How to write a petition that gets results

If there’s a problem you want to solve, a cause you’re passionate about, or a desire to actively participate in democracy — there’s a petition for that.

If you want to create change in your neighborhood, town, or even your country — you have the power to do that. If leaders at a business, school, facility, or in the government aren’t taking action to address issues and injustices — you can ask them to. One of the most impactful ways to do that is by starting a petition.

Anyone can easily start an online petition on Change.org. You don’t have to be a politician, lawyer, or experienced advocate to write a powerful petition. You just need to follow the steps to craft a petition that gets attention — and results. Learn how in this guide.

Before you write

Before you start drafting the content of your petition, there are a few essential steps to take to help you prepare.

Decide what your goals are

What do you hope your petition will achieve? What would solve the problem you’re focusing on? Decide what request to make in your petition that will reach your goals. Here are a few examples of petition goals:

• Get a traffic light or crosswalk in a dangerous intersection installed: Advocate for local officials to improve pedestrian safety in your neighborhood.

• Protect a local green space from development: Rally your community to stop the destruction of a park, forest, or wetland threatened by new construction.

• Mandate safe staffing levels in local hospitals: Urge healthcare administrators or lawmakers to set nurse-to-patient ratios to improve patient care and prevent burnout.

Identify your target decision maker

Once you know what your goals are, determine who has the authority to respond to your petition and take the requested action. This could be your local city council, member of congress, senator, government agency, company CEO, school board, university president or dean, or anyone else who has decision making power.

Research your topic and develop your argument

Do your research to find out as much as you can on your issue. Use any relevant news, data, or examples you can find to develop a persuasive argument that will convince decision-makers to support your cause.

Become familiar with any laws, regulations, or policies relevant to your cause. This knowledge will help you craft a more compelling case and anticipate potential objections or challenges. It also demonstrates to decision-makers that you’ve taken the time to understand the issue thoroughly.

General best practices

Keep these guidelines and principles in mind to ensure your petition is relevant, personalized, trustworthy and easy to follow.

Tailor your message to your audience and decision makers

Consider both the decision-makers who have the power to act and the broader audience whose support you need when writing your petition.

Start by researching the roles, responsibilities, and priorities of the decision-makers you’re addressing. Are they a school principal, a city council member, a corporate executive, or a nonprofit director? Understanding their background, values, and what influences their decisions will help you craft a message that resonates with them.

Similarly, think about your audience—potential supporters who will sign and share your petition. What drives them to care about this issue? Is it personal experience, community impact, or broader societal concerns? Use clear, relatable language that speaks to their values while ensuring your message aligns with the priorities of those in power.

Use simple and clear language

Write your message in a straightforward, clear way to ensure it’s easily understood by a broad audience. Avoid jargon, complex sentences, or technical terms that may confuse or alienate potential supporters.

Create an organized and easy to read structure

Structure your petition so it’s easily digestible and broken into different sections according to each point, for example:

• The issue and its importance

• Real world examples and personal stories

• The change you’re asking for

Write concise sentences and paragraphs. Break up lists and different ideas within the same paragraph into bullet points. Use a different headline to categorize each section that briefly explains what it is.

This successful petition to support and uphold a senate resolution to preserve wild horses in a national park demonstrates a well-organized, easy to read structure. The information is categorized into separate sections and it makes use of bold type to label each section and emphasize important points. The petitioner’s requests to decision makers are broken down into several bullet points.

Use persuasive language and storytelling

Use compelling language and storytelling techniques to engage your audience emotionally. Share personal anecdotes, success stories, or case studies that illustrate the impact of the issue and the change you hope to achieve. By creating an emotional connection, you’ll be more likely to inspire action and support.

Address potential objections

Anticipate and address any potential objections or concerns your audience might have. Demonstrating that you’ve considered multiple perspectives and have thoughtful responses to their concerns will make your argument more credible and persuasive.

Include accurate information and resources

Include any background information, data, and quotes that would strengthen your petition. Provide the links to credible sources for any research you include and attribute quotes to the correct people or organizations.

Ensure that all facts, figures, and claims included in your petition are accurate and verifiable. Inaccurate or misleading information can damage your credibility and undermine your campaign. Take the time to fact-check and verify all information before publishing your petition.

Rely on reputable sources when gathering information and building your case. Using well-regarded sources adds credibility to your petition and demonstrates that you’ve conducted thorough research.

Time to write: The elements of a successful petition

Here are the essential components you need on your checklist for creating a strong petition.

Descriptive, direct, and compelling headline

Start with a direct, clear and concise headline. Your audience should understand what solution or action you’re calling for just from the headline. It should be straightforward but eye-catching. Begin with an action verb that describes your demand and include the “why.”

For example, the headline for this petition is “Protect our vulnerable neighbors: Put a stop sign at Irwin and Eliza!” From the headline you know that the goal of the petition is to put up a stop sign at an intersection for the safety of at-risk residents. It communicates all of this succinctly, avoiding unnecessary length or wordiness that could detract from the mission.

High quality, representative image

After the headline, the main image will be the first part of your petition people will see. The top image should visually represent the focus and purpose of your petition and the impact of its central issue.

Focus on one strong photo to feature that speaks for itself. Avoid combining multiple images or including text, graphics, or logos. Too many components can make your featured image look too busy and fail to convey your intended message to your audience.

Choose a high quality photo that you either take yourself or source online with permission from the photographer or from a creative commons photo library of images licensed for public use. The image should be large, sharp, and clear so it doesn’t appear blurry or pixelated.

This petition implores San Bernardino County officials to keep the Reche Canyon wild burros in their natural habitat to preserve the ecosystem and help control vegetation that contributes to wildfires. The featured image is a high quality photo of burros in their native environment.

Another example is a petition denouncing an unjust law that unfairly impacts the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in Florida. The petition calls for the end of AAPI discrimination and advocates for cultural competency training for police and government officials. The featured image is of a young member of the AAPI community at an anti-hate protest.

Explanation of the issue’s background, importance, and impact

Your petition should start by clearly stating what the issue is, why it’s important, who or what it’s affecting, and the problems it’s causing. Highlight the most critical aspects of your cause that will emphasize its urgency and the benefits of supporting it to your audience.

This petition to stop the logging plan for the Notch Reservoir Forest outlines the details of the issue thoroughly. The petition includes eight sections that cover the different areas that the logging project would harm and how the plan was deceptively developed.

A petition asking a city council to vote no to reducing comment and rebuttal times at public meetings is another example of a thoughtful, thorough, and detailed argument. It explains how the ruling would violate First Amendment rights, how it contradicts the purpose of public service, and how it restricts input from tax-paying citizens.

Supporting data and coverage about the issue

Add any relevant data, statistics, and news coverage you can find on the issue to strengthen your case. Sharing this research backs up the claims you’re making and demonstrates the weight of the issue.

For example, this petition to cancel the development of a Business Improvement District (BID) in Rochester, New York includes research and examples of how BIDs disproportionately affect marginalized communities, tenants, and small business owners. For each point the petition covers, it includes a link to the source of the information, including reputable and credible research reports, journal articles, news stories, and videos.

State your goals

Make sure that your goals are precise and informative, using bullet points to emphasize key points. Clearly state what you hope to achieve with your petition and why it matters.

If your cause involves multiple goals or complex issues, break them down into smaller, more manageable steps. This approach makes it easier for supporters to understand the specific actions needed, and for decision makers to respond to them.

Personal or community stories, experiences, and examples

Showing how the issue has specifically impacted you or members of your community creates an emotional connection to motivate supporters and decision makers. Share the stories and direct experiences of the people, animals, or places that are affected.

For example, this petition to place a crosswalk or stop sign at a dangerous intersection opens with stories of severe and fatal traffic accidents that occurred at the location.

Another petition that was victorious includes several quotes from real people impacted by the removal of anti-discrimination protections from the Texas Social Work Code of Conduct. Social workers and advocates share their fears, frustrations, and ethical concerns. Their stories highlight how the policy change creates uncertainty for both social workers and the vulnerable communities they serve.

Clear and specific requests for action

For decision makers to consider and ultimately act on your request, it needs to be informed and precise. A request that’s ambiguous, unrealistic, or doesn’t make sense can deter supporters and be counterproductive. Be clear on the change you want to see and how it should be implemented.

For example, this successful petition to lift Florida Institute of Technology’s ban on electric skateboards lays out a specific, three-pronged approach, shown below. It gives decision makers exact steps to take and shows that the petitioner considered the different perspectives on the issue and how to reach an acceptable solution.

• Reconsider the ban: Lift the ban on electric skateboards and similar transports that are already UL rated, even if they lack the specific holographic certification which UL solutions confirmed is only for specific labels even if tested.

• Implement responsible use guidelines: Create a set of guidelines and safety measures that users must follow, with fines for those who violate these rules.

• Educate the community: Launch educational initiatives to inform users about the safe operation and maintenance of electric transports to minimize risks.

After you write: Collect signatures to win change

A well-crafted petition is only impactful if it’s seen—and supported—by others. While we have in-depth guides on how to share and grow your petition, check out these focused strategies for collecting signatures effectively and responsibly, both online and offline.

Know your audience, set your strategy

Think about who your ideal signers are. Are you mobilizing local residents to stop a zoning change, or rallying a national audience around a public health issue? The scope of your campaign should shape how you gather signatures:

• Local campaigns benefit from face-to-face engagement and collecting signatures in-person—schools, libraries, markets, and community events are ideal.

• National or global campaigns thrive online—through social media, influencer support, email outreach, and digital communities. Read our comprehensive guides to sharing your petition online and creative ways to use social media to grow your petition.

Make a plan for collecting signatures

Signature gathering works best with a plan. Consider:

• Outreach channels: Will you focus on digital promotion, in-person canvassing, or both?

• Timing and locations: Identify key places (both online and offline) where supporters are likely to be found.

• Volunteer roles: Who can help? Even a few dedicated friends or community members can exponentially increase your reach.

Brief your volunteers with talking points about your petition’s purpose, target, and urgency. If you’re canvassing in public, having a bold sign or printed flyer with a QR code can help passersby quickly understand your campaign—and act on it. AND, we have a tool for that! Check it out in our free tools guide.

Make it easy to sign and share

Whether digital or paper, the signature process should be as frictionless as possible:

• Online: Use platforms like Change.org to create a mobile-friendly, easy-to-share petition. Include a short, clear call-to-action (e.g., “Sign to protect our park!”) and personalize the message for different audiences.

• In Person: If collecting physical signatures, make sure forms are clean and easy to fill out. Bring extras, have pens handy, and check that all required fields (like name, zip code, etc.) are completed.

Pro tip: Follow up with people who sign—invite them to share the petition or help with outreach. Momentum builds faster when supporters become advocates.

Respect privacy and follow the rules

When collecting signatures—especially offline—understand your responsibilities:

• Respect privacy: Only collect the information you need. If you’re requesting emails or phone numbers, be transparent about how the data will be used.

• Know the laws: If your petition is intended for legislative or ballot purposes, research local legal requirements. Rules about who can collect signatures, how they’re gathered, and who can sign vary by region.

• Avoid risky practices: Never offer incentives for signatures, misrepresent your petition’s purpose, or submit falsified information.

Finally, deliver your petition to the decision maker

Whether you submit your petition by email or deliver it in person, this moment is your opportunity to create visibility, initiate dialogue, and push for action.

Choose your method

Both email and in-person delivery are effective ways to submit your petition, depending on your audience, timeline, and campaign strategy:

• Email submission is fast, accessible, and widely used by Change.org petition starters. It allows you to reach decision makers quickly and include helpful attachments like your signature list, cover message, and supporting materials.

• In-person delivery can make a bigger impact when visibility is key—especially if you’re targeting a local official or trying to secure a meeting or media attention.

Whichever method you choose, include a brief, compelling message that summarizes your request, highlights key stories or stats, and clearly states the number of signatures you’ve gathered.

Timing matters

Submit your petition when your issue is most likely to get attention:

• Right before a legislative vote, policy review, or public meeting

• During budget planning or community consultations

• In response to a current event or decision relevant to your cause

Research upcoming deadlines or meeting dates on your target’s website, and aim to deliver your petition when it’s most likely to influence outcomes.

Submission checklist

Here’s what to prepare before submitting your petition:

✔ Identify the correct recipient. Double-check who has the power to act on your request—this might be a government official, business leader, school administrator, or nonprofit director.

✔ Find their contact info. Look for an email address on the organization’s website, or call their office if needed. If you plan to deliver in person, confirm office hours or request a brief meeting.

✔ Write a clear message. In your email or letter, include:

• A short summary of your petition’s purpose

• Total number of signatures

• Any personal stories, quotes, or data that support your case

✔ Attach or present your petition. Include a PDF or link to your petition, or print and bring a copy for in-person delivery.

After you submit: Follow up and build momentum

• Email follow-up: If you don’t hear back within a week or two, send a follow-up message to confirm receipt and request a response.

• Petition update: Let your supporters know the petition has been submitted, and invite them to help maintain pressure by sharing it or contacting the decision maker directly.

• Media and outreach: For in-person deliveries, consider inviting local press or documenting the moment on social media to increase visibility.

Whether you hit “send” or hand it over yourself, submitting your petition is a powerful step toward change. Be confident, be clear, and keep going.

Take the first step toward change

Now that you know the key elements of a strong petition, it’s time to take action. Writing a petition is a simple yet powerful way to rally support, bring attention to an issue, and influence decision makers.

Don’t wait for change to happen —be the one to make it happen. Start your petition today to begin making a real impact in your community and beyond.

Photo by Steve DiMatteo on Unsplash