How to Advertise on ChatGPT: A Beginner's Guide to the Most Powerful New Ad Platform in 2026

If you've been wondering whether ChatGPT advertising is real, whether it works, and whether your business should be on it — this episode is going to answer every single one of those questions. Ahmet Dogan, CEO of LeadGulls Digital Marketing Agency and official OpenAI ads partner agency for ChatGPT advertising, breaks down everything a beginner needs to know to get started with one of the most exciting and underutilized ad platforms available to marketers and business owners right now.We're living in a massive shift in how people search for information, compare products, and make buying decisions. Google was the king of search intent for two decades. But today, millions of people are skipping the search engine entirely and going straight to ChatGPT to ask their questions and get recommendations. Over 100 million active users every single month are typing in questions like "what's the best CRM for my business" or "where should I buy running shoes" or "what's the top digital marketing agency I should hire." These are not passive browsers. These are buyers with their wallets ready. And right now, most businesses have absolutely no presence in those conversations. That is the opportunity this episode is all about.Ahmet walks you through exactly how ChatGPT's sponsored response model works — what it looks like from the user's side, why it feels so different from traditional banner ads or social media interruptions, and why conversation-based intent targeting is a completely different and far more powerful game than keyword or demographic targeting alone. When your brand shows up as a helpful, relevant recommendation inside a conversation that a potential customer is already having, the impact is fundamentally different from any other ad format that exists today.But this episode isn't just theory. Ahmet gives you a practical, five-step beginner framework to actually launch your first and best ChatGPT ad campaign. Step one is defining your goal clearly before you spend a single dollar. Step two is building what LeadGulls calls a Question Intent Map — understanding the exact questions your ideal customers are typing into ChatGPT so you can target those moments with precision. Step three is crafting a sponsored message that adds real value and feels like a genuine recommendation rather than a pushy sales pitch, because ChatGPT users are smart and engaged and they will tune out anything that feels inauthentic. Step four is setting a realistic starting budget and running small tests before you scale, using data to guide your decisions rather than gut feelings. And step five is making sure your tracking and conversion infrastructure is properly set up so you know exactly what's happening after every single click.Ahmet also gets real about timing. ChatGPT advertising is still in its early stages, and that early stage is where the biggest opportunities always live. The businesses that figured out Google Ads in 2002 built empires. The brands that mastered Facebook Ads in 2010 dominated their industries for years. We are at that exact same inflection point with ChatGPT right now. The cost per click is lower than established platforms. The competition is significantly lower. And the quality of user intent is higher than almost anything else available to advertisers today. That window will not stay open forever, and this episode makes the case clearly and compellingly for why now is the time to act.LeadGulls Digital Marketing Agency is one of the first and only agencies in the world operating as an official OpenAI ads partner, giving their clients early access, deeper platform insights, and a competitive edge that most agencies cannot offer. Visit LeadGulls.com to grab the free ChatGPT Ads Starter Guide mentioned in this episode and take the first step toward putting your brand inside the conversations that matter most.Learn more: https://leadgulls.com/openai-chatgpt-ads-agencyhttps://leadgulls.com/ai-advertising-agency