One of the first steps to get started in Social Media Management is connecting your channels. In this article, learn the basic steps to connect a channel and find quick links to detailed channel connection guides by network.
Who can connect channels to Social Media Management?
Any Social Media Management user with a user role of either Admin or Team Leader will have the option to connect channels to Social Media Management.
Users connecting channels to Social Media Management will need to make sure they have the correct access to the channel on the native network (e.g. Facebook or X (Twitter)). For more information on the required access for each network, please visit our network-specific channel connection guides.
Connecting a channel yourself
To connect a channel, any Admin or Team Leader can follow the steps below.
Note: The following instructions are quick steps for general channel connection. Certain networks such as Facebook and Instagram require certain permissions before a channel connection to Social Media Management can be successful. For detailed instructions, please see our network-specific channel connection guides below.
In Social Media Management's left-hand navigation sidebar, click the Manage settings (gear) icon and select Channel admin.
Click Connect channel in the top right.
Select the network you would like to connect and click Continue.
You can either connect your own network account, or invite another user without Brandwatch access to connect their channel using the Invite another user to connect function. To proceed with connecting your own account, click Connect to [Network].
When the network authentication popup appears, log in with your account credentials and grant Brandwatch any requested permissions.
Within the tab, Available to connect/reconnect, check the box beside any Pages you would like to connect, then click Connect channel(s).
Specify the level of access you would like to grant to the channel. You can choose between Current teams, Admins only, Specific teams, or All teams.
Current teams: Keeps the channel’s team assignment unchanged. Useful for channel refreshes/reconnects. Note: If you select this option for a new channel connection, the channel will only be visible in the Admin view.
Admins only: The channel will only be visible in the Admin view. This option is only available for organization Admins. Note: Selecting this option for channel reconnects/refreshes will remove the channel from all teams.
Specific teams: Add the channel to new teams in addition any it is currently assigned to.
All teams: Add the channel to all teams you have access to.
Tip: Please visit our Managing Teams article for instructions on setting up a team in your organization.
When complete, your channel will be available in your channels list with a Connected status.
Inviting another user to connect their channel
During the channel connection prompt, select Invite another user to connect if you would like to invite another user without Brandwatch access to authenticate their owned account with Brandwatch.
This option will generate a link you can share with the user to authenticate their account with Brandwatch.
Stay on the connection screen when you share the link with the user. The link will expire within one hour. After the user has successfully authenticated their account and sees the “Connection” message, click Done on your view of the connection screen to finalize the process.
Channel connection guides by network
For detailed instructions on the specific requirements for channel connection by network, such as the user permissions needed and types of accounts supported, please visit the articles below: