Skip to main content

​
Connecting Platforms

Connecting your advertising platforms to Whathead enables you to publish campaigns, fetch existing campaigns, and access media libraries. Each platform uses secure OAuth authentication to authorize Whathead without sharing your passwords.
What you’ll learn:
  • How to connect each advertising platform
  • What permissions Whathead needs and why
  • Platform-specific authentication requirements
  • Troubleshooting connection issues

​
Before You Connect

Before connecting a platform, ensure you have:
  • Platform account access: You need login credentials for the platform you’re connecting
  • Ad account permissions: You must have admin or advertiser access to the ad accounts you want to manage
  • Business Manager access (Meta only): Meta connections require Facebook Business Manager access
Connect all platforms you advertise on during initial setup. Having connections ready makes it faster to launch campaigns when needed.

​
Connection Overview

All platform connections follow the same basic flow:
1

Initiate connection

Navigate to Integrations in Whathead and click Connect for your platform.
2

Authorize Whathead

You’re redirected to the platform’s login page. Sign in with your platform credentials.
3

Grant permissions

Review and approve the permissions Whathead requests. These enable campaign management functionality.
4

Select ad account

Choose which ad account to use as your default. You can change this later or add more accounts.
5

Confirm connection

Return to Whathead with your platform connected. You can now publish campaigns and access platform features.
The specific steps vary slightly by platform. Use the platform-specific guides below for detailed instructions.

​
Platform-Specific Connection Guides

​
Connecting Meta (Facebook & Instagram)

Meta connections use Facebook Business Manager for authentication. You’ll connect to your Business Manager account, which gives you access to Facebook and Instagram ad accounts.
1

Start Meta connection

In Whathead, navigate to Integrations and click Connect next to Meta.
2

Log in to Facebook

You’re redirected to Facebook. Log in with your Facebook account that has access to Business Manager.
3

Select Business Manager

If you have access to multiple Business Managers, select the one containing the ad accounts you want to manage.
4

Review permissions

Facebook shows the permissions Whathead requests:
  • Read and manage ad campaigns
  • Access ad account information
  • View and use media library assets
  • Publish and update campaigns
Click Continue to grant these permissions.
5

Choose ad account

Select your default ad account from the dropdown. This is the account Whathead will use unless you switch to a different one.
6

Complete connection

Click Confirm to finish. You’re returned to Whathead with Meta connected.
Meta-specific requirements:
  • You must have a Facebook Business Manager account
  • Your Facebook account must have admin or advertiser access to the ad accounts
  • Instagram advertising is accessed through Business Manager—no separate Instagram connection needed
If you manage multiple Business Managers, make sure you select the correct one during connection. You can only connect one Business Manager at a time per Whathead account.

​
Permissions Explained

Whathead requests specific permissions from each platform to enable campaign management. Here’s what each permission allows:

​
Read and Manage Campaigns

This permission lets Whathead:
  • Fetch your existing campaigns, ad sets, and ads
  • Display campaign structures on the canvas
  • Read campaign settings, budgets, and targeting
Without this permission, you cannot import existing campaigns or see what’s currently running on the platform.

​
Access Ad Account Information

This permission lets Whathead:
  • List your available ad accounts
  • Display account names and IDs
  • Check account status and spending limits
Without this permission, Whathead cannot show you which accounts you have access to.

​
View and Use Media Library

This permission lets Whathead:
  • Browse your platform’s media library
  • Display images and videos you’ve uploaded
  • Select assets when configuring ad creative
Without this permission, you cannot use existing media from your platform libraries—you’d need to upload new assets every time.

​
Publish and Update Campaigns

This permission lets Whathead:
  • Create new campaigns on the platform
  • Update existing campaigns with changes
  • Manage campaign status (pause, activate, archive)
Without this permission, you can build campaigns on the canvas but cannot publish them to the platform.
Whathead only requests the minimum permissions needed for campaign management. Your platform credentials are never stored—only temporary access tokens that you can revoke at any time.

​
Connection Security

Platform connections use industry-standard security practices:

​
OAuth 2.0 Authentication

All platforms use OAuth 2.0, the industry standard for secure authorization. When you connect a platform:
  1. You’re redirected to the platform’s official login page (not a Whathead page)
  2. You log in directly with the platform using your credentials
  3. The platform generates a temporary access token for Whathead
  4. Whathead receives only the token, never your password
Your platform credentials remain secure and are never shared with Whathead.

​
Token-Based Access

Whathead uses access tokens to communicate with platform APIs. These tokens:
  • Are temporary and expire after a set period
  • Can be revoked at any time from your platform settings
  • Are encrypted at rest in Whathead’s database
  • Are only used for the specific permissions you granted
If a token expires or is revoked, you’ll see a connection error and need to reconnect.

​
Minimal Permissions

Whathead only requests permissions necessary for campaign management. We do not request:
  • Access to personal messages or posts
  • Permission to post on your behalf
  • Access to billing information
  • Permission to manage users or roles
You remain in full control of your platform accounts.

​
Revoking Access

You can revoke Whathead’s access at any time from your platform’s settings:
  1. Go to Facebook Business Settings
  2. Navigate to Business Integrations
  3. Find Whathead in the list
  4. Click Remove to revoke access
Revoking access immediately disconnects Whathead. Your campaigns on the platform continue running normally—you simply lose the ability to manage them from Whathead until you reconnect.

​
Managing Multiple Accounts

After connecting a platform, you can add more ad accounts for the same platform. This is useful when you:
  • Manage advertising for multiple clients
  • Have separate accounts for different brands
  • Work with agency accounts and client accounts
  • Test campaigns in a sandbox before going live
To add more accounts:
1

Open account settings

Navigate to Integrations and find your connected platform.
2

Add account

Click Add Account next to the platform name.
3

Select account

Choose the additional ad account from the dropdown. All accounts you have access to through your platform connection are available.
4

Confirm

Click Add to include the account. You can now switch between accounts when building campaigns.
Learn more about managing multiple accounts in Managing Accounts.

​
Troubleshooting Connection Issues

Cause: The platform’s authorization server may be temporarily unavailable, or your browser blocked the redirect.Resolution:
  1. Check your internet connection
  2. Disable browser extensions that block popups or redirects
  3. Try a different browser
  4. Wait a few minutes and try again
  5. If the issue persists, check the platform’s status page for outages
Cause: Your platform account may not have access to any ad accounts, or the accounts aren’t properly linked to your Business Manager.Resolution:
  1. Log in to the platform directly and verify you can see ad accounts there
  2. For Meta: Ensure your Facebook account is added to Business Manager with appropriate permissions
  3. For TikTok: Verify you have advertiser or admin access to the ad accounts
  4. For Snapchat: Check that your Snapchat account has Ads Manager access
  5. For Google: Confirm your Google account has access to Google Ads accounts
  6. If you still don’t see accounts, contact your platform administrator to grant access
Cause: Your access token expired, you changed your platform password, or you revoked Whathead’s access from platform settings.Resolution:
  1. Navigate to Integrations in Whathead
  2. Click Reconnect next to the platform showing an error
  3. Complete the authorization flow again
  4. Your campaigns and canvas work are preserved—reconnecting restores functionality
Cause: You selected the wrong Business Manager during the connection flow.Resolution:
  1. Navigate to Integrations in Whathead
  2. Click Disconnect next to Meta
  3. Click Connect to start a new connection
  4. During authorization, carefully select the correct Business Manager
  5. Complete the connection flow
Cause: You clicked “Cancel” or “Deny” during the permission grant step, or your platform account doesn’t have sufficient permissions.Resolution:
  1. Start the connection process again
  2. When the platform asks for permissions, click “Allow” or “Authorize”
  3. If you don’t have permission to grant access, contact your platform administrator
  4. For agency accounts, ensure your client has granted your agency access to their ad accounts
Cause: Your platform account may have read-only access, or the ad account has spending limits or restrictions.Resolution:
  1. Verify you have admin or advertiser access (not just analyst access) to the ad account
  2. Check the ad account status on the platform—it may be disabled or restricted
  3. Verify the ad account has an active payment method
  4. For Meta: Check Business Manager roles and permissions
  5. If you only have read access, contact your administrator to upgrade your permissions
Cause: You want to switch to a different platform account (different login credentials).Resolution:
  1. Navigate to Integrations in Whathead
  2. Click Disconnect next to the platform
  3. Click Connect to start a new connection
  4. Log in with the different platform account credentials
  5. Complete the authorization flow
Note: This replaces your connection entirely. If you want to manage multiple ad accounts under the same platform login, use the Add Account feature instead.

​
What Happens After Connecting

Once you’ve connected a platform, you can:

​
Publish Campaigns

Build campaigns on the canvas and click Publish to send them to the platform. Whathead creates new campaigns or updates existing ones based on your canvas structure. Learn more: Publishing Workflow

​
Fetch Existing Campaigns

Import campaigns you’ve already created on the platform. Whathead loads them onto the canvas where you can edit and republish them. Learn more: Fetching Existing Campaigns

​
Browse Media Libraries

When configuring ad creative, browse your platform’s media library to select images and videos you’ve already uploaded. Learn more: Asset Management

​
Switch Between Accounts

If you manage multiple ad accounts for the same platform, switch between them from the account selector dropdown. Learn more: Managing Accounts

​
Next Steps

Managing Accounts

Learn how to work with multiple ad accounts per platform and switch between them.

Campaign Builder

Start building campaigns on the visual canvas using your connected platforms.

Publishing Workflow

Understand how to validate, preview, and publish campaigns to your connected platforms.

Platform-Specific Guides

Explore detailed guides for each platform’s features, limitations, and best practices.