A ChatGPT ad is one format: a title of up to 24 characters, a description of up to 48, and a single square image between 640 and 1200 pixels. It renders as a sponsored card below the answer, one ad per conversation, and it never changes what the model says. Those constraints are tighter than any other platform, which makes the discipline of writing to them the whole game.
The one format, and where it appears
There is no carousel, no video, no expandable unit, at least not yet. Every ad is the same card: title, description, square image, landing URL. It appears beneath ChatGPT's reply when someone on the free or Go tier asks a question your ad is relevant to, and only one ad shows per conversation. The simplicity is the point: you are writing a single, clear message for a specific moment, not designing a layout.
Title, copy and image limits
| Element | Limit | Aim for |
|---|---|---|
| Title | 24 characters | 16 to 24 |
| Description | 48 characters | 32 to 48 |
| Image | 1:1, 640 to 1200px, PNG or JPG | A clear product or scene |
Write to the ceiling. A title at 24 characters reads as complete; one at 10 looks like a placeholder and wastes the only headline you get. The same goes for the description: use the space to name the situation and the payoff, because you do not get a second line.
What actually serves
- +Show the product or the outcome in the image, not your logo. A logo as the primary image reads as a banner and matches nothing.
- +Match the card to the moment your context hints target, so the ad feels like part of the conversation.
- +Point the landing URL at an intent-matched page, not the homepage, so the click keeps the relevance it arrived with.
- +Keep the message to one idea. There is no room for two, and the auction rewards a clean match over a clever one.
The creative and the context hints are one system: the card has to deliver on the situation the hints promised, or the relevance score, and your cost, both suffer.
Ads do not influence the answer
This matters for how you write, and for what you tell a nervous client. The answer is generated first and is never influenced by advertisers. Your ad renders separately, below it. That separation is an advantage: the card borrows the trust of a helpful answer instead of competing with it, which is exactly why relevance beats budget here. The full picture of how placements are priced is in the costs guide.
