A message left for someone you love is one of the most profound things you can create. Not a document. Not a list of instructions. A message — your voice, your heart, your presence reaching forward in time to a person who needs to feel connected to you.
People who receive messages from someone they've lost describe them as among the most treasured things they own. A video of a parent's laugh. A letter from a grandmother for a wedding day. A recording of a father's voice telling a story. These are things that no legal document, no inheritance, no financial plan can replicate.
This guide covers every format and approach for leaving meaningful messages — from handwritten letters to video recordings — and how to create ones that your loved ones will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Types of Messages
Written Letters
Letters are the most traditional and perhaps the most enduring format. A handwritten letter has a physical presence — your handwriting, the paper you chose, the weight of it in someone's hands. Typed letters are also meaningful and more permanent than handwritten ones (handwriting fades, ink smears).
Letters work especially well for:
- Future milestone messages (graduation, wedding day, birth of a child)
- Expressions of love and gratitude to specific people
- Life advice you want to pass along
- Apologies or things left unsaid
Video Messages
Video captures what no letter can: your face, your voice, your expressions. A video message allows people to feel your presence long after you're gone. It doesn't need to be long or professionally produced — a simple, authentic recording is far more precious than a polished one.
See our detailed guide on how to record video messages for loved ones.
Voice Recordings
An audio recording captures your voice with less technical complexity than video. For some people — especially those who feel self-conscious on camera — audio is a more natural format. Your voice carries warmth, humor, and personality in ways that text cannot.
See our guide to recording voice messages.
Photo and Memory Collections
A curated photo collection with captions or stories attached is a form of message. A recipe book with notes about where each recipe came from. A playlist with notes about what each song means. These curation projects communicate your personality and story in a unique way.
Who to Write For
Consider creating messages for:
- Your partner — see our guide to writing a legacy love letter
- Your children — especially for future milestones. See our guide to writing letters for future milestones.
- Your grandchildren — who may be too young to remember you now. See our guide to leaving messages for grandchildren.
- Siblings and close friends
- Future generations you'll never meet
What to Say
Many people know they want to leave messages but feel stuck on what to say. Our guide on what to say in your final messages offers prompts and inspiration. In general:
- Express love directly. Say the specific things you love about this person.
- Share memories. Tell a story from your shared history.
- Give something forward. Advice, a wish, a blessing for their future.
- Say the things you haven't said. The unsaid things matter most.
How to Store and Deliver Messages
A message that no one can find is a message that wasn't given. Store your messages in a reliable way:
- Better Legacy is designed specifically for this purpose — a secure digital vault where you can store video, audio, and written messages, with designated recipients who receive access after your death
- Physical letters should be stored with your estate documents, labeled clearly with the recipient's name and any delivery instructions ("To be given to Emma on her wedding day")
- Tell your executor or a trusted family member that these messages exist and where to find them