ChatGPT Ads Are Here: OpenAI Sets a $200K Minimum Buy

ChatGPT is moving from “influence layer” to “media channel,” and it’s happening fast. If you’ve been treating answer engines as purely organic real estate, OpenAI’s ad rollout is the clearest signal yet that paid placement is about to become a normal part of how brands show up inside AI-driven experiences.

This matters now because OpenAI isn’t quietly experimenting with a few test banners. The company is asking for serious budget commitments, with ad testing for some brands starting as early as February 6. That timeline forces B2B marketers and media buyers to decide: do you wait for case studies, or do you get in early and learn before the channel gets crowded?

What happened: OpenAI begins beta ads in ChatGPT

OpenAI is rolling out beta ads on ChatGPT and is approaching select advertisers with a substantial minimum commitment. According to reporting aggregated by MediaGazer, “OpenAI says it is asking select advertisers to commit at least $200K as it rolls out beta ads on ChatGPT; two sources say their firms were pitched lower amounts.”

Adweek separately reported: “EXCLUSIVE: OpenAI Confirms $200,000 Minimum Commitment for ChatGPT Ads — For some brands, ad testing starts as early as February 6.” That confirmation does two things at once: it validates the minimum buy as real, and it establishes that the rollout isn’t theoretical—testing is imminent for some brands.

OpenAI has also previously confirmed it is testing ads in ChatGPT for specific user tiers. As BleepingComputer reported, “OpenAI previously confirmed that it's testing ads in ChatGPT for free and $8 Go accounts.” The same BleepingComputer coverage notes early rollout indicators: “now we're seeing early signs of that rollout, at least on Android.”

Finally, TechRadar described the measurement model as limited at this stage, characterizing ChatGPT ads as “offering impression data only.”

What this means for B2B marketers (and why AEO just got harder)

1) ChatGPT is becoming a paid influence surface—without the measurement you’re used to

If the current setup is “impression data only” (per TechRadar), you should assume this looks more like early-stage awareness buying than performance marketing. For B2B, that’s not automatically bad—but it changes how you plan.

If you’re used to judging channels by conversion tracking, lead quality, and multi-touch attribution, the early ChatGPT ad environment (as described) pushes you toward:

• Brand lift thinking
• Share-of-voice thinking
• Message testing and learning agendas

That’s a different muscle than most demand gen teams are currently optimized for.

2) The minimum buy is a filter—and it will shape who learns first

OpenAI confirming a $200,000 minimum commitment (Adweek) is a major gating mechanism. It means early learnings will skew toward brands that can afford to treat this as an experiment.

For B2B marketers, the implication is simple: if you’re not in the first wave, you still need a plan to compete against the companies that are. Those companies will be learning what messaging works inside ChatGPT while everyone else is waiting for “best practices.”

3) Your organic AEO strategy now has a paid neighbor

Even if your focus is Answer Engine Optimization, ads change user behavior and competitive dynamics. Once paid placements exist inside an answer engine like ChatGPT, you’re no longer only competing on relevance and credibility—you’re also competing with budgets.

That doesn’t mean AEO becomes less important. It means you need to anticipate blended SERP-like behavior inside answer engines: paid visibility plus organic visibility, both influencing what the user sees and trusts.

4) Audience targeting starts where the product is rolling out

OpenAI’s testing is tied to specific account types—“free and $8 Go accounts,” per BleepingComputer—and early signs are appearing “at least on Android,” also per BleepingComputer. That matters for B2B because it affects who you reach first.

If your ICP tends to be desktop-heavy, enterprise-heavy, or primarily on paid tiers, you should be cautious about assuming immediate reach. But you should still prepare, because the direction is clear: ads are entering the ChatGPT experience.

What to do right now (practical next steps)

1) Decide whether you’re an “early buyer” or an “early learner”

Given the confirmed $200,000 minimum commitment (Adweek) and the beta nature of the rollout (MediaGazer), most B2B brands will fall into one of two categories:

• **Early buyer:** You can justify the spend and want first-party learnings.
• **Early learner:** You won’t spend yet, but you’ll prepare aggressively so you can move fast when the channel becomes more accessible.

Make that call now—because some testing starts as early as February 6 (Adweek).

2) Build a measurement plan that works with impression-only reporting

If the current offering is “impression data only” (TechRadar), define success metrics you can actually observe without pretending you’ll get conversion-level clarity.

Examples of what you can do immediately:

• Align internal stakeholders that this is an awareness and learning play
• Predefine what “good” looks like (e.g., message resonance, branded search lift proxies, inbound mentions)—and be explicit about what you *won’t* be able to prove from platform reporting alone

The key is to avoid setting performance expectations the channel can’t meet in its current form.

3) Tighten your AEO fundamentals to defend organic visibility

As paid placements arrive in ChatGPT, your organic presence has to be stronger, clearer, and more defensible. Even if you’re not running ads, you should:

• Audit your core category narratives and product claims for clarity
• Ensure your content answers high-intent questions directly
• Strengthen the credibility signals you control (clear positioning, consistent messaging, and authoritative explanations)

This is especially important as users compare what they see in ChatGPT with what they see in Google AI Overviews, Copilot, Perplexity, Brave, and Meta AI.

4) Prepare creative that fits an answer-engine context

ChatGPT is not a social feed. The user intent is different: they’re asking for help, decisions, and summaries.

So your ads (if you’re in the beta) should be built to complement the moment: clear, specific, and helpful. Think “decision support,” not hype.

Bottom line

OpenAI has confirmed a $200,000 minimum commitment for beta ads in ChatGPT, with some ad testing starting as early as February 6. If you’re a B2B marketer, treat this as the start of paid competition inside answer engines—and get your measurement, messaging, and AEO strategy ready now.