×
Plan Now, Pay LaterSecure your plan today, don't pay until 9 January 2026. T&Cs apply, click here for details.
Two Together: Save £100!Save £100 when you purchase two funeral plans together. Call us for more details.
Written by Emily Cross.
22 minute read
Announcing death on Facebook is something that has become more and more common in recent years. Many people find that it is something that helps them, but there are some nuances and key points that you may wish to get right before sharing the post and sending the announcement around the world. Our guide is designed to talk you through all of these in a way that is kind, caring, and compassionate. We feel it’s the least we can do when all you want to do is let others know that your loved one has died.
Our primary role may be to provide direct cremation services that give families flexibility and choice, but we are also focused on doing so much more. We talk to people experiencing profound grief every day, and now we want to use our knowledge to help you. Our goal here is not to dictate how you should announce a death on Facebook or handle a loved one’s digital afterlife, but to provide fresh perspectives. By taking a moment to read when you feel ready, you may be able to clarify your thoughts and figure out how you wish to move forward.
We hope that our guide provides you with comfort, reassurance, and direction. At a time when you may be trying to contend with a wide array of intense emotions, sometimes it’s being able to take simple steps forward that can make the difference. Announcing the death of your loved one to a wider circle of friends and acquaintances may be one such step.
Key takeaways:
Social media has become an increasingly common way to announce the death of a loved one because it offers a combination of wide reach and convenience. Some more traditional members of the family may not instantly agree with this approach, but it’s really for getting in touch with colleagues, a wider circle of friends, and acquaintances. Facebook is not generally used for announcing a death to close friends or relatives because the depth of the bond tends to warrant a private message or call.
You may find it helpful to consider some of the following key points if you are trying to figure out whether or not you feel comfortable using Facebook:
As with many things, there’s a balance between sharing news quickly and staying thoughtful. Facebook makes it simple to announce a death instantly, but it can be kinder to reach out personally to those closest first. If you can, let immediate family and close friends know within the first day before posting more widely online.
Announcing a death to friends has never been easier in one sense — and never more complicated in another. A Facebook post can reach everyone at once, ensuring nobody is left out, but you might later feel you shared the news sooner than felt right.
It’s worth making sure immediate family and close friends hear privately before a public post goes up. Most people will naturally think to do this, but at such an emotional time, names can be forgotten. Asking a friend or relative to help you double-check can ease that worry.
Many people choose to wait at least a day after informing those closest, to let the news settle before sharing more widely. Keeping the public announcement fairly soon after (often within around 48 hours) can help avoid misunderstandings or hurt feelings if people hear about the death much later. You might also find that sharing news publicly is a gentle first step on the road to healing.
We also think that you may wish to check with close family before posting. If you are the next of kin, you have the right to make the announcement, though others may appreciate being informed first. If you have relatives who don’t use social media or are wary of it, letting them know that the announcement is a way to make sure as many mourners as possible attend the service may help. For example, one of the key parts of any funeral checklist is to tell mourners the time and location of the service. Updating your public announcement on Facebook allows you to share this information with the minimum of effort.
Some members of the family may feel strongly about their privacy and the way in which the death of a loved one is viewed by a wider audience. In this case, you may find that using limited posts or only posting in private groups is a compromise. Those who learn of the death would then be expected to share the news with mutual friends and acquaintances who may wish to pay their respects.
Figuring out how to break bad news is something that many of us think about at times like these, but finding the right approach may feel impossible. If you want to write a Facebook post about the death of a loved one, an example post or a series of steps to follow may help you to start putting your words down on paper. It’s about being kind to yourself, practicing self-care, and finding a way to make the announcement that you feel comfortable with. We hope the following section helps with all of this.
If you have found that trying to figure out what to do when someone dies is resulting in you feeling numb or without any direction, you are not alone. Taking a moment to consider the following key elements may help you to make a start:
The decision to make a public announcement may not be an easy one, but it can serve as a key part of your healing process. If you feel able to approach it with clarity so that you can convey dignity and respect in the message, you will also be making a difference to how many others mourn. Some people find that thinking about making the announcement as a way to help others gives them something to focus on.
Everything we are sharing with you about how to announce a death is based on compassion. Some may feel that it is only important to share the news with those closest to them but in our experience that is not the case. There are so many people who knew your loved one and bonded with them in various ways, and each of them has the right to grieve in their own way. Their grieving and healing journey may begin when they hear about the death, and the way they hear about the death is something they are likely to reflect on deeply.
You may find that it helps to consider a few of these points that we have noticed over the course of many years:
Something you may wish to do is make every attempt to avoid overly clinical or abrupt wording that reads more like a standard status update. This type of writing may unintentionally cause greater upset and shock than a softer, more heartfelt approach. The use of overly casual language and slang is something that you may also want to avoid, as it may offend some people. While you have the right to mourn your next of kin how you wish, some thought into how you announce their death can spare the feelings of many of the people your loved one cared about.
Our role as a family-run funeral provider has given us the honour of hearing about so many different ways people approach the death of someone they love. We hope that the following examples can serve as a starting point if you feel like you would like some guidance and advice:
Please do not feel that you have to pick from this list — these examples are here purely to serve as starting points. We want you to know that you have complete freedom to change and adapt them to create the tone and sentiment you feel is most appropriate.
You may feel like you are unsure how to balance public sharing with private grief, and this is understandable at such a challenging time. Once you have given those told privately approximately 24 hours to digest the news, most people would find it perfectly acceptable to make a public announcement on Facebook. One of the more complex things you may have to deal with is how to manage responses online.
A death announcement of someone with a wide social reach on the platform may quickly result in several hundred comments.
Reading them and counting them may provide some comfort, but attempting to reply to all of them in detail may quickly feel overwhelming. The vast majority of people will not be expecting you to reply to them and are posting purely to let you know that you are in their thoughts.
If you feel emotionally exhausted, remember that most platforms also allow you to turn comments off entirely. This can help you create a calmer space to process your grief without feeling pressure to respond. Several days after the announcement, you may feel like you wish to say something. Many people adopt a dual approach here, where they “like” each post with a heart emoji and also write a second post thanking everyone. This second post may also serve as a good opportunity to provide an update regarding the funeral service.
If you are coping with grief while at the same time unintentionally isolating yourself, you may quickly find that you feel alone and overwhelmed. Rather than judge you here, we want to help you, and that means letting you know that there is a whole community out there for you. Likewise, if you are a friend or colleague, leaving a heartfelt comment could help the next of kin and close family grieve and start to heal.
Here are some things that you may wish to consider as a friend of the person who has died:
Having the announcement become part of a wider memorial profile may help to build an online community around your loved one’s memory. By turning it into a place where people from all areas of your loved one’s life can come to share memories and photos, you may be able to help everyone with their grief. It would also help bring everyone together in a shared act of remembrance on key dates, such as the first birthday after a death and death anniversaries.
There is nothing wrong with feeling uncomfortable with social media announcements, and there are plenty of alternatives out there. Here are some of the most popular and effective ways to let others know about the death of your loved one and the funeral arrangements:
There are also times when you may feel that direct, personal communication is more appropriate. For example, if you have a close friend whom you feel comfortable talking about death and dying with, breaking the news to them earlier than many others may help you. They may then be able to help you work through the many practical steps you need to take to announce the death and make arrangements.
Managing your loved one’s Facebook profile after they have died is something that may help you to feel closer to them. There are a range of memorialisation options and privacy controls for the account that are easy to access by contacting the Facebook Service Team. These include options to disable comments from people who are not friends and followers, stop new followers from being added, or stop comments completely.
If you feel able to manage the ongoing digital afterlife of your loved one after the announcement, you may find it gives you something to focus on. If not, you may find that a close friend or relative offers to help you. Although social media may not be anywhere near the top of your list of priorities at this time, it could help provide something you can return to in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
Creating a digital legacy for your loved one may help you feel like they are still present in your life. One popular way many people choose to do this is by asking friends and family to share photos and memories on the page on key dates. Birthdays, and anniversaries of the death or funeral are all occasions that you could mark as an online community once the page is memorialised.
Privacy concerns when sharing a death on Facebook
You may have privacy concerns when posting on Facebook, especially when the topic is so emotionally sensitive. Facebook has a reputation for unkind messages in some parts, but their Safety Team goes to great lengths to actively protect memorial pages. If you have any concerns about this, you may find it reassuring to contact them directly prior to posting. They will then be able to outline the steps they take to keep your loved one’s page free from upsetting comments.
There are also cases where the family of the person who has died doesn’t want certain people to be made aware of their death. In this case, it may be that a public announcement by Facebook is not the best approach. A private announcement that can only be seen by friends and followers could be one solution. Or if you don’t feel comfortable with the fact that a friend may unwittingly post a screenshot, considering one of the traditional death announcement options above may help.
If you have read our guide and feel like you don’t know how to write the announcement, our guide on what to say when you don’t know what to say may help. Alternatively, asking a close friend or relative to draft it for you to then approve may also help. And to make sure that we leave you with everything you need to continue your healing journey, we want to finish by sharing some advice and insights we have gained over the years:
Although it may not seem like it right now, there are paths forward and many days ahead. By caring for yourself and finding ways to express how you feel, we believe you will get there.
We understand how important it can feel to let as many people as possible know when someone you love has died. You want to give them time to grieve and reflect, and you want to make sure that they find out about the death the right way. One of the unspoken benefits of taking a proactive approach like this is that it could also help you start to heal. By acknowledging your loved one’s death and sharing the news with others, you may gently start to move towards healing.
Taking your time to work through things and process your thoughts makes sense, and it may take you to some unexpected places. If you find yourself sitting and reflecting on what your own legacy will be, we may be able to help with that. Our *pre-paid funeral plans allow you to start putting your own affairs in order while you are still alive. You may also find that it helps to remove some of the emotional weight from your loved ones. We also have resources that compare funeral plans that may help you understand your options.
As always, there is no pressure, and we only want to let you know that we may be able to help at some point in the future. Our goal is to show you that, even when things may feel difficult, you are never alone.
*Terms and conditions apply. You will receive a funeral plan summary before purchase.
If you’d like more information about direct cremation and Aura’s funeral plans, then our downloadable guide can help. Find out why others are choosing this affordable, no-fuss alternative to traditional funerals and why it might be right for you too.
Download our guide by clicking the link below and learn more about this simple funeral plan option.
The first thing to consider is how many people you want to tell privately before making a public announcement on Facebook. Parents, siblings, best friends, and children are just some examples of people who are so close to the person who has died that they need to be told privately. This is perfectly understandable and is something that the next of kin will be able to determine when the time comes.
Facebook lends itself more to announcing a death to a wider circle of friends, colleagues, neighbours, and acquaintances. You could find that it helps to break up the posting process into a series of smaller steps. Starting with your loved one’s name and the date of the death is a common approach. You could then include any details regarding funeral services, or include a note that an update will soon follow. To make sure your announcement stands out for the right reasons, you may wish to choose a favourite photo of your loved one that is personable yet respectful. Sharing a couple of personal touches, like memories and a tribute, may be something else you wish to consider.
While social media is a great way to reach everyone you know, announcing the death privately to close friends and family remains common practice in the UK. Taking your time to work through your contact list and making those calls that you may, understandably, be dreading could help you get started. You may also find that there is a close relative you can break the news to, who will then do the majority of the calls for you. Once you feel that you have told everyone you want to tell, posting publicly on Facebook can make the rest of the process easier.
A sensitive and respectful approach with a layer of formality is the way things tend to be done in the UK. While you have every right to remember your loved one how you see fit, making sure that you take into account the feelings of other mourners is also important. Some people find that approaching the Facebook announcement as if it were a more funeral notice helps. Making sure that key details like their surname, date of death, and anything you know about the service are included is also important. If you find the prospect of making the announcement overwhelming, it may help to ask someone you have already told privately to assist you.
Visiting a wide circle of friends in person quickly becomes impractical, especially at a time when you may be facing an overwhelming spread of emotions. Making calls or sending text messages is a common approach to take and one that you could turn to if you don’t feel comfortable with Facebook. Taking your time to think about who you should call and who would prefer a message may also help you think about the different ways other people grieve. The point here is that by realising how many people will be mourning the death of your loved one, you will know that you are not alone at this difficult time.