Thanks to the Internet, finding a peer review for just about any product or service is easy. That’s good news for consumers, and a wake-up call for some service providers and manufacturers.

Consumer or peer reviews are written by everyday people who’ve had experience with a certain product or service. These are not professional reviews, but genuine user reviews. Often consumer or peer reviews are more reliable than professional reviews because the reviewer is generally not be paid or compensated for their review. These can also be the most helpful reviews, but not all are; for instance, if review is too negative, too positive or too vague, it won’t be a useful review.

So if you’re into writing reviews and want them to really help someone in their decision-making process, here are some pointers on how to write effective reviews – the kind that truly help a buyer make a decision:

1. Credibility. Can the reader trust your opinion?

Used to be there was little point to reading consumer reviews because buyers who were unhappy were much more likely to want to tell the world about it. Happy buyers were, well, happy and they went on with their lives. Nowadays with more and more people finding their voice on the Web, we’re seeing much more equality in reviews, well actually we’re seeing many more reviews period – which boosts equality and therefore credibility.

Did you just love the product or service? Did you form a relationship with it or the service provider? If so, I’m happy for you but you may be too biased on the positive side. By all means, write a review, but take a step back and take off those rose colored glasses too. Tell us your love story, but don’t hold back about the parts that didn’t go exactly right or don’t do precisely what you expected. It’s great to sing the praises of a good product or provider, but keep your readers in mind. If they think you are too positive they may discount your review. Not many people expect everything to be perfect, and when you tell them it is, they are sceptical.

Or maybe you had a really bad experience – the same rules apply. Try to be objective, even if your fuming mad. An overly negative or explosive review won’t be taken seriously by most people. More than likely it won’t even be read. So take a deep breath and before you hit “submit”, read it over a couple of times, tone it down if need be. Even if you’re justifiably angry, you want your review to be credible and useful so express your opinion rationally to get the results you want – a useful, helpful, believable review.

2. Details. Are you giving specific feedback?

“Loved it.” “Hated it.” General reviews don’t cut it. What exactly didn’t you like about it? Maybe its the same thing I won’t like about it or maybe that thing you don’t like, I will. Or maybe I won’t care about that particular thing at all. If you’re talking about a laptop, you may love it for the most part, except for the fact that the battery only lasts an hour. Battery life is a big item for me and an hour isn’t good enough. Or if the product was fine, did you have an issue and discover really poor customer service? That could be the key for someone seeking opionions.

Readers will appreciate your details and that will make your review more effective. Details allow the reader to relate to you, the writer. If the reader thinks that you use the product or service the same way they would, your opinion will have weight. If the reader can’t relate to you or the way you use the product, that reader may not consider your review in their decision-making process.

Specifics also give your review credibility. If you’re too general, your reader may not believe that you even bought the item or service, didn’t read the book or take the trip, etc.

3. Yeah or Nay. Do you give a clear, solid opinion?

Now that you’re sure you’ve been truly objective and specific in your review, have you taken a stance? Readers also want to know the bottom line – buy it or not? Hire them or not? Book it or not? Writing reviews is not the time for waffling. Take a stand. Your reader will understand if you have certain reservations, but are they surrmountable or insurrmountable? Even with its flaws, is it still the best thing out there in your opinion? If all you give is pros and cons, the review may be somewhat useful, but lack what it takes to truly help with a decision. The most helpful give solid opinions. Would you buy it again – yes or no?

Your reader is looking for guidance before plunking down their cash. Consumer or peer reviews are usually the best way to get at the truth, if they are written thoughtfully. So be honest, be specific and be definitive when writing reviews.