Best Instagram Access for Creators, Agencies, and Employees
Match the right access to each relationship: scoped roles for employees, Partner access for agencies, and clear business ownership for creators. A role-by-role guide.
There is no single "best" Instagram access — there is the right access for each kind of relationship. An employee, a freelance agency, and the creator who owns the brand each need something different. Get the match right and you get smooth collaboration with no one holding more than they should.
Access by relationship
The safe pattern for each of the three relationships, all without sharing a password.
- Principle 1
Employees — scoped roles
Add them to the Business Portfolio and give only the Instagram permissions their job needs: content, messaging, ads, or insights. Remove the role when they leave.
- Principle 2
Agencies — Partner access
Bring an agency in as a Partner by their 16-digit Business Portfolio ID, granting access to specific assets. Never the password, never ownership of your portfolio.
- Principle 3
Creators / owners — keep ownership
The business (or the creator running it) owns the Business Portfolio and connected Page. Everyone else gets access through it, so control never leaves your hands.
Review cadence: Review each relationship's access quarterly and whenever the relationship changes.
Instagram permissions you can assign
These are the permissions you grant on the Instagram asset in Meta Business Suite. Pick the narrowest set per person.
| Role | Where it lives | Can do | Cannot do |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Portfolio — Admin access Can delegate to others | business.facebook.com → Settings → PeopleEntire Business Portfolio |
| — ⚠ Portfolio Admin is the highest privilege — protect this role tightly. |
Business Portfolio — Employee access | business.facebook.com → Settings → PeopleOnly assigned assets |
|
|
Instagram asset — Full control Can delegate to others | business.facebook.com → Accounts → Instagram accounts → Assign peopleSpecific Instagram account |
| — |
Instagram — Create content | Asset-level Instagram permissionsPosting and content |
|
|
Instagram — Messages & community activity | Asset-level Instagram permissionsInbox and community |
| — |
Instagram — Community activity | Asset-level Instagram permissionsComments and mentions only |
|
|
Instagram — Ads | Asset-level + Ad Account permissionsBoosted posts and ad campaigns |
| — ⚠ Ad permission typically also requires Ad Account access — a common point of mis-grants. |
Instagram — Insights | Asset-level Instagram permissionsRead-only |
| — |
Full control should be rare — reserve it for trusted admins, not every collaborator.
Common mismatches
Giving an agency full control instead of Partner access
Full control or ownership lets an agency lock you out. Partner access by Business Portfolio ID gives them what they need and keeps you in charge.
Already happened: Best way to give an agency access
Treating every employee as an admin
Admin is for the few people who manage access itself. Most employees should be scoped Employees on the assets they work on.
Delvia
Access issues are easier to prevent when roles, owners, and responsibilities are recorded clearly
Most access problems trace back to the same gap — no clear record of who has access, what role they hold, and what should happen when that changes. Delvia helps you keep that record so problems are visible before they become incidents.