ChatGPT advertising puts your business in front of people at the moment they ask for a recommendation. Someone asks ChatGPT for the best way to fix a damp wall, plan a wedding or find a local accountant, and a clearly labelled advert for a relevant business can appear right under the answer. That business could be yours.
ChatGPT Ads are now live in the UK, and it is still early days for small business advertisers. SME.Marketing, a brand of HC Media Group, helps small businesses with 1 to 30 staff test this new channel sensibly, alongside the Google Ads that already work for them.
· 100+ five-star Google reviews · 8 years trading · No contracts ·
ChatGPT advertising is paid placement inside ChatGPT, run by OpenAI. Adverts appear below ChatGPT’s answer, marked as sponsored and kept separate from it. OpenAI chooses which advert to show based on the conversation, so a business selling garden rooms is matched to someone asking about garden offices, not to a keyword they typed.
OpenAI says adverts do not change what ChatGPT answers, and advertisers never see anyone’s conversations. You write the advert, point it to a page on your website, describe the kinds of conversations you want to appear in, and set a budget.
OpenAI began showing adverts in ChatGPT in the US in February 2026, switched them on in the UK in June 2026, and opened its self-serve OpenAI Ads Manager to UK businesses later that month. It is still labelled a beta, and OpenAI approves advertisers and adverts against its policies before they run.
A few things are worth knowing before you spend a pound:
So a small business in Essex, Kent or anywhere else in the UK can run ChatGPT Ads today. The honest question is whether it suits your business, and that is where we come in.
You get the same careful, transparent management we give Google Ads, applied to a new platform.
Not every business should be here yet. We look at your sector, your customers and OpenAI's advertising policies, then tell you straight whether ChatGPT Ads for your small business are worth testing now or later.
We set up your OpenAI Ads Manager account, billing and verification, and connect whatever conversion tracking the platform supports, so clicks and enquiries are measured from the start.
ChatGPT uses context based targeting rather than keywords. We write the context hints that describe the conversations you want to appear in, and group your adverts by customer need.
You have a headline and a few lines of copy to earn the click. We write adverts in your customers' words and make sure the page they land on answers their question and asks for the enquiry.
You choose to pay per click or per thousand views. We set sensible maximum bids, watch cost per click on ChatGPT closely, and move budget towards what brings enquiries.
Every month you see impressions, clicks, spend, cost per click and enquiries, side by side with your Google Ads.
Because we treat it as a test, not a gold rush. New advertising channels attract hype. We will tell you what the platform can and cannot do yet, and we will not push you into spending money that should stay in Google Ads.
We know search and AI search. Our Google Ads management for small businesses and small business SEO and GEO service mean we see the whole picture: paid adverts, organic results and AI answers.
You see the price and stay in control. No contracts. Give us three months to prove ourselves. After that, you stay because we are getting you results.
You deal with named people. Our founders set up the business 8 years ago to treat small businesses properly. We have more than 100 five-star Google reviews to show for it.
We think about why people buy. Someone asking ChatGPT for a recommendation is usually researching their options. We built our process around what behavioural science tells us about how people decide to buy, and write adverts that help them choose.
Two parts, kept separate. Our management fee, and the advert spend you pay OpenAI directly. We never mark up your spend.
Starter
Growth
Performance
If you need something a bit more bespoke, we can do that.
No contracts. Give us three months to prove ourselves. After that, you stay because we are getting you results.
Already running Google Ads with us, or want to start? Google Ads management starts at £500 + VAT a month. See Google Ads management for small businesses. Existing clients can ask about adding ChatGPT Ads to their current package.
Most projects start within one to two weeks of our first conversation. OpenAI reviews new accounts and adverts, so we will tell you honestly how long approval is taking at the time.
Step 1
We talk about your business, your customers and your current advertising, and tell you whether ChatGPT Ads are worth testing for you.
Step 2
We set up your account, tracking and first campaign, then submit it for OpenAI’s review.
Step 3
Once approved, your adverts go live. We watch the first weeks closely and adjust bids, context hints and copy.
Step 4
Each month you see what ChatGPT Ads returned next to your other channels. Then we decide together whether to grow, hold or pause.
You ask, we answer.
ChatGPT Ads are sponsored adverts that appear below ChatGPT’s answers, clearly labelled and separate from the answer itself. OpenAI matches adverts to the topic of the conversation, using the context hints, copy and landing page you provide. You pay either per click or per thousand views, through an auction.
Yes. ChatGPT Ads went live in the UK in June 2026, and UK businesses can now buy them through OpenAI’s self-serve Ads Manager, which is still in beta. Adverts reach logged-in adults on the Free and Go plans, and your business and adverts must pass OpenAI’s policy review.
You set your own budget and maximum bid, and you pay OpenAI for clicks or views. OpenAI’s published guidance (September 2026) suggests starting click bids of around $3 to $5 in the US. UK accounts are billed in pounds and UK costs may differ, so we set a test figure for your sector. Our management fee is separate, and we will show you a clear price before you start. Management starts at £500 + VAT a month.
Usually one to two weeks from our first conversation, plus however long OpenAI’s review takes. Setup itself is quick. We will tell you honestly if approval is running slowly.
No. There is no large minimum commitment in Ads Manager, so a small test budget is possible. What matters more is having enough budget to learn from, and we will suggest a realistic test figure for your sector rather than a big number.
We only work with small businesses, we publish our prices and we do not use contracts. We also run SEO and GEO, so we can see how you appear in ChatGPT’s answers as well as its adverts. And we will tell you if the channel is not right for you yet.
Yes, and that is how we recommend using them. Google Ads captures people searching with a clear need, Meta Ads reaches people as they scroll (see paid social advertising for small businesses), and ChatGPT Ads meets people while they are researching and comparing. For a small online shop, Google Ads usually stays the main driver of sales, with ChatGPT Ads as a test on top.
