{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/69f3e0f28beeba531023e35c/6aad74ae0521dc2c811dbc60?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Week of September 14th 2026","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/69f3e0f28beeba531023e35c/1789752433333-907aa942-3195-4427-8111-cd6cbc4e244e.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>ChatGPT's ad business hit a billion dollars a year in under 200 days — and shops your size are already buying. A small-business owner who tried it paid for 140 clicks and could find 20. And on October 1, Google starts charging you for the phone calls you <em>don't</em> answer. Every place a customer asks \"who should I call\" is now billing you for the moment they ask. This week: what that costs, which ad is for which shop, and the one move that decides whether any ad pays.</p><p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li><strong>The chatbot started selling ads</strong> — OpenAI's ChatGPT Ads reached a $1B run rate in six months (Google's AdWords took four years); self-serve since May, no minimum, and small businesses are \"a material share.\" The ad shows up right under \"my furnace won't light, who do I call.\"</li><li><strong>He paid for 140 clicks and found 20</strong> — a real small business spent $500 in about an hour, could verify fewer than 20 of the clicks, got zero leads. Second run, paced over a week with fixed tracking, most of the clicks arrived. The lesson: a cheap click that never lands isn't cheap.</li><li><strong>Google bills you for the ring you missed</strong> — from <strong>Oct 1</strong>, Local Services Ads charge for missed business-hours calls where the caller waited more than <strong>20 seconds</strong>. HVAC leads run around $65 each. The ad was always a bet that you'd answer; now it's a bet with a bill.</li><li><strong>Spotlight — Two Tools, One Job:</strong> <strong>ChatGPT Ads Manager</strong> (pay per click, ~$3–5/click, no minimum, early and empty) vs. <strong>Google Local Services Ads</strong> (pay per phone call, Google Guaranteed badge, top of the page). Which one for which shop — and why some shops should buy neither this month.</li><li><strong>The Operator's Move (tool-free):</strong> <em>Fix the twenty-second gap before Google starts billing it.</em> Pull the call log, mystery-call your own shop, make your listed hours honest, write the three-ring rule.</li></ul><h2>🔗 Show Notes &amp; Sources</h2><p><strong>Story 1 — ChatGPT Ads $1B / small-business self-serve</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>OpenAI: A milestone in expanding access to AI (Aug 31, 2026) — <a href=\"https://openai.com/index/expanding-access-to-ai-with-chatgpt-ads/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://openai.com/index/expanding-access-to-ai-with-chatgpt-ads/</a></li><li>OpenAI Help: Ads Manager availability — <a href=\"https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001245-ads-manager-availability\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001245-ads-manager-availability</a></li><li>Quartz: OpenAI opens ChatGPT self-serve ad platform to U.S. businesses — <a href=\"https://qz.com/openai-chatgpt-ads-manager-self-serve-us-businesses-050626\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://qz.com/openai-chatgpt-ads-manager-self-serve-us-businesses-050626</a></li><li>Search Engine Land: OpenAI reportedly blocks rival AI tools from advertising in ChatGPT — <a href=\"https://searchengineland.com/openai-reportedly-blocks-rival-ai-tools-from-advertising-in-chatgpt-488019\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://searchengineland.com/openai-reportedly-blocks-rival-ai-tools-from-advertising-in-chatgpt-488019</a></li></ul><p><strong>Story 2 — The $500 test</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Out of the Box Advisors: We spent real money on ChatGPT ads for small business (updated Aug 20, 2026) — <a href=\"https://www.outoftheboxadvisors.com/post/we-spent-real-money-on-chatgpt-ads-for-small-business-here-s-the-honest-truth\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.outoftheboxadvisors.com/post/we-spent-real-money-on-chatgpt-ads-for-small-business-here-s-the-honest-truth</a></li><li>WebFX: How much do ChatGPT ads cost? (2026 pricing guide) — <a href=\"https://www.webfx.com/blog/ai/chatgpt-ads-cost/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.webfx.com/blog/ai/chatgpt-ads-cost/</a></li></ul><p><strong>Story 3 — Google Local Services Ads: missed-call charges + migration</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Search Engine Land: Google Local Services Ads will charge for some missed calls starting Oct. 1 — <a href=\"https://searchengineland.com/google-local-services-ads-will-charge-for-some-missed-calls-starting-oct-1-485798\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://searchengineland.com/google-local-services-ads-will-charge-for-some-missed-calls-starting-oct-1-485798</a></li><li>Search Engine Journal: Google is bringing Local Services Ads into Google Ads — <a href=\"https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-is-bringing-local-services-ads-into-google-ads/582816/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-is-bringing-local-services-ads-into-google-ads/582816/</a></li><li>Google Ads Help: Local Services Ads in Google Ads — <a href=\"https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585</a></li><li>99 Calls: HVAC Google LSA cost per lead (Sept 2026) — <a href=\"https://99calls.com/LSA-Cost-Estimator/hvac-contractor\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://99calls.com/LSA-Cost-Estimator/hvac-contractor</a></li><li>Search Engine Land: Google tests traditional Search campaigns in AI Mode — <a href=\"https://searchengineland.com/google-tests-traditional-search-campaigns-in-ai-mode-487199\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://searchengineland.com/google-tests-traditional-search-campaigns-in-ai-mode-487199</a></li></ul><p><strong>Spotlight</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>ChatGPT Ads Manager — <a href=\"https://ads.openai.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://ads.openai.com/</a></li><li>Google Local Services Ads — <a href=\"https://ads.google.com/local-services-ads/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://ads.google.com/local-services-ads/</a></li></ul><p><strong>Referenced episodes</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Your Next Customer Might Not Be a Person (Aug 31) — the mystery-shop move</li></ul><p><br></p>","author_name":"Shaun Gehring"}