# ChatGPT Ads Manager — Account Setup From Zero URL: https://www.gptadsai.com/guides/ads-manager-account-setup Updated: 2026-05-21 Type: Guide · Pillar 02 · HowTo Author: Tarun Kapoor, Founder · GPT Ads AI Reading time: 11 min > Setting up an OpenAI Ads Manager Beta account is a five-step process — sign-up, onboarding + verification, account info, billing, and inviting team members. OpenAI reviews applications in a rolling queue. Campaigns do not deliver until every step is complete. Most friction comes from two steps people skim past: identity verification through Persona, and the account-info step that controls how your business name and logo render in the ad unit. ## Prerequisites before you start Have these ready before opening Ads Manager Beta: - Business email tied to the account owner (use a domain email, not personal Gmail) - Legal business name and matching website - 1:1 square logo, ideally transparent PNG — becomes the favicon in your ad unit - Industry classification — accurate, not aspirational - Country, currency, time zone — pick the country that matches your billing entity - Government-issued ID for the account owner — Persona will request it - Business credit card with matching billing address - Invoice delivery email — ideally a shared finance@ alias ## The five steps ### Step 1: Sign up and create your account Navigate to OpenAI's Ads Manager Beta sign-up page. An OpenAI account is required first — the flow lets you create one inline if needed. Use your business email. OpenAI explicitly states each business should have only one account owner create the advertiser account. They become the default admin and can invite the rest of the team after the account exists. For agencies: the client's employee (typically a marketing or finance lead) should be the account owner. The agency joins later as a team member. This keeps ownership inside the client business — important if you ever offboard. ### Step 2: Complete onboarding and Persona verification Three sub-steps per OpenAI's docs: 1. Business details: business name, website, logo, industry 2. Account details: country, currency, time zone, required fields. Accepting Terms and Privacy Policy 3. Account verification: identity questions handled through Persona, OpenAI's identity verification partner Application then goes into the review queue. OpenAI considers whether advertisers offer products eligible for ads under their Ads Policies. Read the Ads Policies before applying — getting flagged because you didn't realize your category is restricted is the most common preventable rejection. Persona snags we've seen: - ID must be in-date and government-issued - Live selfie must visually match the ID - Steady connection required - Mobile flow tends to work better than desktop webcam - The account owner must be the person being verified — delegate IDs trip the system ### Step 3: Complete account information Once OpenAI emails that platform access is granted, navigate to Settings → Account info and confirm two fields: - **Account name** — renders as "Advertiser name" in your ad unit. Spell exactly as you want consumers to read it. - **Logo** — becomes your favicon in the ad unit. Clean 1:1 image with strong contrast renders best at small sizes. OpenAI is explicit: "Ads will not serve unless this step is complete." We've seen clients launch campaigns and wonder why they aren't delivering, only to discover this step was skipped after access was granted. ### Step 4: Set up billing and payment Two parts per OpenAI's docs: 1. Create a billing profile: business name, invoice delivery email, billing address. Match the country/region shown on your account. Include state/region and postal code where required. Invoice delivery email is used for finance communication — use a shared alias. 2. Add a payment method: credit card details with matching billing address. Until both pieces are in place, campaigns cannot deliver — even if everything else is configured. ### Step 5: Invite team members After the account is set up, the owner invites the rest of the team. Go to Settings → Users → Invite, enter email addresses, and assign roles. Recommended minimum: one media buyer (campaign edit), one analyst (read-only / reporting), one finance lead (billing visibility). Agencies typically get a media buyer seat. ## If you manage multiple advertisers OpenAI is clear: each advertiser needs its own account. There is no master "agency account" with multiple advertiser children — at least not in 2026. For agencies and holding companies: - Repeat the full five-step setup for every advertiser business you manage - The client should be the account owner; you join as a team member - Each account has its own billing profile and payment method ## What's in Ads Manager Beta after access is granted Per OpenAI's Ads Manager Beta Overview, the platform supports three core workflows: 1. **Create and manage campaigns** — guided UI flow or bulk upload. Bulk upload is critical if launching dozens of ad groups against a taxonomy of context hints. 2. **Monitor performance** — impressions, clicks, and spend across campaigns, ad groups, and ads, via table views, charts, and CSV exports. 3. **Manage account settings** — members, permissions, API keys, billing details, and change logs. OpenAI flags that some capabilities are limited at beta. Expect new features (richer reporting, audience controls, more objective types) to land over the next 12-18 months. ## Common rejection reasons we've seen From client setups GPT Ads AI has shepherded through verification: - Category mismatch — industry chosen during onboarding doesn't match what the website actually sells - Restricted category — business operates in a vertical restricted under OpenAI's Ads Policies - Domain mismatch — email domain used to sign up doesn't match business website domain - Persona failures — ID expired, selfie mismatch, or delegate completing verification - Account info incomplete — access granted but Settings → Account info never filled in. Campaigns appear live in UI but don't deliver. ## What to do once you have access 1. Complete Settings → Account info immediately. The silent gating step. 2. Add billing the same day. 3. Build your first campaign in the guided UI, even if you intend to use bulk upload later — understanding the schema by hand makes your bulk file cleaner. 4. Define your UTM convention before launching a single ad. 5. Brief your first ad-group context hint following the framework in Pillar 03. ## Common questions Q: How do I sign up for ChatGPT Ads? A: Sign up at OpenAI's Ads Manager Beta. You need an OpenAI account first — you can create one during the sign-up flow. After that you complete business onboarding, pass identity verification through Persona, fill in account information, set up billing, and invite team members. Campaigns will not deliver until every step is complete. Q: How long does ChatGPT Ads account verification take? A: OpenAI reviews applications in a rolling queue and notes that, because volume is high, verification can take time. You'll receive an email at the address used to create the account once platform access is granted. No published SLA — plan for several days to a few weeks. Q: Do I need an OpenAI account to advertise on ChatGPT? A: Yes. An OpenAI account is required to create an Ads Manager Beta account. If you don't have one, you can create it during the Ads Manager sign-up flow. Use a business email tied to the account owner. Q: Can I run ads for more than one business from a single account? A: No. OpenAI requires each advertiser business to have its own account, set up by one account owner. Agencies and holding companies managing multiple advertisers create a separate Ads Manager Beta account per advertiser. Q: Why are my ads not delivering even though my campaign is launched? A: Most often the cause is incomplete account setup. Campaigns will not deliver until all required steps are complete — particularly account info (account name and logo set exactly how they should appear in the ad unit) and billing. Re-check Settings → Account info and Settings → Billing. ## Sources Procedural facts in this guide are sourced from OpenAI's Ads Manager Beta Account Setup and Ads Manager Beta Overview documentation as of May 2026. "What we've seen" notes reflect GPT Ads AI client onboarding experience and are observational, not OpenAI policy. ## Related - /guides.md - /guides/chatgpt-ads-explained.md - /tools/utm-builder.md - /contact.md ## About this page Canonical machine-readable version of https://www.gptadsai.com/guides/ads-manager-account-setup.