ChatGPT Ads Retargeting: What You Can and Cannot Do in 2026
By Abdellah El Younsi. Published , updated . 6 min read.
Yes, you can retarget people with ChatGPT ads, but only outside Europe and only with a large list. Since July 2026, advertisers can upload email or phone lists as custom audiences. OpenAI does not allow them in campaigns aimed at the EEA or Switzerland, and it plans around 25,000 matched users before a list can be targeted.
For a B2B team that wants to retarget a few hundred prospects, Meta and Google are the practical choice today. ChatGPT works better for ads that appear next to conversations about your topic.
Deberli is adding retargeting ads to the same campaign that sends your LinkedIn and email outreach. The waitlist is on this page.
Key Takeaways
- ChatGPT custom audiences exist since July 2026, but OpenAI blocks them for campaigns in the EEA and Switzerland.
- OpenAI plans around 25,000 matched users before a list can be targeted. A list used only to exclude people has no minimum.
- Meta and Google accept audiences from 100 people, which fits B2B prospect lists far better.
- Work emails match poorly on consumer platforms. Plan for small audiences and grow one list over time.
How Do Ads in ChatGPT Work?
OpenAI opened a self-serve Ads Manager in beta on May 5, 2026, first for US advertisers. The USD 50,000 minimum from the pilot is gone, and you can buy on cost per click or cost per thousand impressions.
By September 2026 self-serve access covered 63 countries, among them the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, every EU member state, Mexico, Brazil and India. Ads appear in ChatGPT based on what the conversation is about. Advertisers get aggregated reports and never see the conversations themselves.
To measure results, OpenAI offers a pixel for your website and a Conversions API for your server. Both count actions after a click, such as sign ups, leads and purchases.
Can You Retarget People on ChatGPT?
Partly. Retargeting means showing ads to people who already know you. On ChatGPT the only way to name those people is a customer list. Here is what is available as of October 2026:
| Option | Available | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Target a customer list | Yes, outside the EEA and Switzerland | OpenAI plans around 25,000 matched users |
| Exclude a customer list | Yes | No minimum, even an empty list works |
| Raise bids for people on a list | Yes, outside the EEA and Switzerland | Same 25,000 planning threshold |
| Retarget website visitors from the pixel | Not documented | The pixel measures conversions |
| Topic based ads, no list | Yes, in all 63 countries | No personal data used |
Lists accept email addresses, phone numbers, their SHA-256 hashes and Google advertising IDs. OpenAI asks for first-party data only, which means people you collected yourself, not a list you bought. Source: OpenAI custom audiences documentation.
Why Is ChatGPT Retargeting Blocked in Europe?
OpenAI says personalized ads are not yet available in the EEA and Switzerland, so custom audiences cannot be used in campaigns aimed there. ChatGPT ads themselves do run in Europe. Self-serve opened in 31 European markets on August 31, 2026, according to OpenAI.
If you sell in France, Spain or Germany, you can buy ChatGPT ads that show on the right topics. You cannot yet show them only to the prospects you contacted. If you sell in the UK, the US or Mexico, list targeting is allowed, but the list has to be large.
ChatGPT vs Meta vs Google for Retargeting
| ChatGPT | Meta | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Smallest usable list | About 25,000 matched | 100 people, 1,000 recommended | 100 active users per network |
| What you upload | Email, phone, hashes | Email, phone, name, city, hashed | Email, phone, address, hashed |
| Europe | Lists blocked | Allowed under GDPR | Allowed under GDPR |
| Data rule | First-party, no brokers | You must have the right to use it | First-party only |
| Best for | Topic ads, large lists | Small B2B lists | Search and YouTube |
Google moved list uploads to its Data Manager API on April 1, 2026, and its Customer Match policy asks for a good policy and payment history on the account. Meta asks you to accept its Custom Audience terms in the ad account before the first upload. See the Meta documentation.
Why Do B2B Lists Match So Poorly?
Most people sign up for Facebook, Instagram and ChatGPT with a personal email. Your prospect list holds work emails. So the platform finds only a share of your people, often 10% to 20% of a list of work emails on Meta, by most industry estimates.
A list of 500 prospects can end up as 50 to 100 matched people. That is near Meta's minimum and far below ChatGPT's. Three things help:
- Send more fields. First name, last name, country and city give the platform more ways to find each person.
- Keep one list and let it grow. Add new prospects every day instead of building a new audience per campaign.
- Upload people who engaged. Prospects who accepted your invitation or replied are the ones worth paying to see an ad.
What Retargeting Will Look Like in Deberli
Deberli already finds people with a buying signal and contacts them on LinkedIn and by email. Retargeting ads are the next channel in the same campaign. Here is the plan:
- You connect your own Meta and Google ad accounts. You pay the platforms directly, and Deberli never holds your ad budget.
- Every day, Deberli adds the prospects who accepted or replied to one audience in each account.
- People who said no, or asked you to stop, are removed from every audience and added to an exclusion list.
- On ChatGPT, Deberli prepares topic based ads for your ICP, and list targeting where OpenAI allows it.
It is not live yet. Join the waitlist and you will get one email when it opens.
Join the retargeting ads waitlist
One email when it opens. Nothing else.
How to Prepare Your Ad Accounts Now
- Install the Meta pixel and the Google tag on your website, so visits from your outreach can be counted.
- Run a small campaign on your Google Ads account. Customer Match needs a good payment history.
- Accept Meta's Custom Audience terms in Events Manager or Audiences.
- Add one line to your privacy policy that says you use customer data for advertising on these platforms.
- Decide a monthly ad budget per campaign before you turn anything on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you retarget people with ChatGPT ads?
Yes, with custom audiences built from email or phone lists, available since July 2026. They do not work for campaigns aimed at the EEA or Switzerland, and OpenAI plans around 25,000 matched users before a list can be targeted.
Are ChatGPT ads available in France, Spain and the UK?
Yes. Self-serve ChatGPT ads cover 63 countries as of September 2026, including France, Spain, the UK and Mexico. In France and Spain you can target topics but not customer lists.
What is the minimum audience size for retargeting?
About 25,000 matched users on ChatGPT, 100 people on Meta with 1,000 recommended, and 100 active users per network on Google. An exclusion list on ChatGPT has no minimum.
Can I upload LinkedIn prospects to ChatGPT, Meta or Google?
Only data you have the right to use. Google and OpenAI ask for first-party data. The safest list is people who accepted your invitation or replied to you, with a privacy policy that says you advertise to contacts.
When will Deberli offer retargeting ads?
It is the next channel after LinkedIn and email. Join the waitlist on this page and you will get one email when it opens.