How to Get Meta Business Portfolio Access (New UI)

How to Get Meta Business Portfolio Access (New UI)

If your agency runs social media or paid ad campaigns, the Meta ecosystem is unavoidable. Historically, agencies referred to this ecosystem as the "Facebook Business Manager".

Recently, Meta began a massive global UI update, renaming the core infrastructure from "Business Manager" to "Business Portfolio".

Clients following outdated PDF guides from 2024 will frequently encounter screens that look entirely different than the screenshots provided by your agency. In this guide, we explain how to navigate the new Portfolio UI and secure agency access smoothly.

The Architecture of a Meta Portfolio

A Meta Business Portfolio is an umbrella. Inside that umbrella are individual Assets. To run a successful campaign, an agency needs access to four specific assets simultaneously:

1. The Facebook Page (Where the ads originate)
2. The Instagram Account (Where the IG ads run)
3. The Ad Account (Where the credit card is billed)
4. The Dataset/Pixel (How the conversions are tracked)

If a client grants you access to the Ad Account, but forgets the Pixel, your media buyers are dead in the water.

Method 1: The Partner ID Request (Manual)

If you do not utilize specialized onboarding automation, you must instruct the client on how to add you natively using your Meta Business ID.

First, locate your agency's Business ID (found in your Meta Business Settings > Business Info).

Send the client these exact, updated instructions:

Action Required: Meta Portfolio Access To allow our media buyers to build your campaigns, please add our agency as a Partner to your Meta Business Portfolio. 1. Log into your Meta Business Settings. *(Ensure the correct Business Portfolio is selected in the top left dropdown)*. 2. On the left-hand menu, under the "Users" category, click Partners. 3. Click the blue Add button, and select Give a partner access to your assets. 4. Paste our Agency Business ID: *[Insert your 15-digit ID here]* 5. A new window will appear with three columns. 6. On the far left column, click Pages. In the middle column, select your brand's Page. In the right column, toggle on the Manage Page switch. 7. On the far left column, click Ad Accounts. In the middle column, select your Ad Account. In the right column, toggle on the Manage Ad Account switch. 8. On the far left column, click Datasets (formerly Pixels). In the middle column, select your website's dataset. In the right column, toggle on the Manage Dataset switch. 9. On the far left column, click Instagram Accounts. In the middle column, select your Instagram profile. In the right column, toggle on the Manage Ads switch. 10. Click Save Changes.

The Common Point of Failure: Unclaimed Assets

The instructions above assume the client actually possesses a properly structured Business Portfolio.

In 40% of onboarding scenarios, a small business client will log in and realize their Instagram account isn't listed under "Instagram Accounts". This happens because they created the Instagram account on their phone and never formally "pulled" it into the corporate Business Portfolio structure.

Trying to walk a client through claiming a fragmented Instagram account via email is an exercise in futility.

Method 2: API-Driven Onboarding

To prevent this entire headache, modern agencies utilize OAuth integrations mapped directly to the Meta Graph API.

By using platforms like OneClick Onboard, the agency simply sends a secure link. 1. The client logs in with Facebook. 2. The API scans their profile, detects all associated Pages, Ad Accounts, and Portfolios, and presents them in a simple UI. 3. The client checks the boxes next to the assets they want to share. 4. The API binds those assets to your agency's Portfolio automatically.

Stop losing your first week of the client relationship battling Meta's clunky interface. Standardize your operations and automate your asset collection pipeline today.