Let’s imagine that you have a hot new web service. An AJAX-powered, Web 2.0, community-based Google killer. Let’s also assume that, like most new web services, you have limited time to reach critical mass and profitability before you run out of money.

How Do You Promote Your Service?

So what do you do to promote your service? What methods are available to those who are strapped for cash and time?

• Viral Campaign

  Create a video, contest, game, or activity that people want to pass on to their friends and that uses or mentions your service.

• Press Releases

  Put a press release out to every possible effective PR source. Accurately describe the benefits of using your service.

• Reviews

  Ask bloggers, magazine and newspaper columnists, technology pundits, futurists, educators, and other influential experts or members of the media to have a look at your service and share what they think.

• Word of Mouth

  Encourage, promote, and assist people to take the effort to share

• Pay-Per-Click

  You could pay to drive traffic to your site, but this would only work for a start-up under the above conditions if the cost per click was low and competition sparse.

In short, you should gratefully accept any interest or exposure for your product, especially if you are receiving qualified prospects.

Mum’s the Word

What would make you swear off one of these methods? Expense is a big one that might be involved in a few of the items listed above. What else? Not much.

But that’s precisely what one particular service is doing. ChaCha Live Search’s user agreement has a clause that limits its guides from asking people to become guides in public forums, blogs, or classifieds. Let’s think about this for a moment: ChaCha could potentially be receiving large numbers of interested, qualified guides, but is limiting itself to the people who fall into its guides’ close group of friends and family.

That seems silly to me. ChaCha is dramatically limiting the speed at which word of mouth can travel by limiting who its guides can invite. What’s wrong with the total strangers who express an interest in ChaCha and have the skill to do a good job? Nothing. And what would ChaCha have to lose if it accidentally let someone less skilled or interested through? Nothing. So why clam up its guides, its most effective advocates?

Breaking the Silence

Instead of clamping down on what people can say about you or your service (especially legally), you should try to help people to discuss and promote your service. Make it easy for them, and create incentives that will attract the right kind of people, rather than controlling the methods by which the word can be spread. Remember, your promotional methods will be vitally important to the success of your service, and you don’t want to punish or limit those who are helping you.