How to Give Social Media Manager Access to Instagram

Handing over the keys to your Instagram account can feel like a big step, but it doesn't have to be a risky one. Instead of sharing your personal password, there’s a secure, professional, and surprisingly simple way to give a social media manager the access they need to create content, engage with your audience, and analyze performance. This guide will walk you through the correct ways to grant access using Meta's built-in tools, explaining exactly what permissions to assign and how to keep your account safe.

Why You Should Never Just Share Your Instagram Password

Before we get into the right way to do things, let’s talk about the common shortcut many people take: simply handing over their username and password. While it seems fast and easy, this approach is full of problems that can create major headaches down the road.

• Major Security Risks: Sharing your primary login details is a huge security vulnerability. If that person's devices are compromised, or if you part ways on bad terms, your account is at risk. They have full control, including the ability to change the password, email, and phone number, effectively locking you out of your own account.
• Triggering Security Alerts: Instagram's security systems are designed to detect suspicious activity. When someone logs in from a new device or location - especially repeatedly - it can trigger security alerts, two-factor authentication prompts, or even temporary account lockouts. This interrupts workflow and creates constant friction.
• No Accountability: If multiple people are using the same login, you have no way of knowing who posted what or who responded to a specific comment. This lack of an activity trail makes it impossible to manage a team effectively.
• Lack of Nuanced Control: It’s an all-or-nothing situation. A person with your password can do everything: post content, delete old posts, change your bio, respond to DMs, and run ads. You can’t give them access to only post content or only respond to messages. Professional tools give you granular control over who can do what.

Thankfully, Meta (Instagram's parent company) has created professional tools that solve all of these problems. Let’s look at the correct way to grant access.

The Professional Method: Using Meta Business Suite

The safest and most industry-standard way to grant access is through the Meta Business Suite (formerly Facebook Business Manager). This platform acts as a central hub for all your Meta assets, including your Instagram account, Facebook Page, and ad accounts. By adding a social media manager here, you give them the tools they need to work without ever handling your personal credentials.

Before you can add someone, you need to have a few things set up correctly.

Step 1: Convert Your Instagram to a Business or Creator Account

Personal Instagram accounts don’t have the necessary connections for professional management tools. If you haven't already, you’ll need to switch to a Business or Creator profile. It’s free and unlocks analytics, contact buttons, and advertising capabilities.

How to check and switch:

1. Go to your Instagram profile and tap the three lines in the top-right corner to open the menu.
2. Tap Settings and privacy.
3. Scroll down and tap Account type and tools.
4. If you see Switch to professional account, you’re currently on a Personal account. Tap it and follow the prompts to select a category for your brand. If you see options like "Switch to business account" or "Switch to personal account," you’re already set!

Step 2: Connect Your Instagram Account to a Facebook Page

To manage Instagram through Meta Business Suite, it must be linked to a Facebook Page. Chances are you've already done this, but it’s a necessary connection for the backend tools to work.

You can do this directly from Instagram:

1. Go back to your Instagram profile.
2. Tap Edit Profile.
3. Under "Public business information," tap Page.
4. You can either Connect an existing page or Create a Facebook Page. Follow the prompts to link them.

Once these two prerequisites are met, you’re ready to grant access properly.

Step 3: Add Your Social Media Manager to Meta Business Suite

This is where you’ll officially give them permission to work on your account. You’ll need an email address they use for their Facebook account.

Here's the step-by-step process:

1. Navigate to business.facebook.com/settings. If you manage multiple business accounts, make sure you’ve selected the correct one in the top-left dropdown menu.
2. On the left-hand menu, look under the Users section and click on People.
3. Click the blue Add People button.
4. Enter the work email address of your social media manager in the field provided and click Next.
5. Now, you’ll see the crucial permission levels. You must assign access in two stages: first to the Business Account, and then to specific assets like your Instagram page.

Assigning Business Account Access

You’ll first be asked to assign a role for the entire business account. It’s best to be conservative here.

• Employee access (Recommended): This is the right choice for most social media managers and agencies. It means they can only work on the specific pages and ad accounts you assign to them.
• Admin access: Be very careful with this. Admins have full control over the entire Business Suite - they can add or remove people (including you!), change billing details, and delete the business. Only grant this to a trusted co-owner or partner. You can get more specific by clicking "Show advanced options" and choosing roles like Financial analyst or developer, but employee access covers 99% of cases.

After selecting "Employee access," click Next.

Assigning Asset Access (Your Instagram Account)

On the next screen, you’ll see a list of all your assets (Facebook Pages, Instagram accounts, ad accounts, etc.). This is where you give them permission to work on specific accounts.

1. In the first column, find and select your Instagram account. The account name will appear on the right.
2. Now toggle on the specific tasks you want the manager to be able to perform. This is the beauty of this system - you have full control.
   • Content: Allows them to create, publish, and delete posts, Stories, and Reels. They can also create ads. This is a must-have for almost any social media manager.
   • Messages: Allows them to respond to direct messages (DMs) in the inbox. Essential for community management.
   • Community Activity: Allows them to reply to and delete comments, and remove unwanted content. Also essential for community management.
   • Ads: Give this permission if they will be responsible for creating, managing, and running Instagram ad campaigns.
   • Insights: Allows them to view performance analytics for your posts, Stories, and account growth. Critical for them to report on what’s working.

For most social media managers, you’ll want to turn on access to Content, Messages, Community Activity, and Insights. Only give "Full Control" if absolutely necessary, as it includes the ability to manage permissions for the asset.

After selecting the permissions, click Invite. Your social media manager will receive an email invitation to join your Meta Business Suite. Once they accept, they will be able to access your Instagram account through Business Suite, Creator Studio, or a connected third-party tool without ever needing your personal password.

An Alternative for Shared Access: Instagram's Login Info Center

Meta has slowly rolled out a feature within Instagram's Accounts Center that allows you to create shared logins. This method is simpler than Business Suite but offers less granular control. It’s a decent option for a very small team where you don’t need to specify if someone can only post but not reply to DMs.

Here’s how it works:

1. Go to your Instagram Settings and privacy and tap on Accounts Center.
2. Tap on Login info.
3. You can add a username and password that multiple people can use to log into a profile in the Accounts Center.

While an official feature, it still lacks the robust permission levels and accountability of Meta Business Suite. For any professional engagement with a contractor, freelancer, or agency, Business Suite remains the gold standard.

Best Practices for a Smooth Hand-Off

Granting access is just the first step. To set your partnership up for success, follow these best practices:

• Establish Clear Expectations: Before they even start, create a document outlining their responsibilities. What’s the posting frequency? What’s the expected response time for comments and DMs? Who is responsible for content creation?
• Provide Brand Guidelines: Give them a guide to your brand’s voice, tone, and visual style. Include details about what fonts and colors to use, what kind of language to avoid, and examples of on-brand posts. This prevents misunderstandings and keeps your content consistent.
• Implement an Approval Workflow: Will they have full autonomy to post, or do you need to approve content first? For new partnerships, it’s wise to have an approval process. A shared content calendar or a simple collaboration tool can make this easy.
• Review Permissions Regularly: Periodically check who has access to your accounts in Meta Business Suite. If a freelancer's contract ends, make sure to remove their access immediately. It only takes a few clicks and is good security hygiene.

Final Thoughts

Giving a social media manager access to your Instagram is a crucial step in scaling your brand, but it needs to be done securely and professionally. By ditching the password-sharing habit and using Meta Business Suite, you maintain full control over your account, protect your security, and empower your manager with the access they need to do great work.

Setting up these permissions also makes it much easier to integrate professional tools for more efficient workflows. We designed Postbase for teams who need to collaborate without the chaos. Once your manager has the correct permissions, you can connect your Instagram account to our platform, invite your team members, and start planning your content in our visual calendar, scheduling posts across platforms, and managing all comments and DMs in one unified inbox. It’s the simple, modern way for teams to work together without getting in each other’s way.