What a context hint is
Each ad group can hold up to 2,000 context hints. They aren't keywords: there is no exact or phrase match. They describe topics, and the system matches your ad to conversations about those topics.
Write hints from real questions
Start with what your buyers actually ask. Good sources:
- Sales call notes: the first question a prospect asked.
- Demo request forms: the "what are you trying to solve?" field.
- Support tickets from new customers in their first month.
- The questions AI answers already name your competitors for.
Examples by stage
| Stage | Weak hint | Strong hint |
|---|---|---|
| Problem | Accounting | Month-end close takes 12 days for a 300-person company |
| Shortlist | Close software | Best month-end close software for companies on NetSuite |
| Comparison | Software comparison | Comparing close management tools for mid-size finance teams |
| Switching | Alternatives | Moving off spreadsheets for reconciliation in a growing finance team |
Rules that keep hints sharp
- One ad group, one question. Mixing stages makes the ad copy vague.
- Add the qualifier your buyers use: company size, industry, stack or region.
- Write several phrasings of the same question. Buyers say "tool", "software", "platform" and "app".
- Leave out your brand. People who already know your name don't need the ad.
- Review monthly. Move hints that bring companies outside your profile into a paused ad group.
Match the ad to the hint
The ad should answer the question in the hint, in one line. If the hint is about a 12-day close, the ad promises a shorter close, not "the leading finance platform". How to write the ad itself.
A full ad group, written out
Ad group: "Close software for NetSuite users" (fictional product).
Context hints, a sample of 12 from 30:
- Best month-end close software for NetSuite
- Close management tool that integrates with NetSuite
- How to automate reconciliations in NetSuite
- NetSuite close checklist software for finance teams
- Speed up month-end close on NetSuite for a 300-person company
- Alternatives to spreadsheets for NetSuite reconciliations
- Financial close software for multi-entity NetSuite users
- Tools to manage close tasks for a NetSuite finance team
- Account reconciliation software compatible with NetSuite
- How mid-size companies on NetSuite close the books faster
- Close automation for NetSuite with audit trail
- Software to cut month-end close from 10 days to 5 on NetSuite
Every hint is the same question in different words. None is a single keyword.
How to test hints
- Launch with 20–30 hints per ad group.
- After four weeks, compare ad groups on companies that fit your profile, not on clicks.
- Split an ad group in two when it clearly holds two different questions.
Questions
Do context hints work like negative keywords?
No. There's no negative matching in the hint itself. Keep unwanted conversations out by writing narrower hints and excluding customer lists.
Should hints include competitor names?
They can describe comparison topics, but ad copy must stay truthful and can't make unfounded claims about other products under OpenAI's ad policy. Write comparison ads only with facts you can show.
Can I reuse search keywords as hints?
Use them as a starting point, then rewrite each one as a question a buyer would actually ask an assistant.
Start here: ChatGPT ads for B2B. More articles in ChatGPT ads.