The title
The title is the first thing others see of your petition. It should clearly state your request at a glance and pique their interest. Without a good title, the most important issue remains unnoticed.
Examples of successful petition titles:
"Mayor of Bielefeld, act now! Free Wi-Fi at Cuxhaven schools" – addresses the addressee directly and formulates the request clearly and precisely.
"It's five past twelve. Better conditions for elementary schools now!" – Clear and unambiguous. Reminiscent of the saying 'It's five to twelve' and emphasizes the enormous urgency of the matter. This gives you a catchphrase for a campaign and a high recognition value in the media.
"Bivsi and her parents are to return to Germany" – Short and direct. The title doesn't say it all and piques your interest in learning more about the background.
Examples of unsuitable titles:
"Death penalty for pastor in Iran" – Ambiguously formulated: what was demanded was the release of the clergyman, not the death penalty.
"Protest against the EU Directive 2010/63/EU" – What could it be? Few people are likely familiar with this administrative abbreviation. Cats and dogs found running loose should be able to be handed over to animal testing laboratories – that’s what it’s about, and that should be immediately apparent in the title.
The picture
Your petition should definitely not go online without a picture, because the first glance counts. Supporters and journalists will pay more attention to an appealing, well-thought-out petition than to one hastily created without a picture. People think in pictures – and like to share them. For correct display, an image must be uploaded in landscape format with a 3:2 aspect ratio. If the aspect ratio is incorrect, you can easily crop the image automatically after uploading. Please make sure that you use images whose licenses you are familiar with. Images on these pages are, for example, royalty-free: https://pixabay.com and https://unsplash.com. We are liable for the content of this portal and reserve the right to delete images that are not properly labeled.
Choose an active, strong gesture as your image motif that many people can get behind.
You want to actively change something: If you set an inspiring example, many will want to join you. Show that your cause is mobilizing!
Tell a personal story – focus on those affected
We can immediately establish a connection to the concern and actions of an individual.
Show a symbol for something intangible
If your concern is invisible, such as the framework conditions in the education system or tuition fees, use a symbol that makes the problem or its urgency tangible. Clarify the problem with a comparison or translate phrases into images. A ringing alarm clock combined with the petition title, "It's five past twelve. Better conditions for primary schools now!", makes it clear how urgent the petitioners' demands are. It is also good to use logos with high recognition value.
The text
The text is the heart of the petition. This is where you explain your demands and convince others of your cause. Your request should be as specific as possible. In the first section, answer the following questions: What exactly do you want to achieve? Who is the demand directed at? Who is behind the demand?
Under “Reason” you can explain exactly why your request is important. Describe the current situation and why it needs to be changed. Make it clear how the demand would affect this. Here you can also share individual examples or your individual experience. The justification should not be too long. It is worthwhile to offer further information on a dedicated page or on Facebook and to inform supporters about it via the news function. The reasons for your petition should be logically understandable. It is important that you refer to the current legal situation.
Your petition will be more convincing if you support your statements with sources. To do this, include links to articles or studies. Pay close attention to the credibility of the sources, otherwise the entire petition will be implausible. It should be clear when you are expressing your personal opinion in the petition (e.g., “I have the impression that…”) and when you are arguing based on facts (in these places, include serious evidence). In any case, avoid presenting your personal opinion as fact.
A petition is not a novel, but a well-founded demand. Pay attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation and use clear, simple language.
Recipients
The people addressed in your petition are the ones who can decide on your issue. If you address your demands to someone who isn't even responsible for them, you won't achieve anything. Therefore, you must carefully consider who the right recipients are: specific individuals, a parliament, or an organization from politics, business, or society.
Entries like “Merkel,” “Authority,” or “All” make little sense. In principle, it is advisable to submit your request to the Petitions Committee at the relevant level, e.g. the 'Petitions Committee of the German Bundestag'. More about this… .
Region and deadline
The region of the petition depends on the group affected and the recipient. Does the issue affect people in the city of Barcelona, in the region of Styria, or in Poland as a whole? For example, if a petition is addressed to the BBC with a request concerning television programming, London is not the region. Even though the BBC is based there, Great Britain must be registered as a region because the television program concerns the whole of Great Britain.
Is the matter urgent because the crucial city council meeting is taking place in about a week? Or are you working towards an event in two months? Petitions on openPetition should not run for longer than one year. Longer processing times distort the issue and its acute urgency. It makes a big difference whether 1,000 signatures are collected over a year or in a week.
Collection target
Petitions to non-governmental bodies, such as a television station, a bank or a private company, have a freely definable collection goal. A petition should have a meaningful collection goal. I.e. high enough to build up public pressure, but still realistically achievable. An unattainably high goal is demotivating, while a goal that is too low creates the impression that there is no need to make any effort (or even sign up). This amount varies depending on the number of people affected by the issue. In a small community, even a few hundred signatures are a large number. For national concerns, at least 10,000 should be targeted.
After creating the petition, the next step comes: #2 Spread the petition