Obituary Pirates: What You Should Know About Your Obituaries and Online Revenues
December 1, 2022
At the Funeral Directors Association of Kentucky Mid-Winter Conference I recently attended, one of the speakers talked about obituaries as part of a presentation on funeral websites and social media as they relate to funeral homes. One point that was made numerous times in the presentation was the importance of obituaries as a link to your funeral home’s website, and the profit potential they represent. The presenter pointed out that often times the obituary that you write in conjunction with the family you are serving, can end up on another company’s website.
So what’s the big deal, you ask? Well, if someone from out of town (or even someone from your town) Google’s the deceased person’s name looking for his or her obituary and ends up on a website that has taken the obituary from your funeral home, a few things can happen:
- The person could leave a condolences message for the family THAT WILL NEVER REACH YOUR FAMILY. This happened with the death of my mother this past November. In researching this article, I ran across a number of messages that people had left on the Legacy website through our local paper that never showed up on the website of the funeral home that provided her services.
- The person who is leaving a condolence message or making another contribution on the obituary page may be asked to leave their email address. As the funeral home serving that family, do you know who is behind these companies that are asking for this data or what they could do with this data down the road?
- On these sites it’s relatively easy to order flowers – a potential source of profits for your funeral home. But these profits won’t come your way if the flower order is not made through your funeral home website, where it should be made. And what if the flowers show up at the wrong funeral home, or are never delivered? Who do you think the family that ordered them is going to blame? They will likely presume that your funeral home was involved in the flower order.
The real question is – why would a company take this obituary information? It could be the flower revenue that the company can generate from the obituary, or it could be the collection of email addresses happening and the value of that data. Who knows, but do you want to be “on the hook” for the release of information years down the road?
Here is what you need to know: The obituary that you (and your family) create together is in fact intellectual property and is protected under copyright law. Unfortunately, most third party companies who take the obituaries from the funeral home ignore this. Or worse, some of these companies have contracts in place with local newspapers that cause the obituary to appear on websites other than the funeral homes’.
In her presentation she recommended that you include a copyright notice with every obituary in your fax, e-mail or funeral management program that you use to send the obituary to the newspaper. You should also include this with the obituary on your website’s online obituary pages.
The new Benchmarking the Modern Obituary study from Tribute Technology reveals how small changes — like timing — can make a big difference for families and your business.
Strategies You Can Use the Minute You’re Back Home: Inside the Tribute Technology Summit If you’re ready to do more than just talk about the future of funeral service, this is where you need to be. The Tribute Technology Summit, November 10–12, 2025, at The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort, co-hosted with MKJ Marketing, brings together the most forward-thinking leaders in the profession for three days of expert guidance, open conversation, and sessions built around real-world takeaways. You’ll head home with fresh ways to strengthen culture, simplify operations, and grow confidently into what’s next. What You’ll Gain New ways to inspire staff and strengthen culture with insights from Jamie Naughton Henriod , former Chief of Staff at Zappos. Tools and systems that save time and improve care , helping you focus on families instead of processes. Smarter strategies for growth, acquisition, and leadership that position your firm for long-term success. Marketing and pricing approaches based on real data , showing what’s working for firms across the country. A clear look ahead at how technology is becoming the new standard of care in funeral service. Join us at the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort this November and come ready to take home strategies you can put to work the minute you’re back in your business. Info and Registration Here
Faster help, familiar faces, and answers that fit the way you work.
Tribute Technology is partnering with Homesteaders Life Company, one of the most trusted names in funeral service, to make preneed policy management easier for funeral homes.
Waunakee, Wisconsin – October 22, 2025 Tribute Technology is partnering with Homesteaders Life Company, one of the most trusted names in funeral service, to make it easier for funeral homes to manage preneed policies. The planned integration, coming in 2026, will connect Homesteaders’ policy data directly with Tribute Management Software, allowing funeral directors to see and link matching preneed policies right from a case. Policy information will update automatically each night, so directors always have the most current details without sorting through paperwork or entering data twice. “At Homesteaders, we’re committed to offering financial support, expertise, and partnerships that bring value to funeral professionals and the families we serve together,” said Steve Shaffer, Homesteaders President, CEO and Board Chair. “This planned integration with Tribute Technology helps simplifies the preneed management process, giving funeral providers easier access to the information they need so they can focus more fully on designing meaningful experiences for the families they serve.” For funeral homes, this will mean fewer errors, faster workflows, and peace of mind knowing every available fund is captured and applied correctly. Families will benefit too, with less back-and-forth over documents and a smoother, more professional experience. “Funeral directors carry an enormous responsibility, and every minute spent searching for paperwork is a minute taken away from serving families,” said Courtney Gould Miller, President of Commercial Markets at Tribute Technology. “This upcoming integration with Homesteaders takes something complex and makes it simple. It’s about giving time back to the professionals who give so much of themselves every day.” This is the first of several planned integrations designed to connect Tribute Management Software with multiple preneed partners. Together, these systems will help funeral homes work more efficiently and better support the families they serve. About Homesteaders Life Company For nearly 120 years, Homesteaders Life Company has provided products and services to help people design a better farewell. Rooted in financial stability and a deep commitment to the funeral profession, Homesteaders partners with funeral providers of all sizes to help them grow their businesses through innovative preneed solutions. About Tribute Technology Tribute Technology builds technology that helps funeral professionals focus on what matters most—supporting families. Serving more than 9,000 providers worldwide, Tribute’s connected tools for management, websites, marketing, online planning, and payments simplify daily work and strengthen the relationships that matter most. Learn more at www.tributetech.com . Media Contact: Heather McWilliams Mierzejewski VP of Marketing heather.mierzejewski@tributetech.com 303-717-3774
A simple way to expand your reach and bring more families to your website
WAUNAKEE, Wis. — October 22, 2025 ObituaryShare.com has partnered with Tribute Technology to make it easier for funeral homes to share obituaries online and connect with more people in their communities. Through this new partnership, funeral homes using Tribute Technology websites can now link directly to ObituaryShare. The integration lets staff automatically post obituaries to Facebook and other social channels with no extra steps or technical work required. Each post leads readers back to the funeral home’s website, helping more families find services, send flowers, and show support. “As obituaries continue to move online rather than being printed, it’s important that they still reach the people who care,” said Bob Arrington, President of ObituaryShare. “We built ObituaryShare so families could get the word out in a way that connects. Working with Tribute Technology makes that even easier for funeral homes.” The connection between the two platforms is simple to set up and available now for Tribute Technology customers. Those who activate the feature will also receive special partnership pricing on ObituaryShare services. “Families often turn to Facebook to remember a loved one and share memories and support,” said Courtney Gould Miller, President of Commercial Markets at Tribute Technology. “Our partnership with ObituaryShare makes that process effortless for funeral homes by helping bring those stories to where people are already connecting.” Special Offer for Tribute Technology Customers Tribute Technology partners receive exclusive pricing on ObituaryShare services. To learn more or get started, visit ObituaryShare.com or contact your Tribute Technology account representative. About ObituaryShare ObituaryShare.com helps funeral homes publish and share obituaries on social media, reaching friends, family, and community members in a more personal way. Founded by Bob Arrington, President of Arrington Funeral Directors, and Roy Heatherly, a longtime newspaper executive, ObituaryShare offers a simple, affordable way to share stories and strengthen community connection. About Tribute Technology Tribute Technology is a leading provider of software and services for funeral homes, cemeteries, and crematories, helping professionals serve families through best-in-class websites, management tools, and digital memorialization solutions. The company is headquartered in Waunakee, Wisconsin. Media Contact Heather McWilliams Mierzejewski VP of Marketing, Tribute Technology press@tributetech.com | heather.mierzejewski@tributetech.com | 303-717-3774
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