The single most useful thing to know before you start connecting accounts: most connections do not involve the client at all. A few still do. Hunting for a picker that does not exist is the most common way to lose an afternoon here.
The rule of thumb
If creavio can hold the permission at the agency level, you pick. If the permission can only live with the client, they authorize once.
Connection by connection
| Connection | Needs the client to sign in? | How it connects |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Ads | No | Pick from creavio’s Business Manager credential |
| Facebook Page | No | Pick the Page; Instagram comes with it |
| No | Connected together with the Facebook Page | |
| Google Ads | No | Pick from creavio’s manager account (MCC) |
| Pinterest Ads | No | Pick from creavio’s own Pinterest business access |
| Pinterest (social) | Yes | Client authorizes - a different surface to Pinterest Ads |
| Google Analytics 4 | Yes | Client authorizes |
| Search Console | Yes | Client authorizes |
What “the client authorizes” actually means
For the rows marked Yes, creavio opens that client’s workspace and runs a one-time authorization there. The client does not end up with a creavio password, and they do not need one afterwards - the authorization is stored against their workspace and you manage it from the agency side from then on.
Pinterest Ads changed on 24 August 2026. An earlier version of this page said Pinterest still needed the client. It does not any more. The agency path shipped and was exercised end to end that day: creavio’s own Pinterest credential enumerated the advertisers it can reach, one was bound to a client workspace, and a live Pinterest read then ran through that client’s connection with no client login at any point.
Why Pinterest Ads is No but Pinterest (social) is still Yes
They look like one connection and they are two. The agency picker is wired to the ads surface only, so the Pinterest row under Ads opens a picker and the Pinterest row under Social still opens the client’s own authorization. If you click Connect on Pinterest and get a login screen instead of a picker, you are on the social row - that is expected, not a fault.
One thing that is true of Pinterest and nothing else
Pinterest issues a single credential that rotates: each time it is refreshed, the previous one stops working. So creavio deliberately stores that credential in exactly one place and points every connected client at it, rather than giving each client their own copy. You will not notice this day to day, with one consequence worth knowing: revoking creavio’s Pinterest access disconnects every client at once, not just the one you are looking at.