13 · Performance AI

Advertising where
decisions are made.

Since May 2026, OpenAI has opened its self-serve Ads Manager: for the first time it is possible to buy advertising space inside ChatGPT with CPC, conversational targeting and conversion tracking. This is not just another channel. It is a paradigm shift.

Goodea is among the first in Italy to work on ChatGPT Ads — OpenAI's advertising channel that lets you reach users at the exact moment they are reasoning about a purchase, comparing options or looking for a solution. Not keywords: conversational context.

01 — Why everything changes

You don't buy keywords.
You buy context.

On Google you reach people who have already formulated a query. On ChatGPT you reach people who are still thinking — in the middle of a conversation, comparing options, asking for advice, weighing alternatives. It is the highest point in the decision-making process: before the choice is made, not after.

The format is different. The ad appears as a helpful suggestion, clearly labelled as sponsored, separate from the model's organic response. The tone that works is not that of traditional advertising — it is that of a relevant recommendation. Brands that arrive with Google Ads copy waste their budget.

Start with a Digital Plan →
02 — The platform

How
ChatGPT Ads works.

Campaign structure

Campaigns · Ad Sets · Ads

The hierarchy is familiar: campaign (objective and budget), ad set (conversational targeting), ad (headline, body, CTA, URL). The objective can be traffic or conversion.

Targeting

Topics · Intents · Prompts

You don't select keywords but contexts: thematic categories, intent signals ("comparing options", "looking for a solution") and example prompts that represent the real questions your customers ask.

Bidding

CPC with daily budget

The model is CPC. Current values range between $3 and $5 per click — set to shift as new advertisers enter. A daily or lifetime budget is set with spend-pacing control.

Measurement

OpenAI Pixel + CAPI

OpenAI has released its own pixel (like Meta Pixel) and a server-side Conversions API. Purchases, leads, sign-ups and page views are tracked. Without conversion tracking the channel is unmanageable.

Access

Self-serve beta USA → Italy

The rollout started in the USA in May 2026 via ads.openai.com. Access requires business verification. Goodea monitors the international expansion and supports onboarding as soon as it becomes available for Italian advertisers.

Integration

AEO + Paid: the complete system

Those who already work on organic AI visibility (AEO/GEO) have an advantage: they know which conversational contexts bring qualified traffic. That map feeds paid targeting, reducing the learning cost.

03 — Approach

Mistakes that
burn the budget.

Every new channel has its own specific ways to waste money. On ChatGPT Ads the most common are: using aggressive search-advertising copy (wrong tone for a conversational context), sending traffic to the homepage instead of landing pages built around the specific intent, and ignoring indirect attribution — a user sees the ad, doesn't click, comes back three days later searching for the brand. Last-click attribution doesn't capture this journey.

Goodea manages ChatGPT Ads with the same method it uses on Google and Meta: measurement structure first, then spend. No campaign goes live without verified tracking and a landing page built to convert the intent being purchased.

See the campaign service →
New channel, real advantage

Start before
the others.

Let's talk →