Budget guide

What your budget actually buys.

Three illustrations of how a monthly budget typically splits between sponsored placements and organic work, and what to expect in the first 90 days. These are examples, not quotes. Your plan shows your exact split, with media at platform cost and our fee as a separate line.

$1,000 / month
Our minimum, and where most clients start.
Paid 60%Organic 40%
  • ChatGPT plus Google Ads campaigns eligible for AI Overviews and AI Mode, on a 30-prompt map, one or two markets
  • Monthly ad copy and offer testing
  • One organic piece a month aimed at your weakest prompt family
  • Review and citation program started

Good for: local and service businesses with a clear offer and a market to win.

Start at $1,000
$2,500 / month
Compete for the category.
Paid 55%Organic 45%
  • All three paid platforms on a 40 to 60 prompt map, multiple markets or practice areas
  • Weekly optimization, budget shifted to the lowest cost per lead
  • Two to three organic pieces a month plus structured data work
  • Competitor tracking in every report

Good for: multi-location businesses, firms and practices, growing B2B.

Start at $2,500
$5,000+ / month
Own the answer.
Paid 50%Organic 50%
  • Full paid coverage, regional or national, with shopping or lead formats where available
  • Dedicated prompt research and creative testing
  • Full organic program: content, citations, PR outreach, review generation
  • Strategy call every month, report any time

Good for: regional brands, ecommerce, multi-brand groups.

Talk to a strategist

How to read these

Each budget covers ad spend and management together. In your plan the two are separate lines: media is billed at whatever OpenAI, Google and Microsoft charge, and our fee is stated plainly. The paid-versus-organic split moves over time. Early months lean paid, to be present and to learn which prompts convert. As organic share grows in a prompt family, paid budget shifts to the families organic can't yet win.

What the paid dollars do

ChatGPT placements can be bought per click in OpenAI's Ads Manager. Ads in Google AI Overviews and AI Mode come from your Google Ads campaigns, and ads in Copilot from Microsoft Advertising; Google and Microsoft decide when those show. OpenAI recommends starting ChatGPT bids at $3 to $5 per click, and advertisers have reported paying roughly $3 to $9, so a few hundred dollars of media buys a meaningful number of high-intent clicks in most local categories. We don't publish projected lead counts, because they depend on your offer, your market and your competition. Your plan includes a range based on your category. For how ChatGPT bidding and the daily minimum work, see how much ChatGPT ads cost for a small business.

What the organic dollars do

Organic work is the part that compounds: making sure assistants have accurate, consistent facts about you, earning the reviews and third-party mentions models trust, and writing content that answers your prompt families well enough to be quoted. It's slower than paid and it doesn't stop when you stop paying.

The first 90 days

  1. Days 1 to 10: prompt map agreed, baseline share of answers measured, paid campaigns live.
  2. Days 10 to 45: copy and offer tests, budget moved toward what converts, first organic work shipped.
  3. Days 45 to 90: share of answers trending in the first families, paid narrowed to the gaps, report shows both numbers side by side.

One-time campaigns

Prefer a single flight? One-time campaigns start at $1,000 and run a focused paid push for a launch, season or event, with a baseline and a wrap-up report. They're a good test, but organic visibility needs continuity, so most clients move to monthly after the first flight.

Illustrations only. Platform pricing, availability and your competition all affect results. Nothing on this page is a guarantee of performance.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum budget?

Monthly plans and one-time campaigns both start at $1,000. The budget covers both media and management, and your plan shows exactly how it splits before anything launches.

Is the management fee charged on top of the budget?

No. Your budget covers media and management together. Media is billed at the platform's own cost and our fee is shown as a separate line, so you always see both numbers.

How much do ChatGPT ads cost per click?

ChatGPT placements are priced per click at auction, so the cost depends on your category, market and how many advertisers want the same conversations. OpenAI recommends starting bids of $3 to $5 per click, and advertisers have reported paying roughly $3 to $9; your plan includes a range for your category.

Is there a contract?

No. Monthly plans renew each month until you cancel, and you can cancel before your next billing date. One-time campaigns run once and end with a wrap-up report.