Skip to main content

​
Portal System Overview

The Portal System is how you connect your advertising platform accounts to Whathead. Once connected, you can access your ad accounts, fetch existing campaigns, browse media libraries, and publish campaigns directly to platforms—all from within Whathead.
What you’ll learn:
  • What platform connections are and why you need them
  • Which platforms you can connect
  • How connections enable campaign management
  • Managing multiple accounts per platform

​
What Are Platform Connections?

A platform connection links Whathead to your advertising account on Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, or Google. When you connect a platform, you authorize Whathead to:
  • Read your campaigns: Fetch existing campaigns, ad sets, and ads to edit them
  • Access your ad accounts: Select which accounts to work with
  • Browse media libraries: View and use creative assets you’ve uploaded to platforms
  • Publish campaigns: Create new campaigns or update existing ones
  • Manage campaign status: Pause, activate, or archive campaigns
Without a platform connection, you can build campaign structures on the canvas, but you cannot publish them or fetch existing campaigns from that platform.
You can connect multiple platforms simultaneously. Build campaigns for Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and Google all in the same workspace.

​
Supported Platforms

Whathead integrates with four major advertising platforms:

​
Meta (Facebook & Instagram)

Connect to Facebook Business Manager to access:
  • Facebook ad accounts
  • Instagram ad accounts (linked through Business Manager)
  • Meta media library with images and videos
  • Campaign objectives: Sales, Traffic, Awareness, Engagement, Leads, App Promotion

​
TikTok

Connect to TikTok Ads Manager to access:
  • TikTok ad accounts
  • TikTok media library
  • Campaign objectives: Traffic, Conversions, App Installs, Video Views, Reach

​
Snapchat

Connect to Snapchat Ads Manager to access:
  • Snapchat ad accounts
  • Snapchat media library
  • Campaign objectives: Awareness, Consideration, Conversions, App Installs

​
Google

Connect to Google Ads to access:
  • Google Ads accounts
  • Google media library
  • Campaign types: Search, Display, Video, Shopping, Performance Max
Each platform has its own connection setup process. Learn more in the platform-specific connection guides linked below.

​
Why Connect Platforms?

Platform connections enable the core workflows in Whathead:

​
Publishing Campaigns

When you build a campaign on the canvas and click Publish, Whathead uses your platform connection to send the campaign to the platform’s API. Without a connection, the Publish button is disabled for that platform.

​
Fetching Existing Campaigns

You can import campaigns you’ve already created on platforms. Whathead fetches the campaign structure and settings, loads them onto the canvas, and lets you edit them. When you publish, Whathead updates the existing campaigns rather than creating duplicates.

​
Accessing Media Libraries

When you configure ad creative, you can browse your platform’s media library to select images and videos you’ve already uploaded. This saves time and ensures you’re using approved assets.

​
Cross-Platform Management

With multiple platforms connected, you can:
  • Build campaigns for different platforms on the same canvas
  • Transfer campaign structures between platforms
  • Compare performance across platforms
  • Manage all your advertising from one workspace
Connect all platforms you advertise on, even if you don’t use them immediately. Having connections ready makes it faster to launch campaigns when needed.

​
Multiple Accounts Per Platform

You can connect multiple ad accounts for the same platform. This is useful when you:
  • Manage advertising for multiple clients
  • Have separate accounts for different brands or business units
  • Work with agency accounts and client accounts
  • Test campaigns in a sandbox account before going live
When you connect a platform, you select which ad account to use as your default. You can switch between accounts at any time without disconnecting and reconnecting.
Learn more about managing multiple accounts in Managing Accounts.

​
Connection Status

Your platform connections have three possible states:

​
Connected

The platform is successfully connected and authorized. You can publish campaigns, fetch existing campaigns, and access media libraries. This is the normal working state.

​
Disconnected

The platform is not connected. You cannot publish to this platform or fetch campaigns from it. You can still build campaign structures on the canvas for this platform, but publishing is disabled.

​
Connection Error

The platform was connected but authorization has expired or been revoked. This happens when:
  • You changed your password on the platform
  • You revoked Whathead’s access in platform settings
  • The platform’s API token expired
You’ll need to reconnect to restore functionality.
If you disconnect a platform while you have campaigns for that platform on the canvas, you won’t be able to publish them until you reconnect. Your canvas work is saved, but publishing is blocked.

​
What Happens When You Connect

When you connect a platform, here’s what happens:
  1. Authorization: You’re redirected to the platform’s login page to authorize Whathead
  2. Permission Grant: You grant Whathead permission to access your ad accounts and media
  3. Account Selection: You select which ad account to use as your default
  4. Connection Saved: Whathead stores the connection securely
After connecting, you can immediately start building and publishing campaigns for that platform.
Whathead uses secure OAuth authentication for all platform connections. Your platform credentials are never stored in Whathead—only authorization tokens that you can revoke at any time.

​
Connection Security

Platform connections are secured through industry-standard practices:
  • OAuth 2.0: All platforms use OAuth for secure authorization
  • Token-based access: Whathead receives temporary access tokens, not your passwords
  • Revocable permissions: You can revoke Whathead’s access from platform settings at any time
  • Encrypted storage: Connection tokens are encrypted at rest
  • Minimal permissions: Whathead only requests the permissions needed for campaign management
You remain in full control of your platform accounts. Whathead can only perform actions you’ve authorized.

​
Platform Connection Workflow

Here’s the typical workflow for using platform connections:
1

Connect your first platform

Navigate to Integrations from the main navigation and click Connect for the platform you want to use. Complete the authorization flow.
2

Select your ad account

Choose which ad account to work with from the dropdown. You can change this later.
3

Build campaigns

Create campaign structures on the canvas, selecting the connected platform for each campaign node.
4

Publish to platform

Click Publish to send your campaigns to the platform. Whathead uses your connection to create or update campaigns via the platform’s API.
Connect platforms before you start building campaigns. This lets you fetch existing campaigns and browse media libraries while you work.

​
Disconnecting Platforms

You can disconnect a platform at any time from the Integrations page. When you disconnect:
  • Campaigns for that platform remain on your canvas
  • You cannot publish campaigns for that platform until you reconnect
  • You cannot fetch existing campaigns from that platform
  • You cannot access that platform’s media library
Your canvas work is preserved. Reconnecting restores full functionality.
Disconnecting a platform does not delete or pause your campaigns on the platform itself. It only removes Whathead’s ability to manage them. Your campaigns continue running on the platform.

​
Platform-Specific Connection Guides

Each platform has its own connection setup process with specific requirements and steps:

Connect Meta

Connect Facebook Business Manager to access Meta ad accounts and Instagram advertising.

Connect TikTok

Connect TikTok Ads Manager to access TikTok ad accounts and creative tools.

Connect Snapchat

Connect Snapchat Ads Manager to access Snapchat ad accounts and media library.

Connect Google

Connect Google Ads to access Google ad accounts and campaign types.

​
Next Steps

Now that you understand platform connections, explore these related topics:

Connecting Platforms

Step-by-step guide to connecting each platform with authentication flows.

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.

Fetching Existing Campaigns

Import campaigns from your connected platforms to edit them in Whathead.

​
Common Questions

No, only connect the platforms you actively use for advertising. If you only advertise on Meta and TikTok, you only need to connect those two platforms. You can add more connections later as needed.
Yes! You can connect multiple ad accounts for any platform. This is useful for agencies managing multiple clients or businesses with multiple brands. Switch between accounts from the account selector dropdown.
Platform connections can expire if you change your password or revoke access. When this happens, you’ll see a connection error on the Integrations page. Simply reconnect the platform to restore functionality. Your canvas work and campaign structures are preserved.
Yes, you can build complete campaign structures on the canvas without any platform connections. However, you cannot publish them until you connect the relevant platforms. This is useful for planning campaigns before you have platform access.
Yes. Whathead uses OAuth 2.0, the industry standard for secure authorization. Your platform passwords are never stored—only temporary access tokens that you can revoke at any time from your platform’s settings. Whathead only requests the minimum permissions needed for campaign management.
Whathead requests permissions to read your campaigns, access ad accounts, browse media libraries, and publish campaigns. These are the standard permissions needed for campaign management tools. You can review the exact permissions during the connection flow.
Yes, you can revoke access at any time from your platform’s settings (e.g., Facebook Business Settings > Business Integrations). This immediately disconnects Whathead. You can reconnect later if needed.
Disconnecting Whathead does not affect your campaigns on the platform—they continue running normally. You simply lose the ability to manage them from Whathead until you reconnect. Your canvas work in Whathead is preserved.

Connecting Platforms

Learn how to authenticate and connect advertising platforms.

Managing Accounts

Manage multiple ad accounts per platform and switch between them.

Initial Setup

Follow the setup guide to connect your first platform.

Platform Connection Pages

See platform-specific connection instructions.

Troubleshooting Connection Issues

Get help with authentication and connection problems.

Key Concepts

Understand what portals are and how they work.