Part 3: Should You Advertise in ChatGPT? Here’s What to Watch For

With OpenAI now testing ads in ChatGPT, one question is starting to come up more often: Should I be advertising there?

For most businesses, the answer today isn’t a simple yes or no. It’s more like: not yet, but pay attention.

We’ve seen this cycle before. A new platform announces ads, and the early hype cycle kicks off. Agencies rush in with bold claims and budgets follow. But in many cases, it takes time before a new channel becomes a reliable part of the advertising mix.

Smart marketers pay less attention to whether a platform is new, and more attention to whether it’s ready to perform.

Ashlie Kim, Scorpion’s SVP of Advertising, put it like this:

“I remember when plumbing clicks on Google were $1. I anticipate pricing will be favorable to start and will ramp up rapidly over time. I’d also caution folks to beware of agencies that claim they have the ‘secret sauce’ or ‘favorable relationship’ with ChatGPT. Only work through trusted advisors.”

In other words, being early can pay off, but only when you have the right strategy and the right partner.

3 things to keep in mind if you’re watching ChatGPT ads

1. Early pricing may be appealing, but performance is what matters.
   If clicks or impressions are cheap but unqualified, that’s not a win. Don’t mistake novelty for value. Focus on whether the platform can actually drive conversions, not just awareness.
    

2. Content and authority will matter more than ever.
   ChatGPT isn’t a traditional search engine. It’s designed to recommend answers, and those recommendations are influenced by brand presence, content quality, and reputation signals. That makes investing in visibility beyond ads essential.
    

3. Watch for technical maturity.
   Some platforms launch ads before they’ve built out the tools that make campaigns easy to manage or measure. If things like reporting, targeting, or integrations are limited, results may be harder to trust. This is where Scorpion’s test-first approach helps separate potential from pitfalls.
    

Bottom line: Curiosity is good. Blind bets aren’t.

At Scorpion, we’re already monitoring the rollout of ChatGPT ads, and we’ll test performance before recommending it as part of your strategy. If and when it becomes a strong channel, you’ll be the first to know.

Until then, the best thing you can do is focus on what ChatGPT and other AI tools already value: authority, trust, and high-quality content that helps people solve real problems.