Sponsored Agents in ChatGPT Ads: A 2027 Planning Guide
Who can use ChatGPT Sponsored Agents, what is known about pricing, and how eligible businesses can prepare a Business Agent and a paid test for 2027.
A Sponsored Agent lets someone open a labeled conversation with a business's agent from a ChatGPT ad. They can ask about a product or service, resolve a question, and follow a link to the business's website.
Last checked 11 November 2026. Sponsored Agents remain a limited test with selected US advertisers. Eligible US ecommerce and online service businesses can already create a Business Agent through Business Hub. This guide uses 2027 as a planning horizon. OpenAI has not announced a date for general Sponsored Agent access. See the current availability notice.
What is a Sponsored Agent in ChatGPT?
It is a paid route into a conversation with a business. The buyer's journey has three steps.
- ChatGPT gives its independent answer. An eligible user may also see a clearly labeled ad.
- The buyer chooses to open the advertiser's agent from the ad. This conversation represents the business and is separate from the original ChatGPT conversation.
- The buyer asks follow-up questions and can visit the business's website to take the next step.
OpenAI announced the US test on 16 September 2026. Ads do not give advertisers control over ChatGPT's independent answers. Read OpenAI's announcement.
Who can use Sponsored Agents right now?
Business profiles, Business Agents, and sponsored placements have separate access requirements.
| Feature | Current access | Platform cost |
|---|---|---|
| Business profile | Eligible businesses where claiming and verification are supported | Reported free at launch |
| Business Agent | Eligible US ecommerce and online service businesses with a website | Reported free at launch |
| Sponsored Agent | Selected US advertisers in a limited test | Paid placement, with no generally published price |
Business Hub launched in beta on 10 November 2026. OpenAI's launch announcement explains the profile and agent rollout. The free-at-launch pricing was reported directly from an OpenAI briefing by Digiday. Future charges remain possible.
Claim approval and Persona identity verification are separate. Both must be approved before you can create an eligible agent. A verified profile does not establish agent eligibility or sponsored access. Check the setup requirements before committing to a launch.
Can customers find a Business Agent without an ad?
Yes. When a business appears in a ChatGPT answer, someone can open its business profile. If a published Business Agent is available, they can choose to chat with it. A Sponsored Agent uses that agent as the destination for paid traffic. OpenAI describes both routes.
This gives an eligible business a reason to prepare useful answers before sponsored access opens. Publishing an agent does not guarantee that ChatGPT recommends the business. Accurate information, independent visibility, and the quality of the agent's answers need separate attention.
What can you build today?
The current Business Agent explains products and policies and links to your website. Purchases, bookings, and order lookups happen there. Shopify is optional. See the current capabilities.
For this format, building means configuring OpenAI's Business Agent with your information and instructions, then testing its answers. In the November 10 briefing reported by Digiday, OpenAI said businesses could not bring their own agents. A custom website assistant or API integration is a separate project.
How do you prepare a Business Agent worth sponsoring?
- Choose one buying decision. Start with a product family or service where customers repeatedly need help choosing. For a flooring retailer, that might be compatibility with underfloor heating. For a subscription business, it might be choosing a plan for a particular integration.
- Prepare approved answers. Gather product specifications, plan rules, pricing, delivery, returns, and service limits. Record the page or document that supports each answer and give someone responsibility for keeping it current.
- Define the website handoff. Choose the exact product, comparison, quote, booking, or support page that helps the customer continue. A general homepage is rarely the most useful destination for a specific question.
- Test uncertainty and exceptions. Try a missing price, an expired offer, similar product names, a refund exception, and an unsupported request. Check whether the answer stays within the source material and sends the customer to the right place.
Review the Business Agents Policy before publishing. Keep the agent's information current and do not instruct it to invent availability, guarantees, or results.
A simple example to test before launch
The following is an illustrative furniture-retailer example, not a campaign result.
| Customer question | Approved information needed | Useful next step |
|---|---|---|
| Does this table seat six without the extension? | The exact model's dimensions and stated seating capacity | Link to that model's product page |
| Can it arrive before my event? | The published delivery policy and any limits on delivery estimates | Link to the delivery check or support page for confirmation |
| Can I return it after assembly? | The current return policy, including relevant conditions | Link to the policy or a support contact if the case needs review |
A useful test records the answer, its supporting source, the destination link, and any correction needed. This creates a repeatable review process when products or policies change.
Need help defining the first use case? Plan your Business Agent with CiteMine around one offer, approved answers, and a clear website handoff.
What is known about Sponsored Agent pricing and access?
OpenAI has not published a generally applicable Sponsored Agent price or minimum-spend amount. Requirements may depend on the testing program.
The general availability page says early-access requests are not being accepted. OpenAI also hosts a HubSpot interest form for possible future testing. Registering interest does not confirm access or a launch date.
The form lists potential requirements including creative automation, automatic bidding, and a minimum daily ad spend for 28 days. Final criteria, the amount, and the currency are to be confirmed before onboarding. These are conditional criteria for that program, not universal published terms.
Plan separately for agent preparation and maintenance, any future platform charge, and paid media. Regular ad budgets do not establish the cost of a Sponsored Agent test. See our guide to budgeting a regular ChatGPT Ads test.
What can you measure?
Business Hub reports aggregate activity over the previous 28 days. For online businesses, a recorded mention requires a website reference. A brand-name mention alone does not count. Blank metrics can reflect reporting thresholds or unavailable data rather than zero activity. See OpenAI's reporting definitions.
OpenAI says businesses do not receive users' conversations or Business Agent chats. Its launch announcement describes aggregate insights designed to protect user privacy.
Keep profile insights, paid campaign reporting, and website conversions separate. A website click is not a completed purchase. Use our ChatGPT visibility measurement guide to distinguish your own prompt checks from platform-reported activity.
What should a sponsored test prove?
Choose the business outcome before setting a media budget. A furniture retailer might test whether answering fit and delivery questions brings more qualified shoppers to a collection. A service business might measure completed, qualified quote requests.
If your account has access and suitable reporting, compare the agent route with a regular ad for the same offer. Confirm available events, destination tracking, and attribution windows before comparing totals. Set a review point and a spending limit around your own economics. Do not assume a longer conversation means a better customer.
Eligible businesses can prepare an agent now and consider a regular ChatGPT Ads campaign where it fits the offer. Leave room in the 2027 plan for a sponsored comparison if access becomes available.
Plan your Business Agent with CiteMine
Business Hub lets the claiming administrator grant agency access, subject to account and workspace requirements. Use individual accounts and the supported invitation process. Read OpenAI's agency-access guidance.
Bring your website and one product or service. CiteMine can help assess eligibility, organize approved information, define the agent's first use case, and scope testing and website handoffs. If your account has Sponsored Agent access, we can also plan a paid test. OpenAI controls eligibility and access.
Plan your Business Agent with CiteMine. For the wider strategy, read how to reach customers in ChatGPT in 2027.
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