How to Request TikTok Ads and Spark Ads Access (+ free client guide)

To request access to a client’s TikTok account, use TikTok Business Center to request access to their advertiser account or TikTok profile. The client must then approve your request before your agency can manage campaigns, use posts in Spark Ads, or publish content with the permissions they grant.

Alternatively, you can use a client onboarding tool such as Leadsie to request access through a single link.

In this guide, we’ll walk through both methods, explain which type of TikTok access your agency needs, and show you how to avoid the usual back-and-forth over account IDs, permissions, and approvals.

🔗 Related article: How to give someone access to your TikTok account

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Method 1: Request TikTok Ads and Spark Ads access through Business Center

TikTok allows you to directly request access to: 

1. Advertiser accounts, for creating and managing campaigns in Ads Manager
2. TikTok accounts, for using the client’s identity and content in Spark Ads

TikTok One accounts and Shops use separate access workflows and are not covered in this guide.

Assets such as Pixels, catalogs and leads cannot be "requested," so the owner must give you access from their end.

1. Request access to a client’s TikTok Ads Manager account

If your agency needs to create, manage, or report on a client’s TikTok campaigns, request access to their advertiser account.

📋 Before you start

Make sure:

• Your agency has a TikTok Business Center.
• You’re an Admin of that Business Center.
• The client’s advertiser account is active and eligible to be shared.
• You have the client’s Advertiser Account ID.

Step 1: Open Advertiser accounts in Business Center

Log in to your TikTok Business Center account (https://business.tiktok.com/), and from the left-hand menu, select Accounts > Advertiser accounts.

Then select Add advertiser account, choose Request access, and click Next.

Step 2: Enter the client’s account ID and choose a role

Enter the client’s 19-digit Advertiser Account ID. This is the unique number associated with their TikTok Ads Manager account.

👉 Your client doesn’t know their Ad Account ID? Ask them to open Ads Manager, click their Account Name, and they’ll see the ID displayed right underneath. They can also find it in the URL when viewing their ad account.

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Which advertiser account permission should you request?

TikTok offers three advertiser account permission levels:

• Admin: Can manage campaigns, view performance, and control advertiser account settings. Request this only if your agency needs broader account control.
• Operator: Can create and manage campaigns and view performance data, but cannot control account-level settings. This is sufficient for most agencies running ads.
• Analyst: Can view campaigns, reports, and performance data but cannot create or edit campaigns. Choose this for reporting or auditing only.

💡 Tip: Request the lowest permission level your agency needs. For most campaign-management work, Operator access is the best fit.

These advertiser account permissions are separate from your role inside your agency’s Business Center. You must be a Business Center Admin to submit the request, but you can request Operator or Analyst access to the client’s advertiser account.

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Step 3: Confirm your agency relationship and asset access

If you request Admin or Operator access, TikTok may ask whether your company is the client’s primary media agency.

Select Yes only if your agency is primarily responsible for the client’s media buying. TikTok will add a "Media Agency" label to the advertiser account, helping distinguish your role when multiple partners have access.

TikTok may also ask you to select additional assets or permissions associated with the advertiser account. Choose only the access your agency needs to complete its work.

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Step 4: Submit the request and ask the client to approve it

Review the account ID, role, and requested permissions, then submit the request.

TikTok will notify the advertiser account owner through Ads Manager, but your agency will not receive access until an authorized account owner approves the request.

💡 Approval tip: If the client cannot find the request, ask them to check Notifications > Business Center.

2. Link the client’s TikTok account for Spark Ads

If your agency wants to use a client’s organic posts in Spark Ads or create videos associated with their profile, you’ll need permission to access their TikTok account.

This is separate from advertiser account access. Advertiser account permissions let you manage campaigns, while TikTok account permissions let you use or publish content associated with the client’s TikTok profile.

📋 Before you start

Make sure:

• Your agency has a TikTok Business Center.
• You’re an Admin of that Business Center.
• The client can access the TikTok mobile app for the account you want to connect.

Step 1: Open TikTok accounts in Business Center

Sign in to TikTok Business Center (https://business.tiktok.com/), and from the left-hand menu, select Accounts > TikTok accounts.

Step 2: Request access to the TikTok account

Click Add a TikTok account, and choose Link an existing TikTok account.

Step 3: Choose the content permissions your agency needs

TikTok will ask you to choose a permission level:

• Deliver ads: Choose this when your agency needs the account’s identity or content for advertising without broader organic account management.
• Manage account: Choose this only when your agency has also been authorized to manage the client’s organic TikTok presence, such as content, messages, profile information and analytics.

For the Spark Ads workflow covered in this guide, select Deliver ads.

Next, choose what your agency should be allowed to do with the client’s content. For ongoing Spark Ads access, TikTok recommends enabling:

• Existing posts: Use the client’s existing organic posts for ad delivery.
• Publish and manage new videos: Create and manage new videos associated with the client’s TikTok account.
  • Only show as ads: The videos receive paid traffic but remain hidden from the client’s public profile.
  • Show on TikTok profile and as ads: The videos can appear on the client’s profile and receive both organic and paid traffic.

TikTok will also display permissions for features such as LIVE videos, GMV Max, Showcase, Messaging Ads and Series. Only select these if they’re relevant to the work your agency will be doing.

Review the permissions carefully before continuing. In particular, only request permission to publish videos on the client’s profile if they have agreed that your team can do so.

Step 4: Send the QR code to the client for approval

Once you’ve selected the permissions, click Next. TikTok will generate a QR code that you can download and send to the client.

The client must scan the code while logged into the TikTok account you want to connect. In the TikTok mobile app, they should:

1. Go to Profile.
2. Tap the three-line menu in the top-right corner.
3. Select Your QR code.
4. Tap the scanner icon in the top-right corner.
5. Scan the QR code and approve the request.

Your agency won’t receive access until the client completes this step. If the QR code expires before they scan it, generate a new one in Business Center and send it again.

Once approved, the TikTok account will appear in your Business Center, and an Admin can then assign the appropriate account permissions to individual team members.

💡 Important: Connecting the account does not automatically give every member of your agency access. Assign it only to the team members who need it.

What’s next: Connect the TikTok account to an advertiser account

Once the creator approves the request and the TikTok account is in your Business Center, you need to connect their TikTok account to the Ads Manager account that will run the Spark Ads campaign. Follow our guide to linking a TikTok account for ongoing Spark Ads access.

⭐ Free TikTok Access Guide for Your Clients

Don’t want to walk every client through the approval process yourself? Send them our free TikTok access guide, which walks them through granting your team access to their TikTok account and advertiser account.

Choose the format that works best for your agency:

• Download the PDF version
• Make a copy of the Google Docs version

You can add the guide to your onboarding emails, client portal, or project-management templates and reuse it whenever you need TikTok access.

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Method 2: Request TikTok access using Leadsie 

Agencies can also request TikTok access using Leadsie instead of guiding clients through TikTok Business Center manually.

Leadsie is a client onboarding tool that helps marketing agencies request access to their clients’ accounts through a single link. 

This is particularly useful when clients are unfamiliar with Business Center, struggle to find account IDs, or need to connect several marketing platforms. The client still reviews and approves the permissions presented by TikTok, and they never need to share their password with your agency.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1. Send your client your Leadsie access link.

Step 2. The client opens the link, connects their TikTok account, and approves the requested permissions. They don’t need to share their password or find account IDs.

Step 3. Confirm that your agency has the required access, then assign permissions to the appropriate team members.

That’s it! You can use the same link to request access to Meta, Google Ads, and 14+ other social media and advertising platforms, so you don’t have to guide clients through a separate access process for every account.

When Leadsie is a useful alternative

The native TikTok Business Center method works well when both the agency and client already understand its account structure. Leadsie may be more convenient when:

• The client is unfamiliar with Business Center. The guided flow reduces the amount of navigation they need to complete.
• Account IDs are causing delays. The client connects through a single link rather than exchanging IDs over email.
• Your agency has a repeatable onboarding process. Add the reusable link to onboarding emails, forms, or checklists.
• You need access to 14+ platforms. One onboarding link can cover TikTok alongside platforms such as Meta, Google Ads, LinkedIn, and Shopify.
• You want to avoid password sharing. Clients authenticate with the platforms directly and approve the permissions themselves.

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✅ Bonus: Want to strengthen your credibility on the platform? Learn how to get verified on TikTok here.

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Troubleshooting TikTok access requests

Here are some common problems and what to check.

1. The client can’t find the advertiser account request

Confirm that you entered the correct Advertiser Account ID and that the person checking for the request is authorized to approve access.

Ask them to open TikTok Ads Manager and check Notifications > Business Center. If another Business Center owns the advertiser account, an Admin of that Business Center may need to approve the request.

2. The client received the wrong type of access request

TikTok separates advertiser account access from TikTok profile permissions:

• Request advertiser account access to create and manage campaigns.
• Request ad delivery permissions to use profile content in Spark Ads.
• Request both if your agency needs to manage campaigns and use the client’s TikTok posts.

If you selected the wrong option, cancel that request and create a new one for the correct account type.

3. The QR code has expired or shows an error

First, generate a new QR code in Business Center. Ask the client to confirm that they are signed in to the correct TikTok profile in the mobile app before scanning it.

If TikTok continues to display an “Unknown error” or redirect error, try generating the request again. Persistent errors may require assistance from TikTok Business Support.

4. The client approved the request, but the account isn’t visible

Ask the client to confirm that the approval was completed in the TikTok app, not merely that the QR code was scanned.

Then refresh Business Center, sign out and back in, and confirm that you’re viewing the correct Business Center. Account connections may occasionally take time to appear. Contact TikTok Business Support if the approved account still does not appear.

5. The account is connected, but a team member can’t access it

Connecting a TikTok account to Business Center does not automatically give every agency member access.

A Business Center Admin must assign the account and appropriate permissions to each team member who needs it. Check the member’s assigned assets before trying to reconnect the client’s account.

6. You can’t request access to a pixel, catalog, audience, or lead asset

These assets aren’t included in the advertiser or TikTok account request. The asset owner must share them separately from their Business Center.

Ask a client-side Business Center Admin to select the relevant asset, share it with your agency’s Business Center, and grant the appropriate permissions.