Connecting as an agency
Two clean paths for connecting client Instagram accounts you do not personally own.
Agencies hit the same wall every time: Meta requires the human who controls the Page to grant access, and that human is the client, not the agency. There are two clean paths around it.
Path A — client adds you to their Meta Business
The cleaner long-term option. Your client adds you to their Meta Business as an admin or analyst on the Page their Instagram account is linked to. Once added, you can log in with your own Facebook account and see their Instagram in the connection picker like any other account you manage.
Why this is preferable: ongoing access. You can reconnect later without asking the client. You can add the same account to a new workspace without scheduling another hand-off.
Send your client this request, in their words:
Add me to your Meta Business as an analyst on the Page connected to your Instagram. I need permission to see insights for the Page and Instagram account. You can do this from business.facebook.com under People → Add.
Path B — client logs in once during connection
Use this when the client cannot or will not set up Meta Business access for you. The client logs in to Facebook in front of you (screen-share) or hands the laptop over for two minutes during the connection step. You complete the picker selection with their session, then they log out.
This works, but every reconnect needs the same hand-off. Plan accordingly.
Permissions to request
If your client asks what permission level to grant in Meta Business, ask for the role that includes Insights access on the Page. Standard analyst-level Page roles include this. Limited or content-only roles do not.
What goes wrong, and the one-line fix
- Client converted Instagram to personal at some point. Convert it back to Business or Creator. Historical insights for the personal period are gone — Meta never recorded them.
- Client deleted the Page. A new Page must be created and the Instagram account re-linked. Treat this as a new account on our side.
- Client removed your Meta Business access. Ask the client to re-add you, then click Reconnect on the affected account.
- Client granted a limited Page role without insights access. Ask the client to upgrade your role to one that includes insights.
After connecting
Keep each client's Instagram account in a profile dedicated to that client. This keeps reports, planner databases, and watchlists cleanly separated when you switch between clients during the workday. See Manage connected accounts for switching between profiles.