OpenAI’s ChatGPT reaches the coupon stage of building an ad business

July 30, 2026 - 07:24

OpenAI is moving into a familiar but telling stage of building an advertising business: the coupon offer. The company is preparing to hand out promotional ad credits to marketers, hoping to lure more brands into testing its ChatGPT advertising system.

The move signals that OpenAI is serious about turning its popular chatbot into a revenue-generating platform beyond subscriptions. By offering free credits, the company aims to lower the barrier for advertisers who may be hesitant to commit budget to an untested format. Early tests have focused on sponsored prompts and contextual ad placements within ChatGPT conversations, but adoption has been cautious.

Offering coupons is a classic tactic in the ad industry. It helps platforms gather data on advertiser behavior, refine targeting tools, and prove return on investment before asking for bigger budgets. For OpenAI, the challenge is convincing marketers that ads inside a conversational AI feel natural rather than intrusive. If the credits generate enough positive case studies, the company could accelerate its push into a market long dominated by Google and Meta.

The timing also matters. As competition among AI chatbots heats up, advertising revenue could help offset the high costs of running large language models. For now, OpenAI is betting that a little free money will go a long way toward building its ad business from the ground up.