Starting now, text and image ads can appear directly beneath ChatGPT answers. Here's what it means for reaching customers inside the chatbot.
OpenAI has opened ChatGPT itself as an advertising platform. Starting now, text and image ads will appear directly beneath ChatGPT responses, creating a new way for businesses to reach customers inside the chatbot.
Until now, advertising has mostly lived on search results pages and social feeds. This shift moves ads into the place where more users are asking questions: the ChatGPT interface itself. When a customer gets an answer to their question, your ad appears right below it in the same chat window.
The placements support both text and image formats, giving businesses flexibility to match their brand and message.
The timing of an ad matters as much as where it appears. When a customer has just read a ChatGPT response about a topic relevant to your business, they're already thinking about that subject. An ad appearing immediately below that answer catches them at peak attention and intent.
This is fundamentally different from traditional search advertising, where you're bidding to appear on results pages. Here, you're bidding to appear inside a conversation a customer is already having with an AI assistant.
The ad placement system is controlled by OpenAI, meaning you don't negotiate placement positions directly. Your success depends on bid strategy, creative quality, and relevance to the ChatGPT response your ad appears beneath.
OpenAI's system is set to control ad delivery, with text or image placements appearing beneath ChatGPT responses.
MarketingProfs AI Update, September 11, 2026
If your customers use ChatGPT to research problems your business solves, this channel is worth testing. Start small, measure click-through and conversion rates closely, and refine your creative based on performance. As more users ask questions inside ChatGPT instead of traditional search, this placement will only grow in importance.
How WebKing runs this
We manage your ad setup to run placements beneath ChatGPT responses, handling placement strategy and creative optimization so your business appears where customers are already asking questions.
When a user gets an answer from ChatGPT, text or image ads now display directly beneath that response in the same chat window. Your ad appears right in the flow of their conversation, not on a separate page.
Yes. Google ads appear on search results pages; ChatGPT ads appear inside the chatbot experience itself. Since more users are asking questions directly to ChatGPT instead of traditional search engines, this is a new channel to reach them where they're already looking for answers.
According to the September 2026 announcement, OpenAI's system is set to control ad delivery, though the source does not specify eligibility criteria or pricing details for businesses wanting to advertise.
The placements support both text and image formats, so you can run product listings, service descriptions, or visual ads depending on your business. Ads positioned directly below relevant ChatGPT answers tend to capture high-intent customers already engaged with related topics.
Sources
The Lab is original analysis by WebKing. We summarize and interpret developments from the sources above for industrial, commercial, and small business owners. Figures are reported as published by their sources.
More from the desk
Photo: phyo minSalesforce released purpose-built AI agents for sales teams, customer service, commerce, IT, HR, and supply chain operations. Here's what each one does and which workflows they actually save time on.
Photo: Brooke CagleSocial listening catches buying signals before prospects become leads. Here's the workflow that turns online conversations into pipeline.
Photo: Sven MiekeAs customer retention costs climb, small business owners are rethinking when and how they reach existing customers. Here's what's shifting in the market.
Free audit
We read your search, ads and AI visibility, then tell you which of these moves actually applies to your business. Free, 30 minutes, no pitch deck.
