# After the Demo, episode 4: What AI Search Ads Actually Buy

ChatGPT now sells ads a local business can buy itself, and Google is testing ads inside AI Mode. John Arndt and Kate sort out what those ads actually buy (OpenAI says the ads don't influence the answers, so you're paying for a labeled spot next to them), who sees them, and whether a coupon belongs inside an AI answer (Kate wins that one). John tells the story of the August database bill that taught him to put a ceiling on anything automatic, and you'll leave with one check to do before you spend a dollar and a test you can run with a hard cap and a stop date.

**Sponsor:** This episode is sponsored by Mentioned On (mentioned-on.com). Mentioned On tracks whether ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok and Copilot recommend your business when people ask for the best one near them, which competitors win those answers, and how that changes over time. It's built for any business that relies on being found, from service businesses to hospitality and professional practices. The instant scan is free with no signup, and paid monitoring starts at $99/month for one business.

## Chapters
- 0:00 Can I pay ChatGPT to recommend me?
- 0:52 Intro
- 1:53 What's actually for sale
- 6:23 Sponsored, in small print
- 10:43 Does a coupon belong in the answer?
- 15:19 A test with a ceiling
- 19:44 The answer is turning into a storefront
- 24:04 The one thing

## Links
- Mentioned On, free instant AI visibility scan: https://mentioned-on.com/
- Can I pay to get my business recommended by ChatGPT? (Mentioned On's own answer page, reviewed Sept 1, 2026): https://mentioned-on.com/questions/can-i-pay-to-be-recommended-by-chatgpt
- OpenAI says ChatGPT ads reach more than 60 countries; Free and Go plans only (MARKETECH APAC, Sept 24, 2026): https://marketech-apac.com/openai-brings-chatgpt-ads-to-sea-taiwan-opening-self-serve-access-to-smaller-businesses/
- ChatGPT ads self-serve timeline and country count (PPC Land, Sept 2026): https://ppc.land/openai-gains-7-asian-markets-for-chatgpt-ads-passing-60-countries/
- What a $1B run rate means for ChatGPT ads (Media Marketing, Sept 1, 2026): https://www.media-marketing.com/en/news/advertising-in-chatgpt-has-reached-an-annual-revenue-run-rate-of-1-billion/
- ChatGPT ads hit a $1B run rate (AdExchanger, Sept 3, 2026): https://www.adexchanger.com/ai/chatgpt-ads-hit-a-1-billion-run-rate-heres-what-advertisers-say-will-get-them-to-spend-more/
- Google's small AI Mode ads experiment, per Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin (Search Engine Roundtable, Sept 4, 2026): https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ads-serving-restrictive-match-types-in-ai-mode-42024.html
- Google tests "Sponsored" text-link ads in AI Mode, Barry Schwartz (Search Engine Roundtable, Sept 15, 2026): https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ai-mode-text-link-ads-42082.html
- Google tests AI Overview links that open AI Mode, spotted by Gagan Ghotra (Search Engine Roundtable, Sept 22, 2026): https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ai-overview-links-to-ai-mode-42132.html
- Google Ads "Direct offer" asset in beta (PPC News Feed, Oct 7, 2026): https://ppcnewsfeed.com/?p=29310
- Google's Direct Offers page: https://business.google.com/us/accelerate/announcements/direct-offers/
- ChatGPT will suggest apps mid-conversation (TechCrunch, Sept 29, 2026): https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/29/openais-latest-features-take-direct-aim-at-the-app-store-model/
- ChatGPT display ads next to generated images (TechCrunch, Oct 5, 2026): https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/05/openai-launches-visual-ads-that-appear-alongside-image-generation-results/
- OpenAI revenue report, Financial Times via AFP (eNCA, Oct 9, 2026): https://www.enca.com/business/openai-revenue-gap-report-rattles-ai-stocks
- OpenAI revenue gap, Reuters via Zawya (Oct 9, 2026): https://www.zawya.com/en/special-coverage/openais-september-annualized-revenue-nears-50bln-less-than-previously-indicated-source-says-1586243
- OpenAI's year-end revenue pace, per Bloomberg (The Next Web, Oct 9, 2026): https://thenextweb.com/news/openai-revenue-70bn-year-end-50bn-september
- Post mentioned: The Boring Marketer (@boringmarketer) https://x.com/boringmarketer/status/2108603938983538790
- About John Arndt: https://soxoa.com/john-arndt