Want to start a petition? The founders of StandUnited, a new online petition site aimed at center-right audiences, want to help.
Intermarkets—the same firm behind the ads on the Drudge Report and MichelleMalkin.com—launched StandUnited, an alternative to Change.org.
In an interview with The Daily Signal, Paul Van Remortel, the senior product manager at Intermarkets, said that despite the “noted success” of sites like liberal-leaning Change.org and Care2, Intermarkets didn’t see an alternative on the right.
“On sites like Change.org, you just don’t have an audience of conservative activists,” said Van Remortel. “Those sites speak to a different audience. Imagine setting up a great CPAC panel, and then taking it to the DNC.”
Intermarkets decided to provide a platform for conservatives who wish to engage in online issue advocacy.
“We’re motivated to give conservative audiences a platform, a voice,” said Van Remortel. “Our primary focus is the individual who wants to take a stand, make an impact. We’re basically taking an issue advocacy campaign and broadening it.”
StandUnited can assist you in connecting “your message and your numbers” to decision makers. They can also provide tools—such as marketing and social media—to generate support.
“Intermarket engages with conservative audiences every day,” said Van Remortel. “We know how to connect petitions with activists likely to support them.”
According to Van Remortel, there are several components to a successful petition.
It should seek an “attainable action.” Van Remortel said many petitions are “nebulous” and lack a “concrete” goal. The petition should also speak to a “decision maker”—someone who has the ability and the authority to enact the change they are seeking.
It can also be summed up in an “elevator speech.”
“Your petition should tell the story,” said Van Remortel. “It should answer the questions: Why should anyone care? Who is this impacting? Why is this important?”
StandUnited was only recently launched, but has already generated interest among users. So far, its popular petition topics include term limits for Congress, zero-based budgeting, protecting Internet freedom, opposing amnesty and fighting Common Core.
Though StandUnited is new to the online petitioning landscape, Van Remortel is optimistic about its future, and its potential to drive change.
“You never know when your issue is going to take off and resonate with a lot of people,” said Van Remortel. “We’re really excited to see an open petition platform.”
