Hi and welcome back to another edition of The Keyword.
ChatGPT ads have been live for 6 months and the company just added another proven feature from Google ads to improve targeting.
— Kole from Wilow
Feature
OpenAI added custom audiences to ChatGPT Ads, letting advertisers upload their own email and phone lists to show ads to specific customers inside ChatGPT.
Advertisers can include a list, exclude it, or raise bids when a viewer matches, the same way they use Google Customer Match. This update rounds up a fast six months for the new advertising channel:
February: ChatGPT Ads launched in the US for free and Go users.
March: The pilot expanded to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
April to May: A self-serve Ads Manager opened, CPC bidding landed, and OpenAI removed the minimum spend. The UK, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea went live.
June: CPA bidding turned on.
July: Custom audiences arrived, the first targeting built on an advertiser's own data.
The reach ceiling still applies. Ads show only to adults on the free and Go tiers, so even a matched list reaches a fraction of ChatGPT's users, and Plus, Pro, and Business stay ad-free.
Custom audiences make ChatGPT Ads adopt more of the proven Google model. If you have a clean customer list (of 25k+ users), it's now easier to test, but keep in mind that your ad reach is limited to ChatGPT’s free/Go users.
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More Headlines
🔗 Google Adds Connected Apps to AI Mode
Users in the U.S. can now link supported apps, allowing AI Mode to pass tasks directly into services like Instacart, Canva, and YouTube Music without leaving Search.
📢 Apple Maps Is Moving Closer to Its Ads Launch
Local advertisers can now see who will and will not be able to buy placements when Apple Maps ads launch this summer in the U.S. and Canada. Apple's policy excludes home services trades, bail bonds, and cryptocurrency ATMs, and routes Maps campaigns through the Apple Business platform rather than the existing Apple Ads interface.
🤖 X Is Testing Grok Inside Its Ads Manager
Advertisers running campaigns on X may find an AI assistant embedded in the buying workflow, offering guidance on approach and creative before a campaign goes live. The beta reaches selected advertisers through an in-app notification and adds tooltips alongside the chatbot inside Ads Manager.
🛍️ TikTok Shop Is Piloting a Managed Service for Sellers
Brands selling on TikTok Shop have the option to hand their marketing, ad buying, creator recruitment, and content production to TikTok itself, for a flat fee plus a cut of each sale. The pilot puts TikTok in direct competition with the third-party Shop agencies that have run those functions for sellers since 2023.
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You’re caught up
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