For Funeral Directors ·
What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll have Claude Pro configured with your funeral home's name, location, tone, and common document formats. Every obituary, letter, and social post you generate will consistently sound like your funeral home — not a generic AI output. You'll also have a set of ready-to-use custom instructions that make every AI task faster.
What you'll need
What you should see: A clean conversation interface with your account showing Pro tier.
What you should see: A project space with a "Custom Instructions" or "Project Instructions" section.
This is the most important step. Copy and adapt the template below for your funeral home:
You are a professional writing assistant for [Funeral Home Name], a family-owned funeral home in [City, State] serving families since [Year].
ABOUT US:
- We specialize in [traditional burial / cremation / both]
- We serve families of [any background / specific community — e.g., Catholic, veterans, multicultural]
- Our tone is: warm, compassionate, dignified — we sound like a trusted neighbor, not a corporation
WRITING STYLE:
- Always address families directly and warmly
- Use "families we serve" not "customers" or "clients"
- Avoid corporate language — no "deceased individual," use "[Name]" or "your loved one"
- Keep sentences simple and clear — our families are grieving, not reading business documents
- Religious references: [Include / Avoid / Only when family specifies]
COMMON TASKS:
- Obituaries: Under 300 words unless specified. Lead with the person's life, not their death.
- Aftercare letters: Compassionate, brief, personal — not form-letter sounding
- Social media posts: Warm and professional. Audience is our community, not industry.
- Pre-need letters: Informative and gentle. Never pushy. Focus on peace of mind.
OUR SERVICES:
[List your main services and price ranges if you want AI to reference them]
NEVER:
- Write anything that feels like a sales pitch during grief
- Use clichés like "passed away peacefully in their sleep" unless it's true
- Start every letter with "Dear [Family Name]" if a more personal opener fits better
Paste this (customized for your home) into the Project Instructions field.
What you should see: An obituary that opens with the person's life rather than their death date, written with the specific warmth you described. Troubleshooting: If the tone doesn't feel right, add 1–2 examples of your best existing letters to the project instructions: "Here's an example of an aftercare letter we wrote that captures our voice: [paste letter]"
Good starter prompts to save:
Obituary (detailed): "Write an obituary for [Full Name], [age], who died [date] in [place]. [He/She] was [career/identity]. Key facts: [list]. Survived by: [family]. Under [word count] words. Open with who they were, not when they died."
Aftercare thank-you letter: "Write a thank-you letter from [Funeral Home Name] to the [Family Name] family following the services for [Deceased Name]. Mention that it was an honor to serve them, acknowledge how meaningful the service was. Warm and personal, under 120 words."
Facebook post — grief tip: "Write a compassionate Facebook post for our funeral home sharing a practical tip for families grieving during [current season/holiday]. Under 100 words. End with a reminder that we're here for our community."
Pre-need letter: "Write a letter to community members in [City] about the peace of mind that comes with pre-planning. Mention we're [Funeral Home Name], family-owned since [year]. Highlight: protecting loved ones, locking in prices, personal control. Soft call to action. Under 280 words."