Online petitions: 5 steps to get started

tips | 4 minutes

We have all been confronted at one time or another with an injustice, a news event, or a decision that has upset or shocked us. Who hasn’t thought about wanting to take action to change things and build a world more in line with their values? The internet and digital tools today allow us to speak out, defend our ideas, and mobilise as citizens. But when something affects you and you want to champion a cause, where do you start? You can obviously make a post on your social media, reach out to your friends and family, send articles to your loved ones to alert them about the cause that matters to you… But have you thought about an online petition?

Launching a petition, unlike other forms of online activism, allows for two things. The first is taking the time to reflect on your subject, the arguments you wish to present, in order to best illustrate the vision you have for this cause. The second is the effect of numbers: by launching a petition, you can quickly quantify the interest of the people who receive it through the number of signatures. Thus, you gain support that will help you carry your demands. The more signatures your petition receives, the more weight it will have and should allow you to alert public opinion on the issue that matters to you.

But how do you launch an online petition? What rules should you follow to make it work? What questions should I ask myself to get started? This article offers you a 5-step method to ensure that the online petition you create is as effective as possible.

Step 1: Define the objective to be achieved and tell your story

The first step to launching your online petition and mobilising around your cause is to define your ambition. Is the establishment of a factory near your town worrying you? Are you witnessing a situation of animal abuse and want to take action? Is a social injustice deeply affecting you and you want to express your disagreement? It is essential to define your subject and the objective to be achieved, in order to share it and be effective in the actions you will take.

Once you have narrowed down your theme and your specific request, it is advisable to use “storytelling,” that is, the ability to narrate your cause in order to embody it. Write why this cause matters to you. Explain why you are talking about it and give the reasons for your mobilization. The personal experience you display, the lived experience, will give depth to your message and will therefore have a greater chance of convincing those around you. Convincing your loved ones, who care for you and will be sensitive to your message; but also convincing citizens who do not know you. Telling a story to present the cause will be a guarantee of engagement and can touch the people who read it. It is indeed very different to say “I am against this” and “I am against this because someone close to me has been directly affected.” Do not hesitate to clearly write what drives you to undertake the creation of this petition.

You now know precisely what you are going to talk about and how? Let’s move on to the second step!

Step 2: Ask yourself who can help you achieve your goals and be victorious.

The principle of a petition is to make a request to a recipient in order to change things, regardless of the subject matter.

You must therefore precisely target your request and ask yourself, beforehand, who you need to alert to change the situation that bothers you. It is crucial to be able to answer this question in order to optimise your efforts! Are you looking to overturn a decision made by the town hall? Who will be the preferred contact? Many think that directly alerting the President of the Republic on a subject is the best way to act; but aiming too high when it is not necessary can hinder your efforts. If your fight is local, aim local. If your fight requires the intervention of a specific person to succeed, contact that person. If, on the contrary, the cause you are defending is decided at the government level, address your petition directly to the government. The more you try to reach high-profile and influential personalities, the more complex it will be to capture their attention. Nevertheless, some causes require making a member of parliament, a minister, or even the President react; the key is to understand beforehand who the people are that you will need to convince to bring your issue to light and be victorious.

The good news is that we have already written an article on the scope of action of local authorities in France, to help you answer this question.

Step 3: Write a petition accessible to all!

An online petition, to be shared and signed, must be understandable. This may seem trivial or obvious, but it is essential to work on the form of your text and the accompanying content. Remember in the first step, you worked on the substance: what cause do you want to defend, why does it deeply affect you, and what in your story makes you particularly sensitive to this issue. Now, it’s time to focus on the writing itself!

The title, first. It should be as short as possible, catchy (but not sensationalist!), and above all understandable to everyone. Even if your subject is very technical, it will need to be simplified and made educational so that all citizens can relate to it. Clearly express the vision of the subject in the title to capture the reader's attention and encourage them to discover the topic.

The content, now. It does not necessarily have to be very long. If the text of your petition is too wordy and does not get to the “point,” it is very likely that readers will not make it to the end! Use diagrams, provide figures, find studies, and simply explain what your fight could change and why it is legitimate. In addition to allowing everyone to understand what you are trying to do, you will more easily gain the support of internet users who, even without being experts on the subject, can join your mobilization.

The illustration, finally. When your petition is shared via the MesOpinions link, it is the illustration of your petition that will be displayed. This means, as is the case with the title, that the image will be the showcase of your petition. If you manage to integrate a striking and relevant title and image, you significantly increase your chances of gathering signatures. Make sure to have an image that represents and embodies your subject; overly generic images are less appreciated and often generate less interest from citizens. Do not hesitate to also include additional elements on your image. For example, if you are launching a petition to prevent the closure of a class, it may be interesting to choose a photo related to the school environment, but especially to add information on the image to personalise it (name of the petition, call to action…). Here’s a good practice in terms of image choice and optimisation:

These modifications can be made with tools like PowerPoint or Canva, to easily integrate additional text.

Step 4: Choose the right moment

Once you have clearly defined the objectives of your mobilization, written an understandable text, and successfully identified the relevant recipient(s), you should also consider the right time to launch your petition. It will be easier to mobilise stakeholders (signatories, journalists, political leaders...) if you link your action to current events.

For example, if you are launching a petition to improve the care of people with a particular illness, it may be relevant to wait for a specific news event before you launch: an international day related to the illness, an event dedicated to it, or a medical innovation can all be opportunities to launch your mobilization to more easily capture attention. If the media and other institutional leaders are likely to talk about your subject due to current events, it will be easier to make your voice heard by launching your petition at that time. This may not always be possible, but try to align with current events as much as possible to take advantage of the excitement around a topic; you will be all the more relevant.

Step 5: Share your fight with as many people as possible

Everything ready? You have created your petition by meticulously following all the steps? All that’s left is to share it with those around you. The good news is that you do not need to have a large personal network to do this.

Start with your inner circle: your friends, family, and close acquaintances. Talk to them about your mobilization, tell them your story, and present the petition you have created. Do this verbally as well as on your social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn… Whatever platform you are active on, publish your petition and encourage your contacts to sign and share it.

Do not hesitate to also reach out to the recipients of the petition or potential allies: associations, NGOs, influential personalities engaged in a similar fight… Who can you mobilise to support your cause? The authors of MesOpinions regularly seek the support of influencers to sign or share their petition. Do some research on social media to see who might amplify your fight!

The media and journalists can also play an important role in boosting your petition. You can alert them in the same way and try to attract their attention in hopes of getting an article published. Every month, dozens of articles relaying petitions are published by the press; why not yours?

If you want to know more about ways to mobilise around your petition, there is a dedicated article on our blog.

Creating enthusiasm and mobilization online is within everyone's reach. If you choose the petition as the tool (or one of the tools) for this mobilization, you now have all the keys in hand to maximise your chances of success and gather as many signatures as possible.

If you have more questions, do not hesitate to contact us to benefit from the expertise of our Authors team. Otherwise, go for it!