If an ad is not delivering, first identify whether the issue affects one ad, one campaign or the whole account. Open Ads Manager and note the status and any banner or error. Work through these checks before changing multiple settings at once.
1. Allow for reporting delay, unless there is a clear blocker
For a newly launched campaign with no confirmed delivery and no hard error, OpenAI recommends allowing at least 24 hours before reporting zero delivery. After ads begin delivering, impressions, clicks and CTR generally update about every 15 minutes. Spend reporting may lag by around 7–8 hours; these are approximate timings, not guarantees.
If Ads Manager shows a clear billing, review or account error, address that without waiting. See OpenAI’s troubleshooting guide for the latest steps.
2. Check that the account is ready
Confirm that account verification is complete, billing is configured and the payment method is valid. Check any setup task or warning in Ads Manager. A ready campaign cannot deliver if the account still needs a required action.
3. Check the campaign and ad status
Confirm the campaign and ad are active, review is complete and today falls between the campaign start and end dates. Ads that are delivering should show a Serving status. If an ad says Not serving, inspect the specific reason in Ads Manager before editing it.
If an ad was rejected, compare its copy, creative and destination page with the cited policy reason. Correct the issue and resubmit, or request another review if you believe the decision was made in error.
4. Check location, budget and bid
Confirm the included locations are eligible for this account, and review both targeting and exclusions. Some new self-service accounts can initially advertise only in their home country. OpenAI says broader country eligibility follows approved identity verification and required spend from running campaigns in the home country; selecting extra countries alone does not override that limit.
Review available spend for the current budget period, not just whether the campaign is marked active. A daily budget is paced over a seven-day period, and using the allowance early can pause delivery until the next budget week. Check current minimums in OpenAI’s campaign guidance; the minimum depends on billing currency, so use the PKR figure shown for your account instead of converting a UAE example.
Then inspect ad-group bid warnings and the campaign goal. For conversion-optimized campaigns, verify the selected event and the bid setting. A higher bid may help in some cases but does not guarantee delivery.
5. Check the destination and upload assets
Test the exact landing-page URL and redirects. Make sure the final destination is publicly reachable and does not block OAI-AdsBot with robots.txt, a firewall, CDN, login wall, CAPTCHA or browser challenge. A working homepage does not prove that the ad’s product page works for the crawler. Review the OpenAI crawler checklist.
For image upload errors, check the current requirements in Ads Manager and the error details. The image URL should open directly to a public image rather than to a preview page or sign-in screen. For bulk uploads, review row-level results and existing ad IDs before resubmitting so you do not create duplicates.
If conversions or reports look missing
Check the date range, time zone, account, filters and attribution settings before assuming tracking failed. Conversion events can take time to appear and a platform-attributed count can differ from CRM or analytics totals. Confirm the event configured for the campaign matches the event sent by your Pixel, Conversions API or partner connection. See conversion tracking and reporting.
What to send OpenAI Support
If the issue remains, send the ad account and campaign names or IDs, the exact error or a screenshot, the affected ad and landing URL where relevant, the date and time with timezone, and the checks you completed. For a reporting issue, include the date range, timezone, filters, event name and an example timestamp. Do not include passwords or payment-card details. If the problem affects several campaigns or the whole account, say so explicitly.
Quick answers
How long should I wait before reporting zero impressions?
For a new campaign without a hard error or confirmed delivery, OpenAI recommends allowing at least 24 hours. Contact support sooner for a clear billing, review or account blocker.
Why does my campaign say active but show no delivery?
Check review status, account verification, billing, dates, location eligibility, remaining budget allowance, bid warnings and landing-page accessibility. Active status alone does not guarantee delivery.
Why can I target Pakistan but not other countries?
Some new self-service accounts are initially limited to their home country. OpenAI says broader targeting requires identity verification approval and the required home-country spend. Check the current campaign guidance for your account.
Why is spend different from the dashboard?
Spend reporting may lag delivery by several hours. Compare the same account, filters, dates and time zone after the reporting delay has passed.
Will increasing my bid make ads serve?
Not necessarily. Review the bid warning and other blockers first. OpenAI notes that bid recommendations are estimates and raising a bid does not guarantee delivery.
Related guides: Ads Manager account setup, OpenAI crawler access, ChatGPT Ads billing, and ChatGPT Ads reporting.