How to Add Someone to Meta Business Suite and Give an Agency Social Media Access
If an outside agency needs to publish, answer comments, review results, or run ads, do not hand over a Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google, or TikTok password. Keep the client in control of the business asset and grant a named person or the agency only the role and assets required for the work. That protects continuity when staff change and makes it far easier to remove access when an engagement ends.
For Meta, the usual answer is to invite a named person into the client’s business portfolio with basic access, then assign only the needed Facebook Page, Instagram account, or ad account tasks. If the agency has its own business portfolio and will manage its own staff, share selected assets with the agency as a partner instead. Neither route transfers ownership. [1] [2] [3]
Start with the job, then choose the access route
A business portfolio, formerly called Business Manager, is the organization-level workspace that can hold assets such as Facebook Pages, Instagram accounts, and ad accounts. It is not the same thing as a Page or profile. A person is an individual you invite into the client’s portfolio. A partner is another organization’s business portfolio, often an agency’s. Those distinctions matter because the right route depends on who will manage access and what work is actually in scope. [1] [2] [3]
Before opening settings, write down the work: organic publishing, comments and messages, analytics, paid advertising, or finance. These are not interchangeable. A person who needs to schedule posts does not automatically need billing, payment-method control, portfolio administration, or ownership-level access. Advertising access also does not automatically provide organic publishing or inbox access.
Invite a named person when a specific contractor or agency employee will work in the client’s portfolio. This is often the clearest option for a limited engagement.
Add the agency as a partner when the agency has its own Meta business portfolio and should manage its own staff. The client shares only selected assets with the agency’s portfolio.
Let the agency request selected assets when the agency should initiate the request. The client reviews, narrows, approves, or denies it.
Use direct Page or eligible Instagram sharing for small, trusted, limited-scope arrangements where a partner portfolio is unnecessary.
The menu labels can vary by account type and staged interface changes. Use the label that appears in the current screen, and pause before saving if the described permission does not match the agreed scope.
How to add someone to Meta Business Suite
The person who sends the invitation needs full access or full control of the business portfolio. If the People area is missing, that is a useful first clue that the current administrator does not have the required portfolio authority. [2]
Open the correct business portfolio in Meta Business Suite, then go to Settings, People, and Invite people.
Enter the invitee’s email address. For an invitation tied to a Facebook account, use the email associated with that Facebook account. Some organizations using managed Meta accounts will use their organization-managed identity instead. [2]
Choose the portfolio-level access. For an outside provider who needs only selected assets, choose the basic or limited level displayed in the current interface rather than portfolio full access. Basic access is designed to work only on assets assigned to that person. [2]
Select the assets the person truly needs, such as one Facebook Page and one Instagram account. Choose only the available task permissions required for the agreed work, then send the invitation.
Ask the recipient to accept the invitation. Meta’s acceptance flow starts from the invitation email, continues through login with the appropriate Facebook, Instagram, or managed Meta account, and ends when the recipient accepts the portfolio invitation. A recipient who does not recognize the business should decline it. [4]
Confirm the final assignment after acceptance. Meta notes that some features can take time to become available after someone joins. [2]
If the person is already in the portfolio, there is no need to create a new invitation. Go to Settings, People, select the person, and choose Assign assets. Choose the Page, Instagram account, ad account, or other asset; choose the matching permissions; and save. The equivalent asset-first path is to open the specific asset in Settings and choose Assign people. The asset must be in the portfolio before this standard assignment path is available. [5]
Portfolio access is not the same as asset access
Meta uses similar words at different levels. Portfolio full access is the organization-wide level. It can manage people, assets, partners, settings, and portfolio tools; it is not required for routine content work. Basic portfolio access limits a person to the assets assigned to them. Asset permissions are a separate decision. [1] [5]
For a Facebook Page in a portfolio, the current interface may show partial access for business tools only, partial access for business tools and Facebook, and full access. Business-tools-only access works through Business Suite or Ads Manager and does not let the person switch into the Page on Facebook. The business-tools-and-Facebook choice also allows switching into the Page. The top label may appear as full access or full control in related Meta help material, so match the live Page screen rather than assuming one label is universal. [6]
Task-level permissions can cover items such as content, community activity, messages, ads, and insights. Give content and community tasks to a person responsible for organic publishing; give insights only to a reporting contact; and handle ad-account access as its own paid-media decision. Finance access is separate at the portfolio level. Do not select finance, payment methods, or broad administrative control merely because an agency will publish posts. [1] [5]
Hypothetical example: A content specialist needs to schedule Page and Instagram posts, reply to routine comments, and send a monthly report. The client gives that named person basic portfolio access, then partial Page and Instagram access for content, community activity, messages if those messages are in scope, and insights. The specialist does not receive portfolio full access, ad-account finance access, or Page full control simply to perform organic work.
When the agency should be a Meta partner
Use a partner relationship when the agency has its own business portfolio and will manage which of its staff work on the client’s assets. The client asks the agency for its business portfolio ID, verifies that ID through a trusted contact, and then uses the owner-side flow: Settings, Partners, Add, Give a partner access to your assets. Enter the partner ID, select the assets and the appropriate access, then assign them. A full-control person may need to approve the action. [3]
This is a permission share, not an ownership transfer. A partner can manage only the access the client grants. The organization that owns an asset remains the organization that can share it onward to another business. [3]
If the agency should initiate the request, it can use Settings, Partners, Add, Ask a partner to assign you their assets, then enter the client contact and portfolio information, select requested roles and assets, and send the request. The client can approve, deny, or change the proposed asset scope. For a Page-specific request, the agency may also request shared Page access through the Pages area in its business portfolio. [4] [7]
Hypothetical example: An agency’s paid-media team and content team both work on the account. The client shares the Page, Instagram profile, and the specific ad account needed with the agency partner. The agency then gives its own people only the tasks the client shared. The client keeps ownership and retains its internal full-control administrators.
Facebook Page and Instagram alternatives
Direct Facebook Page access
For a limited Page-only role, a trusted person can receive access directly to the Page. Facebook distinguishes Facebook access, which can allow a person to switch into the Page and work on Facebook, from task access, which is for work through tools such as Meta Business Suite or Ads Manager. Task access can cover content, messages and community activity, ads, and insights without letting the person manage the Page directly on Facebook. [6]
Full control is powerful. It can allow someone to manage Page settings and Page access, including removing people or deleting the Page. It is not a routine publishing role. For a Page outside a business portfolio, Facebook’s public guidance directs a full-control person to switch into the Page and manage Page access settings. The exact click path can differ, so do not rely on a copied menu path that does not appear in the current interface. [6] [8]
Instagram Shared access
Instagram’s Shared access is a separate, password-free option for eligible accounts. If it appears, the account owner can use Profile, Menu, Shared access, Invite people; select the named person; and send the invitation. The recipient has seven days to accept. This feature is not available to every account and is not available to teen accounts, so treat it as an optional alternative rather than a universal agency workflow. [9]
If the owner sees the settings, they can separately control Inbox access and Story access. Inbox access can include viewing, sending, and responding to messages, as well as making or receiving inbox calls; consider whether that is truly needed before enabling it. The owner can review shared-access activity. Shared-access users act on behalf of the owner, rather than becoming the owner. [9]
For portfolio-based work, a professional Instagram account can be attached to one business portfolio. An authorized account owner may need to authenticate during the asset-addition process, including their own two-factor step. That owner authentication is not a reason to disclose the password or code to an agency. If the Instagram account is connected to a Page, review both asset assignments: some Page and task permissions can support Instagram comment or message workflows in the Page inbox, but they are not a blanket grant to every Instagram setting. [10]
How to share other social media accounts with an outside agency
The same principle applies beyond Meta: give a named person a scoped role through the platform’s own access model. Do not give an agency a personal profile password, recovery code, or two-factor authentication code.
LinkedIn: Page roles are not personal-profile access
A LinkedIn Page super admin can add a named LinkedIn member through the Page’s super-admin view: Settings, Manage admins, Page admins, Add admin. The person must meet LinkedIn’s eligibility requirements, which include relationship and Page-follow conditions. [11]
For ordinary organic work, Content admin is often the appropriate Page role. It can create and manage organic posts, comment and react as the Page, work with eligible Page messages, manage events, and view or export analytics. Analyst is for analytics-only access. Super admin is much broader: it can manage admins, edit available Page fields, create Showcase Pages, and deactivate the Page. Keep super admin under client control unless there is a clearly justified exception. [12]
Saving the Page-admin role is the documented completion step; LinkedIn’s add-admin flow does not describe a separate email acceptance step for a Page-admin assignment. Verify that the person can see the Page tools rather than telling them to wait for an invitation that may not exist. For ads, manage Campaign Manager access separately. A billing admin can change billing details, while campaign and creative roles have different limits. An organic content agency does not need a Campaign Manager role, and an ads-only agency does not need Page super-admin access by default. [11] [12] [13]
YouTube: use channel permissions, not a Google password
YouTube Studio channel permissions are the preferred way to delegate work. The channel owner goes to YouTube Studio, Settings, Permissions, Invite; enters the agency contact’s Google-account email; chooses a role; and saves. YouTube recommends this model over Brand Account roles because it is more granular and avoids the privacy and security risks of password sharing. [14]
For a production partner, choose Editor when the partner needs to upload, edit, and publish content. Choose Editor (Limited) when the same work is needed without revenue data. Choose Viewer (Limited) for analytics-only reporting without revenue data. Editors cannot manage permissions or delete published content; Manager is broader and can manage permissions, so it is not the ordinary default for routine production. Channel-permission delegates cannot manage the channel through YouTube APIs. [14]
A Brand Account is different from YouTube Studio channel permissions. It has primary owner, owner, manager, and communications-manager roles and may be relevant for ownership administration or a channel transfer. It is not the best shortcut for routine agency publishing. Ownership changes can involve a seven-day holding requirement, so never make an agency an owner merely to upload a video. [15]
TikTok: separate paid delivery from account management
TikTok Business Center uses Admin and Standard member roles. Admins manage members, partners, assets, verification, and security settings. Standard members work only with assigned accounts and assets. For an internal agency contact, the client’s Business Center Admin can go to Users, choose the member, open their access, and assign the required accounts or assets. [16] [17]
For an outside agency with its own Business Center, share selected accounts or assets through the partner flow rather than giving the agency a client Business Center admin role. The navigation can differ between Direct and Agency Business Centers, so use the current partner labels shown in the account. [17]
The critical distinction is Deliver ads versus Manage account. Deliver ads lets a user or ad account use the TikTok account identity and posts for advertising, including Spark Ads. It does not create general-purpose login access or unrestricted organic account control. Manage account includes Deliver ads and can add organic interactions such as replying to comments, sending direct messages, and managing profile details. [18]
If the agency needs organic publishing, the owner must use TikTok’s account-management linking flow, which includes owner consent in the TikTok app after scanning a QR code. The owner chooses the appropriate visibility option: ads only, or appearing on the TikTok profile and in ads. The profile-and-ads option is the choice that supports expressly authorized organic profile publishing. For partner sharing, TikTok also documents an owner notification after the share. [19] [20]
Keep finance separate here, too. TikTok Business Center has finance roles for invoices and balances. Campaign reporting is not a reason to grant a finance-management role. When removing a partner, remember that active campaigns using the account identity may be paused immediately, so plan the cutover before revoking access. [16] [21]
A practical access request an agency can send
We will use each platform’s own role or partner-access method. Please keep ownership and internal administrators with your organization. For this engagement, please grant access only to: [assets]. Our work includes [tasks] and excludes [billing, ownership transfer, or other exclusions]. Please set the access review or end date to [date]. We will not request passwords, recovery codes, or two-factor codes. Our contact for access is [name and business email]; if partner sharing is used, our business portfolio or Business Center ID is [ID].
This kind of request makes the scope visible before anyone clicks a permission box. It is also useful when a client’s internal stakeholder is the person who must send the invitation.
Secure onboarding and offboarding checklist
Before access is granted, name a client-controlled owner and a backup internal administrator where the platform supports it. Meta recommends keeping two active people with full control so the business has continuity and sensitive actions can receive a second review. Limit that high-level group. [22]
Require two-factor authentication for everyone with meaningful access. In Meta Business Suite, a full-control administrator can set the portfolio’s two-factor requirement under Settings, Business portfolio info, Business options, and Two-factor authentication; selecting Everyone applies the requirement to all access levels. LinkedIn, Google, and TikTok also provide their own account or Business Center security controls. [23] [11] [14] [16]
Maintain an access record with the platform, asset, person or partner, permissions, business reason, approver, and review or end date.
Revisit access if the scope changes or an agency staff member changes. Review connected third-party publishing tools separately from human access.
At offboarding, remove the person’s or partner’s access in the platform, then separately remove ad-account, finance, and tool connections that are no longer needed.
In Meta, removing a person from the portfolio revokes portfolio and assigned-asset access; partners are removed through the Partners area. In YouTube Studio, remove or change the person’s role in Settings and Permissions. On LinkedIn, a super admin removes Page or paid-media roles in Manage admins. On TikTok, remove the member or partner and check live campaigns before doing so. [24] [14] [21]
OAuth tools are a separate authorization decision
A social scheduling, reporting, or workflow tool should use its supported OAuth authorization flow. That means the owner reviews the scopes requested by the tool and can later revoke that app connection. It does not mean that giving a person Page, channel, or Business Center access automatically grants an app permission to automate every action. Tool support and requested scopes vary by platform and feature. Google, for example, says an app can access only the data and services the account authorizes, and linked-app access can be removed separately. [25]
Treat agency access and app access as two entries in the same access record. A person leaving an agency may require a role removal; a tool you no longer use may require a separate OAuth revocation.
Common Meta invitation problems
I cannot see People or Partners
The sender may not have full access or full control of the business portfolio. That access is required to add people and share assets with a partner. [2] [3]
The invitee did not receive or cannot accept the invitation
Confirm that the email matches the invitee’s relevant account, check whether the invitation is still pending under Requests or invitations, and ask the person to accept through the invitation flow. A managed-account setting can also affect the allowed identity type. [2] [4]
The asset is missing or the person sees fewer tasks than expected
Confirm that the asset is in the expected business portfolio and that the asset-level assignment includes the exact tasks requested. A professional Instagram account can belong to only one business portfolio, and an access share from another partner may limit what can be assigned onward. [5] [10]
An approval is pending
Another full-control person may need to approve the request. Review the Requests area before repeating an invitation or asset share. [2] [3]
The account needs ads access, but not finances
Assign the specific ad asset and its required advertising permissions; do not treat an ads request as permission to manage portfolio finance, payment methods, or ownership.
Frequently asked questions
Should I make my agency a Meta portfolio admin?
Not for ordinary content, community, analytics, or campaign work. Use basic portfolio access plus asset-level tasks for a named person, or share selected assets with an agency partner. Reserve portfolio full access for client-controlled administrators who truly need organization-wide control. [1] [2]
Does adding a Meta partner transfer ownership of my Page or Instagram account?
No. Partner sharing grants permission to selected assets; it is not an ownership transfer. Keep client-controlled administrators and ownership in place. [3]
Can an agency run ads with only a Page role?
Not necessarily. Paid media is its own asset-and-role decision. The agency may need a narrowly scoped ad-account or advertising permission, and that still does not require finance or ownership access.
Can I share my Instagram password with an agency if we trust them?
It is still the wrong operating model. Use portfolio asset permissions or, if available and appropriate, Instagram Shared access for a named trusted person. Do not share passwords, recovery codes, or two-factor codes. [9] [10]
Why can my YouTube agency publish but not use our scheduling tool?
YouTube channel permissions govern the person’s delegated channel role. External automation is separately governed by the tool’s supported integration and the owner’s OAuth authorization. A channel-permission delegate cannot manage the channel through YouTube APIs. [14] [25]
What should happen when the agency engagement ends?
Remove the person or partner, remove separate ad and finance roles, revoke unused connected apps, and confirm that client-controlled administrators remain. Record the completion date and review any live campaigns before disconnecting an identity used in ads.
Clear access rules make an agency relationship easier to manage without asking a client to surrender account control. If you would like a practical outside perspective on what your public social presence communicates, request a free social media review. Digi-Buzz reviews public, forward-facing profiles, brand voice, and strategies; that review does not require private administrator access.
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