ChatGPT Ads in Malaysia: A 6-Step Guide — Spend RM500 and Get RM500 in Ad Credit

Malaysian businesses can now create a self-service advertising account through OpenAI Ads Manager and set up ChatGPT ads for their products and services. If you want potential customers to discover your brand while researching products, comparing options or looking for services, you can start with your company website and build your first campaign. OpenAI's official availability list includes Malaysia among the countries with self-service Ads Manager access.

These six steps cover the process from entering your website to checking whether your ads are serving. Ads Manager is still labelled as a beta product, so buttons, page order and available options may change. Follow the information shown in your account. The screenshots use the Chinese interface; button labels below are translated to help you follow along.

What to prepare before you start

• Company website or product page: Make sure the page loads correctly and clearly explains your products, services, service areas and contact details.
• OpenAI login: Follow the prompts to sign in or register. A work email managed by the person responsible for advertising is recommended.
• Business information: Have your company name, logo, business details, billing address and any required verification documents ready.
• Payment and contact details: Prepare an accepted payment method, an invoice email address and a phone number that can receive verification messages.
• Campaign goal and budget: Decide which product or service to promote, what action you want customers to take and how much you can spend on testing.

Step 1: Enter your company website and create an ad preview

Visit the official ChatGPT Ads website and follow the prompts to sign in or start registration. In the example shown, the opening page invites you to see what your first ChatGPT ad could look like and asks you to enter your company website.

1. Enter the website you want to promote in the website field on the page. This guide uses the NEWPAGES website as an example.
2. Click “Create ad preview”.
3. Wait for the system to generate a preview based on your website content, then review the ad details.

At this stage, you are previewing how the ad may appear. The page states that nothing will go live before you approve it, so you can first check whether the system has understood your business correctly.

Step 2: Review the automatically generated ad

The next screen says your ChatGPT ad is ready and displays a preview. In this example, the system used the NEWPAGES website content to create an ad about business website development.

Check these four items before clicking “View details”:

• Brand: Check that the company name and brand presentation are correct.
• Image: Make sure it is clear and relevant to the product or service being promoted.
• Headline and description: Confirm that they communicate your selling points accurately and do not make promises you cannot fulfil.
• Landing page: Check that customers can easily find the information mentioned in the ad after clicking it.

“Your ad is ready” here means that the preview has been generated. Account setup, payment details and the required reviews still need to be completed. It does not mean the ad is already being shown.

Step 3: Set your campaign goal, location and budget

Open “Edit campaign details” and review each field against your advertising plan. This example uses the following settings:

• Goal: Clicks. This suits the aim of bringing potential customers to the website.
• Target location: Malaysia. Check that the selected location matches your service area. Other countries or more specific locations depend on the options available in your account.
• Budget: Choose a budget type and enter the amount you plan to spend.
• Bidding strategy: Maximise results. In this example, the page explains that the system will adjust bids automatically to seek more clicks within the budget.
• Destination URL: The page customers reach after clicking. When promoting a specific service, direct visitors to a page that clearly explains that service.

Once you have checked the settings, click “Save”. The example interface says the generated base URL is locked, but a path or query parameters can be added at the end. Use the editing options available on the page and make sure the final URL opens correctly.

A daily budget is managed as average spending over a seven-day period, so spending on an individual day may exceed the amount entered. To control total spending over the test period, check the campaign-total budget option. See the official budget guidance for details.

Step 4: Set up your Malaysian advertising account

On the “Set up your ad account” page, enter and check the following details:

• Account name: Enter the name of the business that will run the ads.
• Country or region: The Malaysian business in this example selects Malaysia.
• Currency: Confirm MYR, the Malaysian ringgit.
• Time zone: Confirm Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia Time (UTC+08:00).

After checking your details and reading the terms, click “Continue to billing setup”. Country or region, currency and time zone affect billing and reporting. According to the official account setup guide, these three settings cannot be changed after account creation, so check them carefully before submitting.

If the system asks for more business information or identity or business verification, follow the prompts. Entering your details, completing verification and passing account review are separate stages. Check your account status and subsequent notifications to find out whether you can start advertising.

Step 5: Add a payment method and invoice email address

On the “Add payment method” page, enter the required card details, including the card number, expiry date and security code, along with the invoice email address. Complete any additional billing address or business billing fields requested.

Use an email address managed by your finance team or the person responsible for ad spending so invoices are easy to receive and keep. Google Pay also appears in the example. Available payment methods depend on what your payment page offers.

Check the card authorisation notice: The example screen shows a possible temporary authorisation hold of USD50, which the bank may take eight days or longer to release. An authorisation hold is not a completed advertising charge. Check your own payment page and bank records for the amount and timing. See the official billing and payment guidance.

If you are not ready, choose “Save and finish later”. Once you have checked the ad content, location, budget, payment details and offer terms, follow the page's steps to “Launch campaign”. Actual delivery still depends on the platform's review and account requirements.

Step 6: Complete verification and confirm your ads are serving

In Ads Manager, check the status on the “Campaigns” page. The example shows a prompt to verify a phone number for the ad account. It asks for a number from the account's country so advertising can continue after spending reaches the verification limit. Complete verification according to the prompts in your account.

The example campaign is still marked “Not serving”, and the action column includes “Add creative”. Reaching the dashboard or seeing a campaign name does not mean the ads are live.

1. Read the status reason: Check the explanation or prompt associated with “Not serving”.
2. Check setup: Confirm that account verification, billing and payment details are complete, and that the ad copy, image and landing page are in place.
3. Check approval and scheduling: Make sure the ads are approved, the relevant campaigns and ads are enabled, and the scheduled start date has arrived.
4. Confirm delivery: After resolving outstanding items, check the delivery status, impressions and clicks.

OpenAI's official quickstart guide also recommends checking whether ads are actually serving after submission and approval. If an ad is not serving, address the reason shown in its status first.

What should business owners monitor after launch?

For your first test, focus on one product or service so it is easier to judge whether the visitors attracted by your ads are relevant to your business. Combine Ads Manager and website data to monitor the following:

• Impressions and clicks: Are people seeing your ads, and are the ads bringing visitors to your website?
• CTR and average CPC: Review click-through performance and cost per click, then compare different ads.
• Spend: Check actual spending rather than assuming the budget you set has already been spent.
• Relevant enquiries: Track the number and quality of form submissions, phone calls and WhatsApp enquiries. A website click is not the same as an enquiry or a sale.

Reporting may be delayed. Official guidance says spend data can lag by around seven to eight hours, so a temporary zero does not necessarily mean no costs have accrued. To view conversions in the platform, you must first set up the relevant conversion tracking. See the ad metrics and tracking guidance.

Before optimising your ads, also check that your website works well on mobile, explains your products and services clearly, and makes it easy to send an enquiry. Once an ad brings someone to your website, the page still needs to help them take the next step.

Frequently asked questions

Will I receive RM500 as soon as I sign up?

You must meet the offer's eligibility requirements, including being new to ChatGPT ads, sign up before 30 September 2026 and reach RM500 in eligible advertising spend. Signing up or setting a budget of RM500 alone does not earn the credit. Credit issuance and usage are subject to the offer terms and the information shown in your account.

Must I spend RM500 before 30 September?

The official banner specifies registration before 30 September and ad credit after reaching RM500 in advertising spend. It does not give the full spending deadline. Check the offer terms during registration rather than assuming the sign-up deadline is also the spending deadline.

Will paying for ads make ChatGPT recommend my company in its answers?

ChatGPT ads are clearly labelled and kept separate from regular answers. Buying ads does not secure a recommendation in organic answers or guarantee enquiries or sales. Read OpenAI's explanation of how ads are displayed for more information.