Short answer: Yes, but it is a small service business, not passive income. OpenAI’s new Businesses in ChatGPT beta lets companies claim a free profile, keep their details current and, for eligible US online businesses, publish a Business Agent, and agencies already charge about $79 to $500 a month or $99 to $500 one time to set this up. The realistic play is adding ChatGPT profile setup to a local SEO or web services offer, because claiming is free, owners must verify themselves, and nobody can promise more mentions.
What did OpenAI actually launch?
OpenAI introduced Businesses in ChatGPT as a beta with three parts:
- Business Hub profiles. A business can claim its listing inside ChatGPT, update its website, description, category, logo, delivery and return policies, and upload a product feed with prices and stock.
- Insights. Verified owners see aggregated mentions, website clicks and “discovery topics” over the past 28 days. OpenAI says it does not share individual prompts or chats.
- Business Agents. Eligible US ecommerce and online service businesses can publish an agent that answers customer questions using the information they provide. A business can also sponsor that agent as the destination for ChatGPT Ads.
OpenAI says ChatGPT reaches 1.2 billion weekly users. That number is why small business owners are suddenly asking who can set this up for them, and why “claim your ChatGPT profile” offers appeared on agency sites within days.
Why is there paid work in a free feature?
Claiming is free and OpenAI says you need no Ads account or Enterprise plan. The work exists because the process has several steps owners tend to stall on, according to the OpenAI Help Center setup guide:
- Find or add the listing in Business Hub and verify the claim by business phone, business email, a DNS TXT record or a Shopify login.
- Pass a separate identity check with Persona, which can ask for a government ID, business registration details and proof of authority. Insights, edits, product feeds and agents stay locked until this is approved.
- Write a clean profile that matches the website and Google listing, then wait for OpenAI to review each change.
- For online stores, prepare a product feed CSV that follows OpenAI’s feed specification.
- For eligible businesses, write agent instructions within the Business Agents Policy, test answers and publish.
Crucially for service providers, the admin who claimed the business can grant an agency access to manage the profile or its agent from the agency’s own ChatGPT account. That makes ongoing management possible without ever asking for a client’s password.
What are agencies already charging?
These are prices published on the providers’ own pages. They are list prices, not proof of sales volume.
| Provider | Setup | Monthly | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rankure | $199 ($99 early bird for the first 25 businesses) | $79 optional upkeep | Claim, profile written to match the Google listing, monthly report |
| Millenium AI | $197 one time | $97 optional management | Eligibility review, guided verification, profile, agent if eligible |
| Transica | None to $1,500 | $79 to $299 | Tiers from profile only to product feed plus Business Agent |
| Grailstar | None | $500, three month minimum | Managed Business Agent for eligible US businesses, ads excluded |
For context, Surfa’s review of published Google Business Profile pricing puts GBP only management at roughly $125 to $475 a month and one time profile overhauls at $300 to $750. ChatGPT profile work currently sells below that, because there are no reviews to answer, no posts to schedule and no map rankings to chase yet.
How much could you realistically earn?
No provider has published revenue or client counts, so treat any income figure as simple arithmetic, not a forecast. Using the prices above:
| Scenario | Math | Monthly revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Setups only | 5 setups at $199 | About $995, one time |
| Small upkeep book | 10 clients at $79 | About $790 recurring |
| Agent management | 3 eligible US stores at $199 | About $597 recurring, plus setup fees |
Rankure says its setup takes about two hours of its own time plus two short steps only the owner can do. If yours takes three hours with back and forth, a $199 setup works out to roughly $66 an hour before card fees and sales time. Upkeep is thinner work, but it is also easier for a client to cancel once the profile looks finished.
The honest read: this is a strong add on for people who already sell websites, local SEO or Shopify work to small businesses, because the client relationship already exists. As a standalone business, finding clients will cost more time than the setup itself.
What does it cost to start?
- Platform cost: claiming and managing a profile is free from OpenAI.
- Your tools: a ChatGPT account, a simple landing page, a payment link (Stripe charges 2.9% plus 30 cents per US card payment) and a spreadsheet to track client status.
- Your time: the real cost is outreach, chasing owners to finish Persona verification and waiting on OpenAI reviews.
Who can actually use this, and where?
| Business type | Profile claim | Business Agent |
|---|---|---|
| US online store or online service with a website | Yes, can add a new listing | Yes, if the industry is allowed by the Business Agents Policy |
| US local store or restaurant | Existing listings only | Not yet |
| Businesses outside the US | Depends on location and type | Not yet (US only) |
| Multi brand companies | One brand at a time | Per brand, if eligible |
US only note: the agent side of this offer, which is where the higher monthly fees sit, only works for eligible US businesses right now. Outside the US you are selling profile setup and monitoring, which supports the lower end of the price range.
What are the risks?
- No visibility promise. OpenAI states that claiming does not guarantee more visibility and that ads do not influence independent answers. Do not sell “rank in ChatGPT.” Sell accurate information and reporting.
- Overselling features. OpenAI’s help center says the current Business Agent cannot complete purchases, bookings or order lookups; it explains products and links to the website. Check any package you copy against that.
- Beta rules change. Eligibility, verification methods and insights are all beta features and can change without notice.
- Owner dependency. Only the owner or an authorized person can pass Persona. Never ask for logins or forward personal claim invitations.
- Thin moat. The steps are documented publicly and owners can do them for free. Your value is speed, clean copy and ongoing reporting.
- Policy limits. Businesses that need licensed professional advice, or agents that would collect sensitive personal data, are restricted under OpenAI’s Business Agents Policy.
How do you start this week?
- Practice on a real business you control or a friendly client, and note every step and wait time.
- Write a one page offer: eligibility check, claim support, profile written from the website and Google listing, optional product feed, monthly insights note. Price it near the published range.
- Start with existing clients. If you already build sites or manage Google profiles, add this as a line item rather than cold pitching strangers.
- Set expectations in writing: no ranking promises, owner completes verification, OpenAI controls approval.
- Report what the platform shows, such as mentions, clicks and discovery topics, plus a short list of fixes each month.
Who is this for, and who should skip it?
It suits freelancers and small agencies already serving US small businesses, Shopify store builders and local SEO providers who can bundle it. It does not suit beginners hoping for passive income, anyone without a way to reach business owners, or sellers tempted to promise ChatGPT placement. Done honestly, ChatGPT profile setup is a modest, real service you can add today, with upside if OpenAI widens Business Agents beyond the US.
Image credit: OpenAI
