OpenAI Ads · custom audiences · coming soon

Custom audiences for OpenAI Ads

Spend where it pays. Match the customers you already have and reach the prospects who look just like them, each with a bid adjustment you control, all on OpenAI Ads.

14-day trial · no card required · your data is only used to build your audiences

Now available over MCP: build these audiences with Claude or ChatGPT →

The basics

What are custom audiences?

Custom audiences are groups you define, rather than broad demographic buckets. On OpenAI Ads they come in two flavors: people you already know, and people who look like them. The first is Customer Match, built from your own CRM list. The second is prospecting, built from look-alikes of your best customers and in-market segments researching your category.

The point of a custom audience is control. Instead of one bid for everyone, you set a bid adjustment per audience, so your budget leans toward the people most likely to convert and pulls back everywhere else.

In the console

One bid adjustment per audience

A simple stack: bid hardest for proven buyers, lean into close look-alikes, and hold broader segments at baseline.

High-value buyers (Customer Match)
59,640 matched · 71% match rate
+45% bid
Look-alike, 2% (Prospecting)
372K reach · 94% similarity
+30% bid
In-market, project tools (Prospecting)
1.2M reach
+10% bid
Look-alike, 5% (Prospecting)
910K reach · 88% similarity
baseline
Why it matters

Targeted spend, not spray and pray

Higher match rates

Careful normalization and matching gets more of your list reachable, so your best customers actually see your ads on OpenAI Ads.

Profitable scale

Look-alikes grow reach beyond your list while staying close to what already works, with bids tuned per tier.

Privacy by default

Your data is only used to build your audiences, and it is never sold. You reach the right people without losing control of your list.

How Bluegrass does it

From your data to a targeted, bid-tuned audience

Step 01

Connect or upload

Connect a tool like Stripe, Shopify, or HubSpot, or upload a CSV, and Bluegrass matches it to OpenAI Ads in minutes.

Step 02

Expand to prospects

Build look-alikes from your matched customers and add in-market segments for your category.

Step 03

Set bids and launch

Give each audience its own bid adjustment, then layer day parting on top and go live.

FAQ

Custom audience questions, answered

What are custom audiences on OpenAI Ads?

Custom audiences are targeted groups you define rather than broad demographics. On OpenAI Ads that includes Customer Match (your own CRM list) and prospecting audiences such as look-alikes and in-market segments. Each can carry its own bid adjustment.

Is uploading my customer list safe?

Yes. Bluegrass only uses your list to build and update your audiences. It is never sold or used for anything else, and you stay in control: you can disconnect or remove your data any time.

What is the difference between Customer Match and prospecting?

Customer Match targets people you already know. Prospecting reaches new people who resemble your customers or who are actively researching your category. Most advertisers run both, with a higher bid on customers.

Can I set different bids per audience?

Yes. Every audience gets its own bid adjustment, so you can lean in on high-value buyers and ease off on broader segments, then layer day parting on top.

Reach the right people on OpenAI Ads

Match your customers, build look-alikes, and set bids per audience in one console.