If you're a social media user, you're likely to have seen posts from people asking you to sign their petition.
Some petitions seem ridiculous and don't garner much attention - while others are created to enact important social change and make a difference in society.
Petitions are a great way to hold the Government to account and debate real issues that matter to other people in the country - including matters such as climate change and pet theft to the introduction of safe standing in football stadiums.
The UK Parliament Petitions website reopened last week with a new committee on the board - making it the perfect time learn about the criteria to make your own.
In the last two years alone, more than 15 million people began or signed a petition on the Government's petition website, according to official figures.
In the last Parliament, 456 petitions received a response from the Government and 74 other petitions were debated in the House of Commons, with 8,000 published on the website
If you have a burning desire to start a petition and get the government to consider your notion, have you thought about how to do so successfully?
Tips on writing a successful petition
1. Ask yourself if the Government can actually help
Before you create the petition, ask yourself if it's a government matter and if they are responsible for what you want to achieve.
For instance, if you want a pay rise and shorter work hours then this isn't a matter for the government but for your boss.
If Government or Parliament isn’t responsible for what you want to achieve, focus your campaign elsewhere
If you are unsure, the Petitions Committee is on hand to offer some advice.
2. Check if your petition already exists
Before getting impassioned about a topic, eager to create a new petition- stop and do some research.
A petition on your topic might already exist- instead of making a new one, getting behind this petition and show your support.
3. Team up with other people
Promoting the petition all on your own can be hard work.
Instead, consider other groups who might agree with you and get them to share it and sign it.
This will maximise the petition's reach and get more exposure.
4. Simplicity is key
When writing a petition, don't overcomplicated it- keep your views and goals to the point so your aims are clear.
You don’t need to outline the ins and outs of your ideas for change in the petition. Petitions are designed to be specific to one cause and should be short and simple – they are not meant to be policy documents.
5. Adhere to the Petition Committee’s standards
If you want your petition to get published sooner, you need to stick to the Petition Committee’s standards to ensure you observe all their expectations. There is a detailed section on the petitions website and you can use this to make sure your petition gets published much quicker.
6. Focus on once clear action
It's easy to get carried away when writing a petition, but the most successful ones have a clear call to action. If you have a look at the recent fireworks safety petition which led to an inquiry that called on the Government to take action, you’ll see a concise summary at the top which people could quickly understand and get behind.
7. Research is key
The last thing you should do is litter your petition with false information and mistruths. Before writing it, do your research and only use credible and correct information, as this will strengthen your cause.
8. Use neutral language
Avoid over complicating your petition with big words and phrases your target audience won't understand. Double checking you’ve used gender-neutral terms and plain English will help your message reach the greatest number of people.
9. Be persistent
Social change doesn't happen overnight and not every petition takes off the day it is created.
Keep sharing the post and encouraging people to sign it and your petition will slowly but surely gain traction- all it takes is one celebrity or influential person to share your post and make it go viral.
10. Have a plan
What are you going to do next to get people to sign? These are things you should constantly be thinking about.
Once your petition is up on the website, give it a share, promote it, and think about other ways you can get your petition out into the community- communities are the driving force behind successful petitions.
