How to Publish an Online Obituary – Beyond the Dash

This tutorial will show you how to write an obituary step-by-step on Beyond the Dash beyondthedash.com/create
Enter your loved one's biographical details, life accomplishments, survivors and predecessors to create a digital memorial. In this video, you will learn how to write, edit and publish an obituary or death notice within minutes — it's completely free to publish online.
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1. Getting Started
To begin creating your loved one's obituary, start by going to BeyondTheDash.com and then click create an obituary at the top of the page.

Type in the deceased person's first name, middle name and last name, and then select their date of birth by choosing the decade, year, month and day that they were born. When you enter the date of death in the next field, make sure the date you enter is exactly as it appears on the official death certificate. Then, click save to move onto the next section.

2. Verification of Death
Before any story can be published Beyond the Dash, we must verify with a third party that the death occurred. This step ensures that every story on Beyond the Dash is accurate and real.
If you haven't yet received the death certificate, but have made arrangements with a funeral home, enter the details of the funeral home and we will call them to verify.
The best way to help us verify the death as quickly as possible is to click upload death certificate and upload a PDF copy or high-quality photograph of your loved one's death certificate.
When you've provided this information, click next.

3. Select a main photo
This is where you will add your loved one's main obituary photo. Click upload photos, and select the pictures that best represent your loved one as they were in life. You can click and drag to reorder photos. The picture under main photo is the primary image that will appear at the top of the published obituary. All other photos will appear in the guestbook on the final digital memorial. If the photo you've entered isn't upright, click the rotate button until it looks correct. You can also use the zoom buttons, zooming in or out until the photo looks right to you.
When you're done, click save to advance to the next step.

4. Select a Cover Photo
Here, you can select the cover photo. The cover photo is an image that will act as a backdrop to your loved one's main photo. You can upload your own high-quality image by clicking upload my own. If you don't have a suitable image of your own, you can choose from our library of cover photos, or use a blurred photo option. This option creates a cover photo that will match the main photo of your loved one. When you're happy with the cover photo, click save.

5. Tell Their Story
If you already created the obituary using the interactive obituary template, simply paste the obituary into this field, and ensure the formatting looks right to you.
Click add an event and enter the type of event, from this dropdown list. The venue field is where you enter the name of the church, hall, or building where the funeral is to be held. Enter the address of that venue in the address field, and then the date and start and end time of the memorial. When you click save, this event will be added to the final online obituary.
When you are done adding events and have saved them, click next.

6. GoFundMe
If there is a GoFundMe associated with this death, you can add the link in the field. Guests will be able to click and view your funding campaign, and donate to your cause. Ensure the URL is correct, then click save to move on.

7. Contact Information
Enter your email address in this field. Even if you aren't ready to submit your story yet, you can save your work to this email. That way, you can edit the story after submission.
You must accept the terms of service before submitting the obituary for review. By accepting these terms, you agree that you have the authority to publish this story on behalf of the deceased person or their loved ones. When you're done, click preview.

8. Preview the Obituary
This last step is your chance to review the story you have created, make any changes that are needed and then submit. On this step, check the spelling of the deceased person's name, the accuracy of the birth and death dates, ensure verification details have been submitted, proofread the life story, and verify the funeral service details. If all looks good and you are ready to submit, click the button that says publish this obituary.
9. Submission received
When you reach this page, the obituary has been submitted to Beyond the Dash for verification. The time it takes to approve a story can vary, depending on how soon we can reach the funeral home and confirm the death, or review the death certificate. Most obituaries are approved within one or two business days.