Guide 10 of 15 in Level 1: Get set up
Connect your Snapchat Ads account to Blackbox
To connect Snapchat Ads to Blackbox (blackbox.plus), you need a Snapchat Business login with access to the ad account through Ads Manager, as a member of the organization that holds it. In Blackbox, open Data, click Connect a channel, choose the Snapchat Ads tile and Continue to Snapchat. Sign in with the business login and approve access to your Ads Manager data. Back in Blackbox, you see the ad accounts your login can reach, grouped by organization — every organization you belong to, not just one. Tick the ones for this brand and save, and the last 30 days of campaigns and spend load. Blackbox reads campaigns and ad squads with their spend, impressions, swipes and conversions, plus daily history, including budgets set at squad level. It cannot change a budget, pause, resume or create anything unless you approve that change in Blackbox, cannot reach accounts you did not tick, and cannot see your Snaps or chats.
- You'll need
- A Snapchat Business login — With access to the ad account through Snapchat Ads Manager.
- In the right organization — Snapchat keeps ad accounts under organizations. Your login needs to be in the one that holds the account.
- Time
- About 3 minutes 4 steps Updated
- You'll end with
- Your Snapchat ad account connected, with 30 days of campaigns and spend in Blackbox
How to connect your Snapchat Ads account to Blackbox
Step 1:Open Data
In Blackbox, click Data in the left menu.
You'll see: Your channels, with Connect a channel at the top right.
Step 2:Pick the Snapchat Ads tile
Click Connect a channel, then the Snapchat Ads tile under Ad platforms.
You'll see: What you need and what happens next, with Continue to Snapchat below.
Step 3:Approve on Snapchat
Click Continue to Snapchat, sign in with your business login, and approve access to Ads Manager.
You'll see: You’re back on Data, with your ad accounts grouped by organization.
Step 4:Tick this brand’s ad accounts
Tick the ad accounts that belong to this brand and click Save.
You'll see: Snapchat Ads shows as connected, and the last 30 days start loading.
Blackbox can read
- Your campaigns and ad squads, and their spend, impressions, swipes and conversions
- Daily performance history for trends and comparisons
- The organizations and ad accounts your login belongs to, so figures are grouped correctly
Blackbox will not
- Change a budget, pause, resume or create anything unless you approve that change in Blackbox first
- Reach ad accounts you did not tick
- Post to your Snapchat account or see your Snaps or chats
Good to know
- New to Blackbox? Setup connects your first channel as one of its steps — see How to get started with Blackbox.
- Accounts from every organization you belong to are listed, not just one.
- On most Snapchat accounts the budget lives on the ad squad. Blackbox reads both, so a campaign budgeted at squad level is not shown as having none.
- Changes are proposed in Blackbox and nothing reaches the ad account until you approve that exact change.
If something doesn't work
An ad account is missing from the list
Blackbox looks across every organization your login belongs to, so the login has no access to it. Ask an admin in Snapchat Ads Manager to add you, then reconnect.
Spend shows against ad squads, not campaigns
On most Snapchat accounts the budget is set on the ad squad. Blackbox reads both levels, so the numbers are right either way.
I’m worried Blackbox will spend my budget
It can’t on its own. Every change is proposed in Blackbox and applied only when you approve it.
I want to disconnect it
On the Data page, open the ⋯ menu on the channel's row and choose Disconnect. Blackbox hands the access back to Snapchat at the same time. Past suggestions stay, but the synced numbers are cleared: reconnecting loads the last 30 days again, and older daily numbers don't come back.
Previous: Connect your LinkedIn Ads account to Blackbox
Stuck at any step? Send us a message and we'll do it with you on a call. All of Level 1: Get set up