LinkedIn Campaign Manager Create Ad Button Greyed Out

Is this your situation?

The short answer

What you see, and why

Check these first

• Confirm your ad account role. Creative manager access or higher is required to create ads.Verify: Check Account settings, then Manage access, for your role.
• Confirm your Page role. You must be a super admin, content admin, or Sponsored Content poster on the Page.Verify: Check the Page admin list for your name and role.
• Check whether the account uses Business Manager. If the ad account has been claimed or added to Business Manager, access is managed there instead.Verify: Check whether the ad account appears under a Business Manager.

How LinkedIn handles this

• Creative manager access or higher on the ad account is required to create ads in Campaign Manager.
• A super admin, content admin, or Sponsored Content poster role on the Page is also required.
• The viewer role cannot create new campaigns and ad sets.
• A request for Page permission can be sent directly to Page super admins or Sponsored Content poster admins.

Which path applies to you?

1. You check your ad account role. Creative manager access or higher is required to create ads.
2. You check your Page role. You must be a super admin, content admin, or Sponsored Content poster on the Page.
3. You check whether the account has been claimed or added to Business Manager. If it has, user access must be managed through Business Manager instead of Campaign Manager.
4. Do both permissions already look correct? Send a request for Page permission directly to a super admin or Sponsored Content poster admin.

Step by step: finding the cause

1. Open the ad account in Campaign Manager. Start from the ad account linked to the client Page.Confirm: Check that the correct ad account name shows in the upper-left corner.
2. Check your ad account role. From account settings in Campaign Manager, you can manage who has access to the account.Confirm: Check the role listed next to your name.
3. Confirm Creative manager access or higher. Creative manager access or higher on the ad account is required to create ads.Confirm: Check whether your listed role meets this level.
4. Check your Page role. You must be a super admin, content admin, or Sponsored Content poster on the Page.Confirm: Check the Page admin list for your name and role.
5. Check whether Business Manager owns the account. If the ad account has been claimed or added to Business Manager, access is managed there instead.Confirm: Check whether the ad account appears under a Business Manager.
6. Send a Page permission request if needed. A request for permission to create ads can be sent directly to Page super admins or Sponsored Content poster admins.Confirm: Check your email for a confirmation once access is granted.If this fails: Ask the Page admin to review the request directly.
7. Re-check the create ad button. Return to the ad set page after permissions are updated.Confirm: Check whether the create ad button is now selectable.

Common mistakes

• Assuming ad account access is enough. Correct permission is needed on both the ad account and the LinkedIn Page to create new ads or sponsor organic posts.Why it happens: You see access to the ad account and assume that covers everything you need.
• Having a role that cannot create campaigns. The viewer role cannot create new campaigns and ad sets.Why it happens: You were added for reporting and did not expect a build restriction.
• Not checking Business Manager status. If the ad account has been claimed or added to Business Manager, access must be managed there instead.Why it happens: You look for the setting in Campaign Manager without checking where it moved.

Quick reference

Keeping track of who has access