WITH VIDEO, PICTURES, CELEBRITIES & OFFLINE ACTIONS
Video
What goes down particularly well are short videos in which those affected describe how important the issue is to them. Videos are clicked and shared particularly often on social media such as Instagram or Facebook. Sharepics are also good for spreading your petition. Because to spread good posts, you need good material.
Simply record a small video (in landscape format!) with your smartphone or camcorder, in which those affected and supporters have their say. Suppose your petition is against the clearing of a forest. In the video, for example, a jogger, dog owner and forest ranger could briefly explain why possible deforestation would be so bad and why the petition should be signed.
A teaser or image video should not be longer than 1:30 minutes, preferably under 30 seconds. Longer videos are rarely watched in their entirety. When it comes to distribution via social media, the shorter the better!
As with the petition itself, an attention-grabbing video title is important. Best according to the pattern: "#Petition - Title of your petition". The video description on YouTube and Facebook is also important and should be short and concise. 2-3 sentences in which you describe the issue and link the petition are sufficient.
Be sure to use good sound quality! The filmed should speak as close as possible to the microphone and background noise should be avoided. If people are making statements, you should film close to the face (zooms that only show the nose and eyes are counterproductive, but so are full-body shots). Be sure to use moving images - it will make the video appear livelier. For example, if you're filming a shot of someone looking at a screen, film over your shoulder at the display. With a "Screen Recorder" you can easily create a short video of your screen. Still images, on the other hand, are soporific and boring.
Send us your video in advance! If you are inexperienced in video editing, you are welcome to send us individual video snippets and we will edit your video for you. If you prefer to edit your film yourself, we will still be happy to give you feedback and, if you don't have your own, upload the video to our YouTube channel.
- Examples of free cutting programs are Windows Moviemaker or iMovie.
- Create subtitles so people can watch your video without sound (many have turned off the auto-sound for videos when they're on the go).
- Add suitable music to the video, eg piano music.
Sharepic
A sharepic is an image created for as many people as possible to share and spread. That is, it must immediately catch the eye and have a very clear and simple statement. Sometimes it is enough to choose a bright color as the background and place a bold sentence on it to draw attention to your own concern. Ideally, you can still see the thing or the person/those affected. Only the most important information comes on a Sharepic!
organizations and associations
Also involve organisations, associations and authorities that would potentially support your cause. For example, in the case of a petition on animal welfare, write an e-mail to animal welfare organizations and ask them for their support. These actors are also often found on social media, so you can tag them.
Celebrities and experts
Try to attract celebrities to your petition. For example, if you already know that Campino from the band "Die Toten Hosen" or the actor Till Schweiger is particularly committed to helping refugees, you can write to them specifically via social media and ask them to share and sign your petition, or ask them in one Postpone post. The same applies to people from politics. Find e-mail addresses of members of parliament or local politicians and inform them about your petition and ask them to spread and support it. For example, during a petition against fox hunting, actor and environmental activist Hannes Jaenicke recorded a short video of himself and called for support of the petition - this made the rounds on social media.
offline promotions
In order for your petition to become public, you must also publicize it. Here you can get really creative and come up with your own forms of action. A few things have proven particularly useful here:
- Information evenings and citizens' meetings: make contacts, inform the neighbourhood, find fellow campaigners. We support you with our next door tool: With this you can easily contact people in your area and network with them. You can find the tool on the petition page under the “Next door” tab.
- Benefit concerts: collect donations and create a beautiful experience for supporters
- Demonstrations at locations important to the petition: Draw public attention to the issue and show how important it is to supporters.
- Offline collection of signatures and information stand: This is a special feature of openPetition, because here you have the opportunity to collect signatures online and offline. In this way, you not only reach internet-savvy people, but can also work together across generations and get into conversation with other people affected on site. On the petition page you can download and print out collection forms and upload them again later.
- Tear-off leaflet: You can also download these leaflets with the petition link from the petition page, print them out and distribute them to friends or display them at events.
Support through openPetition: We are at your side with all these steps. It is important that you keep us up to date. If we notice that you are strongly committed, then we will also be committed to you. For example, if we learn of a planned handover, we can advise you and, if necessary, draw your attention to it via our channels.
Tag us when posting on social media: You can always tag us on Facebook and Twitter. Write our name in the post and select our profile: @openPetition on Facebook, @openpetition.de on Instagram und @openPetition on twitter.