ChatGPT Ads in Germany:
What matters now
What opportunities ChatGPT Ads offer brands and what matters when getting started
In February 2026, OpenAI began testing ads in ChatGPT, initially in the United States. Since then, it has developed into an international advertising channel: As of August 24, 2026, ChatGPT Ads are also being shown in Germany and numerous other European markets.
Companies can now register directly in the OpenAI Ads Manager, create their own campaigns, and book ChatGPT Ads via self-service. Alternatively, companies can still get started through the OpenAI Ads Solutions team as well as through agency and technology partners.
This allows advertisers to reach potential customers in a new environment – not during a traditional Google search or while scrolling through a social media feed, but while they are asking questions, comparing offers, and preparing decisions.
Before ads can be shown, the company must be verified, billing must be set up, and the ads as well as the associated landing pages must be reviewed. And even though access is now generally available, one thing remains true: ChatGPT Ads are a new and still relatively untested channel – and therefore not automatically the right investment for every company.
what do chatgpt ads look like?
The currently documented standard format is a so-called Chat Card. It can contain the following elements:
- an ad title with up to 50 characters
- ad text with up to 100 characters
an image
the advertiser's name and icon
a link to the landing page
The ad appears below a ChatGPT response and is clearly labeled as “Sponsored”. It is visually and technically separated from the actual response.
In early tests, a single ad card was often displayed. However, OpenAI now points out that multiple ads or elements from different advertisers may also appear below a response.
Important: Companies cannot pay to be included in a ChatGPT response or product recommendation. The ad is a separate paid placement and does not influence the AI-generated response.
who sees ads in chatgpt?
ChatGPT Ads can currently appear to eligible adult users of the following plans:
- ChatGPT Free
- ChatGPT Go
The Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans remain ad-free. Accounts associated with people under the age of 18 also do not receive ads.
This is crucial when evaluating the new channel: ChatGPT has enormous reach, but only some users can actually be reached through ads.
People who use ChatGPT extensively in their professional day-to-day work often have a paid individual or business account. Executives, buyers, developers, marketing managers and other professional target groups could therefore be underrepresented in the available advertising inventory.
This does not mean that ChatGPT Ads are fundamentally unsuitable for B2B. However, before conducting a larger test, companies should realistically assess whether their most important contacts can actually be reached through Free or Go plans.
How are ads selected?
ChatGPT Ads do not work like traditional search ads. Advertisers currently do not book precisely defined keywords for which their ad is guaranteed to appear.
Instead, OpenAI works with so-called Context Hints, among other things. Companies describe topics, questions, situations and intentions that their ads could be relevant to.
The following factors, among others, may be taken into account when selecting an ad:
- context and intent of the current conversation
- information about relevant topics and use cases
- ad title and ad text
- content and relevance of the landing page
- geographic targeting
- bid and expected campaign performance
- defined audiences, where available
Geographic targeting, platform selection and Custom Audiences are generally planned. However, traditional options such as exact keywords, job titles, company sizes or detailed demographic characteristics have not yet been documented to the extent advertisers are familiar with from Google Ads, Meta or LinkedIn.
Personalized ads are initially not available in the European Economic Area. Selection is therefore primarily based on the current conversation as well as general signals such as language, region and campaign settings. Previous chats or stored memories are initially not used for ad personalization in Europe.
How relevant are the ads?
Contextual advertising initially sounds highly targeted. However, early studies show that the matching process does not always work reliably yet.
SE Ranking analyzed more than 50,000 commercially oriented prompts. According to the study, around 14 percent of the recorded ads had only a weak thematic connection to the respective question. That corresponds to approximately one in seven ads.
This study is a snapshot of a still-young platform and not a permanent benchmark. However, it highlights an important challenge: Semantic similarity between a conversation and an ad does not automatically correspond to a specific purchase intent.
For companies, this means:
- describe use cases as specifically as possible
- test different ad variations
- avoid generic advertising messages
- link directly to a relevant offer page
- start with a limited budget
- measure not only clicks, but also qualified inquiries and sales
Initial practical tests: Reach is possible, qualified leads remain difficult
Initial published campaign tests provide a mixed picture.
SE Ranking generated more than 97,000 impressions and 1,263 clicks within around two weeks. The average click-through rate was 1.3 percent. However, the clicks resulted in only very few registrations.
The Canadian agency Choice OMG reported 8,940 impressions and 58 clicks in its own B2B test, but no qualified lead. In the CPC campaigns, average click costs were 4.42 and 4.88 Canadian dollars respectively.
These two tests are not sufficient for a universally applicable assessment. However, they illustrate a potential structural disadvantage in B2B marketing: The more intensively someone uses ChatGPT professionally, the more likely they may be to have a paid and therefore ad-free plan.
The platform can therefore certainly generate reach and clicks. Whether these result in relevant inquiries, however, depends heavily on whether the users who can be reached match the desired target group.
Who can benefit from an early test?
Every relevant new advertising channel should be monitored and understood. However, this does not mean that every company has to invest budget immediately.
B2C and E-Commerce
For B2C companies, e-commerce, travel, local services, digital products and consumer goods that require explanation, a limited test may be worthwhile.
Here, potential customers use ChatGPT, for example, to:
- compare products and providers
- plan a trip or activity
- find solutions to a specific problem
- weigh the advantages and disadvantages of different offers
- prepare for a purchase decision
If the offer, conversational context and landing page fit together well, ChatGPT Ads can create an additional touchpoint in these areas.
B2B and Industry
For B2B and industrial companies, the situation is more difficult. Many professional ChatGPT users use Plus, Pro, Business or Enterprise plans and therefore do not see ads.
B2B companies should currently view ChatGPT Ads more as a learning and testing channel – not as a reliable or predictable source of leads.
A test can still make sense if:
- the target group also conducts research outside large corporate accounts,
- the offer can be described clearly and specifically,
- there is a clearly identifiable use case,
- the landing page is tailored precisely to this situation,
- a limited test budget is available.
For industrial companies, high-quality specialist content, SEO, GEO, Google Ads and targeted sales activities will generally remain the more important channels for the time being.
Restricted Industries
Companies in healthcare, financial and legal services must review the current advertising policies particularly carefully.
Advertising for healthcare and financial services outside the USA is currently generally subject to severe restrictions or is usually not permitted. Political content, gambling, alcohol, tobacco and other sensitive areas are also subject to strict exclusions.
How much do ChatGPT Ads cost?
OpenAI now supports campaigns based on CPM, CPC and conversion-optimized CPC. There are currently no generally applicable benchmarks for click prices, conversion rates or cost per inquiry.
OpenAI has also not published a general minimum budget for Germany. Blanket statements such as “A test costs at least 2,000 euros” should therefore be treated with caution..
The required scale depends on:
- offer and target group
- desired number of conversions
- conversion rate of the landing page
- actual click costs
- length of the decision-making process
- maximum economically viable price per inquiry or purchase
A test budget should therefore be calculated backwards from the desired outcome:
- How many qualified inquiries or purchases are required for an initial assessment?
- What conversion rate does the landing page typically achieve?
- How many clicks are likely to be required for this?
- What click costs are realistic in the Ads Manager?
- At what price per inquiry does the test become uneconomical?
A small budget can provide initial indications regarding reach, ad relevance and click behavior. However, it may not yet be sufficient for a reliable assessment of lead or revenue quality.
What needs to be prepared before the first test?
ChatGPT Ads should only be launched once the campaign objective, landing page and measurement setup have been properly prepared.
This includes:
- a clearly defined offer
- a realistic description of the target group
- specific conversational situations for the Context Hints
- different ad variations
- a suitable product or service page
- UTM parameters and conversion tracking
- OpenAI Pixel or Conversions API, where appropriate
- a maximum acceptable price per inquiry or purchase
- a predefined stopping criterion
The landing page should immediately address the expectation created by the ad. General homepages are often less suitable for this purpose than specific product, service or offer pages.
How can companies in Germany run ChatGPT Ads?
Since the beginning of September 2026, the Self-Service Ads Manager has been available in Germany.
Companies can register at ads.openai.com and then:
- create an advertising account,
- verify the company,
- enter payment and billing information,
- select a campaign objective,
- define budget and targeting,
- define Context Hints,
- submit ads and landing pages,
- set up conversion tracking,
- wait for the ad review,
- monitor and optimize results.
Alternatively, companies can still get started through the OpenAI Ads Solutions team as well as through agency and technology partners.
Before launching, companies should check whether their industry and specific offer are permitted under OpenAI's advertising policies. Ads, images, landing pages and advertising claims are reviewed and may be rejected in the event of violations.
ChatGPT Ads and GEO are not the same
Paid advertising in ChatGPT should not be confused with organic visibility in AI responses.
ChatGPT Ads
- Paid, clearly labeled placement
- Controlled through campaign, bid and budget
- Currently reaches only Free and Go users
- Visibility ends with the campaign
- The objective is reach, clicks and conversions
GEO and AI Search
- Organic mention in an AI response or source citation
- Dependent on relevance, quality, authority and citability
- Can also reach users on paid plans
- Can build long-term visibility
- The objective is mentions, source visibility and qualified visits
SE Ranking's study also confirms this distinction: Only a small proportion of paid placements featured the advertiser simultaneously as a source in the response above.
Advertising therefore does not automatically improve organic visibility in ChatGPT. Companies still need high-quality content, clear service pages, external trust signals and a targeted SEO and GEO strategy.
Our conclusion: Test with a plan instead of out of fear of missing out
ChatGPT Ads deserve a permanent place on the radar – but not automatically in every company's media plan.
For B2C offers, e-commerce, travel, digital products and consumer goods that require explanation, a limited test may make sense. In B2B and industrial environments, however, we would currently not consider ChatGPT Ads a reliable replacement for Google Ads, SEO, GEO or other established lead generation channels.
Our recommendation:
- actively monitor developments
- check access and industry eligibility
- start in a controlled manner if the B2C target group is suitable
- in B2B, test only with a clear learning objective
- evaluate campaigns based on qualified results
- continue optimizing existing performance channels
- build organic AI visibility independently
A new channel does not fix weaknesses in the existing marketing foundation. If landing pages do not convert, tracking is incomplete, or Google Ads, SEO and GEO still offer untapped potential, that is often the more economically sensible place to start.
Are ChatGPT Ads suitable for your company?
We assess whether your target group can be reached through ChatGPT Ads, which offers are suitable for a test and how paid campaigns interact with SEO, GEO and your existing performance marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions About ChatGPT Ads
Yes. Ads have also been shown in Germany since August 24, 2026.
Since the beginning of September, the Self-Service Ads Manager has also been available in Germany.
Generally, yes. They need to set up an advertising account, complete business verification, provide payment details, and have their ads approved. In addition, the advertised industry must comply with OpenAI's advertising policies.
A limited test may make sense in individual cases. However, the reachable target audience is restricted because users on Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans do not see ads. For many B2B and industrial companies, established lead generation channels as well as SEO and GEO currently remain more important.
No. They are displayed separately from the response, labeled as sponsored, and do not influence the response.
No. ChatGPT Ads generate paid reach. SEO and GEO help a company be found organically, mentioned, or considered a trusted source.