatGPT campaigns is straightforward.  

Create and manage campaigns with AI

After creating an account, use natural-language prompts to design ad campaigns with ChatGPT's assistance. OpenAI is adding features to support copy and image creation through ChatGPT and the Ads Manager platform. Entreprenista Tip: Audit your website to ensure everything is in tip-top digital shape so the process runs smoothly.

Connect your product catalog

If your business uses a Shopify catalog, ChatGPT ads offer an integration that lets Shopify merchants connect via a plug-in. This allows businesses to maintain larger product catalogs in ChatGPT ads and keep the details fresh and current.

Get campaign insights

Founders wear enough hats. If data analytics isn’t your thing, ChatGPT lets you ask about campaign performance in plain language and make sense of the numbers. You won’t have to learn another complicated ad dashboard to get real data insights to optimize your ad campaign. Dreamy, right?

Is your business eligible for ChatGPT ads?

Before brainstorming campaign assets, confirm that your business meets all requirements. Eligible businesses must operate in the market where ChatGPT is available, meet OpenAI’s advertising policies, and pass business verification. To learn more, explore the Ads Manager Availability resource on OpenAI.

Five best practices for your first ChatGPT ad campaign

1. Have a conversion strategy

Founders know measurement matters, but knowing what to measure matters even more. Before you launch, decide what success actually looks like for your business. Is it purchases? Signups? Qualified leads?

Conversion signals help connect ad engagement to those business outcomes, giving you a clearer picture of what's working. Decide how your success will be measured for your product or service before you start spending.

2. Give your campaign time to learn

Most founders have launched a campaign at some point and refreshed the ad dashboard approximately 47 times while waiting to see results. Entreprenista Tip: Resist the urge to change everything in the campaign after 24 hours. This technology requires room to learn and iterate, which can be hard when we want to tinker and improve immediately. Give the data enough time to generate some meaningful results before you make changes.

3. Choose the outcome that matters for your business

Start with the business outcome you want and work backward. Does your product or service need more visibility? Consider reach. Need more potential customers visiting your website? Focus on clicks. If sales, signups, or leads are the goal, optimize toward conversions.

If your goal is sales, consider a conversion campaign billed on impressions. It can account for customers who buy after clicking your ad and those who see it, then come back later to purchase.

4. Make your ads answer your customers' questions

In the era of viral advertising, it’s tempting to create clever ads. ChatGPT recommends clear, direct, benefit-focused ads that help customers understand your products and services.

Potential buyers are interacting with ChatGPT in a conversational way, seeking businesses that meet their needs as consumers. Clarity matters more than chasing the latest creative trend. Keep content clear and direct so customers have the best opportunity to learn what your business offers.

5. Connect your product feed

Founders of multi-product businesses with large catalogs know the challenges of keeping their inventory and products up to date. ChatGPT integrates with Shopify through a plug-in, streamlining ad creation and campaign management.

Connecting your product feed gives ChatGPT more accurate information about your products, helping it align with the questions and needs customers bring to their conversations.

How to start advertising with ChatGPT

After creating an account and completing verification, you can start your first ad campaign in 3 simple steps. Create a campaign with your budget and goal. Next, add your ad details by uploading them directly or collaborating with ChatGPT using your website as a source to generate copy and design assets. You have the final say on what goes live. Finally, launch and learn as you measure results and optimize your campaign’s performance.

The opportunity for Entreprenistas

Founders aren’t looking for another marketing channel to invest their energy just because it’s new and shiny. ChatGPT ads are evolving, so there’s still a learning curve as you figure out what works for your business. The more important consideration is whether your product or service benefits from being closer to the buying conversations your customers are having with ChatGPT.

But the fundamentals haven't changed. Know your customer. Understand what they need. Make it easy for them to understand how your business can help. ChatGPT may give you a new place to have that conversation, but the relationship is still yours to build.

Thinking about testing ChatGPT ads for your business? Start with one clear goal, give yourself room to learn, and see what the data tells you.