It happens all the time. You are eager to kickstart your marketing efforts, only to discover that your business's Facebook page was set up by someone else years ago and you don’t have full ownership. Now, reclaiming ownership rights has become a frustrating challenge. It could have been a former employee or an agency that is no longer in the picture. Whatever the case, now it’s time to figure out next steps.
Please note that Marketing 360® is not affiliated with Facebook or Meta, and we cannot assist with regaining ownership of a Facebook page that our team does not have access to.
Why Owning Your Facebook Page Matters
You want complete control of your business’s Facebook page for multiple reasons:
- You can’t update important information without full access
- Some marketing options may be unavailable
- You may not be able to give other employees access to to your page
- You won’t be able to allow agencies or marketing partners to do work on your behalf
Luckily, we’ve seen it all before. Here are our expert tips to regain Facebook page ownership and prepare to leverage trusted partners, like us, to achieve your business goals.
Step 1: Try to contact the Facebook Page Owner Listed
If you haven’t tried already, try to contact the current page owner. Depending on your level of access to the page, you may be able to view this information in your Page Settings under “Page Roles”. There are two ways that a Facebook Page can be owned - either by an individual person or by a Business Manager account.
If you can find the current owner, send them these instructions to get yourself assigned as Page Owner.
If this person or business isn’t responsive, you can move to Step 2. It’s time to submit an appeal to Facebook.
Step 2 (if required): Submit an Admin Dispute Request with Facebook
You can submit an Admin Dispute Request to Facebook to regain access to your Page. To submit your appeal, you can contact Facebook Concierge Support directly through the following links:
You will need the following information to submit your appeal to Facebook:
- A copy of a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a current driver's license or a passport, of the individual signing the statement.
- An official business document that represents the requester’s business and includes their business name and address.
- A signed letter of your ownership request from a person with sufficient knowledge and authority over this matter that includes all of the below items.
- A description of your relationship to the Page (including your authority to request a change in the person(s) who manage the Page, as applicable);
- The name of the current person(s) who manages the Page, as applicable;
- The relationship of the above person(s) to the Page; An explanation of your request, and whether there has been a termination of the employment and/or business relationship with the named person(s), as applicable;
- All documentation supporting your request (Business License or certificate of incorporation under the business Page's name to prove requester's authority over the business)
- The personal Facebook account URL and email address associated with the Facebook account that you wish to have added as the new admin of the Page;
- A typed declaration at the end of the letter that the information you have provided is true and accurate (e.g. "I certify that the information provided is true and accurate") - your statement must include similar wording.
- This signed statement needs to be on a company letterhead that includes company logo, company name, website, business address, and email address.
NOTE 1: A "person with sufficient knowledge and authority" is someone familiar with the scenario and the business. This means that they cannot accept requests/letters from just anyone related to any page. Only someone who works at that business and should have access to that business is, therefore, someone with sufficient knowledge and authority over the issue.
NOTE 2: A person deemed to have sufficient knowledge or authority over the matter can request another individual to be added rather than themselves. Please keep in mind that they always only add one (1) user as an admin and never more than that.
Example Letter
To whom it may concern,
My name is John David Doe, and I am the owner of Jasper’s Market. I am also the creator of the Facebook Page. Our previous Social Media Manager Linda recently retired from our company. When Linda left the company, she did not provide us with access to the Page. Linda has been unresponsive to our requests to be added to this Page as an Admin. The Page’s URL is http://www.facebook.com/jaspersmarket. Please add me, John David Doe, to the Page Jasper’s Market so we can continue to manage it. My profile link is: https://www.facebook.com/userprofile and my email address is JohnDavidDoe@email.com. I have included a copy of my business license to prove that I am the business owner, as well as my state-issued identification.
I, John David Doe, declare under penalty of perjury that the information that I have provided is true and accurate.
Signed,
John David Doe
____
We recommend that you put all of the requested information into a scanned PDF document that has your original signature. Upload this as an attachment when you submit your original support request.
Once you submit your appeal to Facebook, it usually takes around 3-4 days to get a response, but it may take as long as a few weeks to hear back.
Step 3: Meta (Facebook) Business Manager
If you’re able to successfully gain access to your Facebook page, we recommend ensuring that it is added to your Business Manager. Go to https://business.facebook.com and try logging in with your Facebook account. If you already have this set up for your business and are able to log in, great! If not, you will need to set this up. Business Manager is how all marketing is managed on Facebook moving forward.
You can follow Facebook’s guide for how to set up your Business Manager. Make sure you complete the following steps:
- Ensure that your company has multiple Admin accounts assigned to guarantee someone can always get access - follow instructions HERE. It is recommended to have no more than 2-3 trusted individuals in place to cover for any unavailability. For added security, always activate two-factor authentication.
- You can also add other team members. You can give each user different levels of access depending on their role and your preferences.
- Assign your newly-owned page or pages to your Business Manager Account - follow instructions HERE.
- Assign your Instagram account to your Business Manager - follow instructions HERE.
Your agency or partner will now be able to request access to your Facebook and Instagram accounts to help you with marketing. You will remain the owner of the page and still have full control. Gaining ownership of a Facebook Page can be a long and arduous process, but the payoff is worth it in the long run.
Please note that Marketing 360® is not affiliated with Facebook or Meta, and we cannot assist with regaining ownership of a Facebook page that our team does not have access to.
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