OpenAI Sets a $200K Minimum Commitment for ChatGPT Ads

OpenAI just put a price floor on ChatGPT ads—and it changes who can play

B2B marketers have been waiting for the moment “ads in ChatGPT” goes from rumor to a real media line item. That moment is now—and the first concrete detail is a big one.

OpenAI has confirmed there’s a minimum spend commitment required to run ads in ChatGPT. For B2B teams trying to plan pilots, prove incremental lift, or simply get ahead of competitors inside answer engines, a hard minimum immediately reshapes testing strategy, channel access, and measurement expectations.

The news: OpenAI confirms a $200,000 minimum commitment for ChatGPT ads

According to Google News coverage categorized as an official announcement under “OpenAI Advertising,” OpenAI confirmed a minimum spend commitment for ChatGPT ads.

The key detail is captured directly in the headline quote provided by the source: **“OpenAI Confirms $200,000 Minimum Commitment for ChatGPT Ads.”** (Google News: OpenAI Advertising)

That’s the verified fact: a **$200,000 minimum commitment** is required to run ads in ChatGPT.

What this means for B2B marketers (and why it matters beyond media buying)

A minimum commitment doesn’t just influence budget. It influences who gets to learn first.

1) Early access becomes a budget gate, not a strategy gate

With a $200K minimum, ChatGPT ads start as an enterprise channel by default. That means:

• Fewer advertisers will be able to test in-market immediately.
• The earliest performance learnings will concentrate among larger brands and agencies managing larger portfolios.
• For mid-market B2B, “we’ll just run a small pilot” isn’t realistic if the minimum is a hard requirement.

This matters because answer engines are already changing how buyers discover vendors. ChatGPT is one of the named platforms shaping that behavior, alongside **Google AI Overviews, Copilot, Perplexity, Brave, and Meta AI**. If paid placement enters the mix, the teams that can afford early experimentation may shape category narratives faster.

2) Your AEO plan can’t depend on paid ChatGPT access

A $200K minimum commitment is a clear signal: you should treat ChatGPT ads as a high-stakes program, not a “nice-to-have test.” For most B2B orgs, that means your near-term plan for visibility inside answer engines should be anchored in **Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)**—not paid inventory you may not be able to access.

Even if you *can* afford the minimum, you still shouldn’t build your answer-engine presence on ads alone. Ads can buy attention; they don’t automatically buy trust, clarity, or accurate product understanding.

3) Measurement expectations need to be set before you spend

A minimum commitment forces a different internal conversation:

• What business outcome justifies a six-figure commitment?
• What would make this a win: pipeline influence, brand lift, category ownership, or something else?
• How will you compare performance across answer engines where the user journey is fundamentally different than classic search?

You don’t need more facts to see the operational reality: a large minimum raises the bar for planning, creative, and post-test analysis.

What to do right now (practical moves, even if you can’t spend $200K)

You have two paths: prepare to buy, or prepare to compete without buying. Either way, you can take action this week.

1) Decide if ChatGPT ads are an enterprise-only channel for you (for now)

Based on OpenAI’s confirmed minimum commitment, make a simple decision:

• If **$200K is feasible**, treat this like a major channel launch with a real learning agenda.
• If **$200K is not feasible**, don’t waste cycles trying to force a small pilot. Redirect that energy into AEO and owned content that answer engines can confidently cite.

2) Build an “answer-first” content backlog you can ship fast

If answer engines are where buyers ask questions, your job is to publish the clearest answers. Focus on:

• Category questions buyers ask before they know your brand
• Comparison and “alternatives” pages that explain tradeoffs plainly
• Implementation, pricing, and security answers written for real evaluation

This is the work that can improve your visibility across **ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Copilot, Perplexity, Brave, and Meta AI**—without relying on a paid minimum you may not want to commit to.

3) Tighten your positioning so an answer engine can’t misunderstand you

Answer engines compress and summarize. If your messaging is vague, the summary will be vague.

Do a quick audit:

• Can a buyer understand what you do in one sentence?
• Is your differentiation concrete (who it’s for, what it replaces, what outcome it drives)?
• Do your pages answer “what is it,” “who is it for,” and “when is it not a fit” clearly?

The goal is simple: make it easy for an answer engine to describe you accurately.

4) If you can afford the minimum, plan like you’re buying learning—not just clicks

A $200K commitment should buy more than impressions. Before you spend:

• Define the 3–5 questions or intents you want to own
• Align stakeholders on what success looks like
• Make sure your landing experiences answer the same questions the ad appears next to

Treat it as a controlled learning program tied to your broader AEO strategy, not a standalone media experiment.

Bottom line

OpenAI has confirmed that running ads in ChatGPT requires a **$200,000 minimum commitment** (Google News: OpenAI Advertising). Whether you can buy in or not, the smart move is the same: double down on AEO so you earn visibility across answer engines—with or without paid access.