media
Insights · Agency handover
Change the agency.
Keep control of the assets.
Before switching Meta advertising agencies, establish who controls the business assets, what access each team needs and how the work will continue. An agency relationship can end while the Facebook Page, Instagram account, ad account, website and measurement history remain important to the business. Record those dependencies before removing anyone’s access.
This is a handover planning method, not a promise that Meta will transfer a disputed asset. Access and ownership are different questions, and each asset may have its own permissions or restrictions. If control is unclear, resolve it with the relevant owner or platform before a cutover.
Map the assets before changing access
Start with one inventory that business-side decision makers can understand. For each asset, record the account or business that controls it, who can administer it, what the agency can do and where the evidence is held. Keep passwords, recovery codes and payment details out of the worksheet.
Illustrative access model: Example business → business-controlled platform assets → the people and agencies authorised to work on them. A website developer, campaign manager and finance contact may need different access. A shared personal login is not a useful substitute for named, appropriate permissions.
| Asset | Business-side check | What the incoming team needs |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook Page and Instagram account | Identify the correct accounts and who can manage access. | The permissions required for the agreed work, rather than blanket control. |
| Ad account and billing | Record who controls the account, who pays Meta and who resolves billing issues. | A confirmed route to manage campaigns and read the relevant history. |
| Pixel or dataset | Identify the measurement asset and the website integration that sends events. | A documented integration and the access needed to inspect the agreed checks. |
| Website, domain and forms | Know the registrar, host, enquiry destination and responsible maintainer. | A route to make approved changes and verify that enquiries still reach the business. |
| Creative and reports | Confirm usage rights, source-file delivery and reporting definitions. | Approved usable material and enough context to interpret previous results. |
Take a reporting snapshot that remains useful
Save the reporting period, media spend, campaign and creative names, selected attribution settings, outcome definitions and any known gaps. An export without those definitions can make two agencies appear to disagree when they are counting different things. Distinguish platform leads from contacted, qualified and converted enquiries.
Record the current offer, audience exclusions, landing pages, follow-up owner and any tests still running. Capture decisions as well as screenshots: why a campaign was paused, what was approved and which question the next test was meant to answer. Do not export unnecessary customer data into a general handover folder.
Our qualified-lead guide explains how to preserve outcome definitions. The management-cost guide separates the agency fee from advertising spend so billing responsibility stays clear.
Agree the transition before removing the old team
- Confirm control. A business-side person signs in with their own account and verifies the relevant access. Avoid relying solely on an outgoing agency’s screenshot.
- Document dependencies. Include website plugins, automated reporting, lead destinations and integrations that could stop when an agency account is removed.
- Set a change window. Agree which campaigns continue, which changes are frozen and who can approve spend or publish during the transition.
- Test continuity. Check the agreed website and enquiry journey, measurement path and reporting access. Use a coordinated test rather than contacting a real prospect.
- Complete offboarding. Remove obsolete access through the appropriate platform controls only after continuity is confirmed. Record what was removed and who checked it.
Meta distinguishes Page access with full control, partial control and task access. Full control carries powers beyond managing adverts, including managing access. Use its current Page-access guidance when deciding what a particular role needs; business-portfolio and other asset permissions must be checked separately.
A handover is complete when responsibilities are clear
“Everything transferred” is too vague to sign off. A better record names the assets checked, unresolved ownership questions, files delivered, permissions granted or removed, and the person responsible for the next action. Mark unknowns as unknown rather than presenting an empty checklist as a pass.
The Plusbac tracking case illustrates why the existing measurement asset matters: we retained the client’s Pixel while repairing its browser integration and testing receipt. That case does not establish a complete Business Suite overhaul or a general asset-transfer service.
Download the editable agency handover checklist (CSV). It contains planning prompts, not client records. Keep completed access inventories in an appropriately restricted location.
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