OpenAI Ads Manager is the self-serve dashboard, at ads.openai.com, where advertisers build and buy ads that run in ChatGPT. It launched in beta on May 5, 2026. A law firm uses it to create an ad account, pass business verification, then build campaigns, ad groups and ads, set a budget (minimum $25 a day per campaign) and read results. US legal ads are allowed only for advertisers licensed where the ad is shown.
What Ads Manager is
Ads Manager is to ChatGPT ads what Google Ads is to Google search ads: the place where you create campaigns, set budgets, choose targeting and see reports. Ads appear to people on ChatGPT's Free and Go plans, labeled as sponsored and separate from the answer. OpenAI says advertisers cannot shape or rank ChatGPT's answers and do not get access to chats; they see aggregated results such as views and clicks.
Bookedly (bookedly.co) is an AI marketing agency for law firms and builds these campaigns for clients, so the walk-through below is the order that causes the fewest rejections.
How the account is organized
| Level | What it holds | What a law firm sets here |
|---|---|---|
| Ad account | Billing, verification, users | Legal entity, licensed states, payment method |
| Campaign | Goal, budget, schedule | One campaign per case type; goal (views, clicks or conversions); daily budget, $25 minimum |
| Ad group | Targeting | State, city or zip; context hints for the conversation |
| Ad | The sponsored card | Headline, copy, landing page, disclosures |
Setting up, in order
- Create the account and start verification. Every advertiser goes through OpenAI's business verification. Plan for up to seven business days and, for legal advertisers, be ready to confirm that you hold a license. Start this before writing ads.
- Install tracking. OpenAI's pixel is a script on your site that records what happens after a click; the Conversions API sends the same events from your server or CRM. Install both before launch so you can see calls and form fills, not just clicks.
- Create one campaign per case type. Truck accidents, car accidents and wrongful death are different questions in the chat, so give each its own campaign and landing page.
- Choose the goal. Clicks is the easiest first test to read. See how to advertise on ChatGPT as a lawyer for the three goals.
- Set the budget and bid. Budgets are averages: ChatGPT can spend up to twice the daily budget on one day but not more than seven times it over a week. Prices come from a second-price auction weighted by relevance.
- Target by place and conversation. Pick only states where your lawyers are admitted. Add context hints, which are not exact-match keywords.
- Write the ad and submit it for review. Every ad is reviewed. Legal ads also face manual review as a restricted category. Keep claims accurate and send people to a page that matches the ad.
- Check your state bar's filing rule. Some states, such as Texas, Florida and Nevada, want paid ads filed. Details in the how-to guide and in law firm advertising rules.
What to prepare before you log in
- Your bar numbers and the states where each lawyer is licensed
- A landing page per case type with your state-required disclosures
- A way to follow a lead to a signed case (intake sheet or CRM)
- A person who answers new leads within minutes
- A realistic test budget: $25 a day is about $750 over 30 days per campaign
Ads Manager or an agency?
Ads Manager is built so a firm can do this itself. What costs firms time is verification, ad copy that clears both OpenAI and the bar, and tracking to signed cases. Wayman Law Group in St. Louis got 3 signed cases from ChatGPT Ads in under 2 weeks with Bookedly running it. Matt Wayman said: "Had our first two calls from chatads today. Signed one of them up and the other is calling me Friday to sign up." See ChatGPT Ads for law firms.
Questions
What is OpenAI Ads Manager?
The self-serve platform at ads.openai.com for buying ads in ChatGPT. It entered beta on May 5, 2026.
Can a law firm use OpenAI Ads Manager?
Yes in the US, if the advertiser is licensed to practice law in the jurisdiction where the ad is shown and passes verification and review. Legal ads outside the US are not allowed.
Is there a minimum budget?
Yes: $25 a day per campaign.
Do I need a pixel?
You can run without one, but you will not see which clicks became calls. Install the pixel and the Conversions API first.
How is it different from Google Ads?
The ad sits with an AI answer, targeting follows the conversation rather than exact keywords, and the channel is newer. See ChatGPT Ads vs Google Ads.
Want help deciding if it fits your city and case type?
Start with the Free AI Visibility Check.
Sources (checked October 28, 2026)
- OpenAI announcement "New ways to buy ChatGPT ads" (May 5, 2026)
- OpenAI Help Center
- OpenAI Help Center, create campaigns
- OpenAI Help Center "Ads in ChatGPT" and "Our approach to advertising" (Jan 16, 2026)