Hulu at Crossroads, Guns and Women, NFL Teams Content Marketing

The Strategist picks the day’s most relevant and interesting stories about the world of content from around the web. Here’s what you should be reading today:

Hulu Not Sure Which Direction to Take

The Wall Street Journal reports that Hulu’s stakeholders and decision makers, News Corp. and Disney, can’t agree on whether or not to make the site only subscription based or keep some of it free.

The company has requested nearly $200 million from the companies, as well as another stakeholder, Comcast, to expand and add more programming.

In a time when Netflix and Amazon are coming up with original programming, Hulu and its stakeholders aren’t sure whether or not to invest money into content creation.

Gun Companies Catering to Women

The Wall Street Journal is also reporting that gun businesses are marketing more and more to women. 

The NRA Women’s Network, for example, “provides links to online retailers offering an array of fashion, ranging from camouflage outfits for hunting to pink Flash Bang bra holsters and tight ‘compression’ shorts with built in gun holders. Some of the sites offer bullet jewelry or jokey T-shirts with slogans like ‘P.M.S. (Packin’ My Sidearm).'”

While some of the retailers argue it’s about empowerment and self defense, others say they are just trying to make gun ownership seem less intimidating to women.

The NFL and Content Marketing

Business 2 Community’s Brett Kaepernick writes about the NFL teams and what kind of content they are producing for marketing efforts.

While the Packers host game day chats on their Facebook page, the San Francisco 49ers hold the conversation on Twitter. The Buffalo Bills often post more than one blog per day and the Jacksonville Jaguars are big on Pinterest, posting visuals of their merchandise and team members.

PBS Paying for Intern Violation

According to the New York Times, Charlie Rose and his team are paying up to $250,000 to settle a class-action lawsuit  put into effect by former unpaid interns.

Back wages totaling $1,100 each will be paid to 189 interns who worked up to 10 weeks per semester. Similar lawsuits have been filed against companies such as Hearst Corporation and Fox Entertainment.

The Importance of Writers

Brian Clark of CopyBlogger wrote a piece about how important writers are and how they are behind the functioning of the Internet.

He says that all of online marketing is driven by content, which is created by writers. As long as the writers understand their strengths, they will receive more compensation and respect. Google’s Panda and Penguin updates take into account how prestigious authors are in their search rankings, along with how well written the content is.

Writers are now becoming entrepreneurs thanks to the Internet: “The boom in online content marketing will drive thousands of writers to control their own destinies,” Clark writes. “Not just as in-house staff or freelancers, but as owners of consulting firms and agencies. Add to that the self-publishing boom with ebooks and other digital goods, and the writer truly can run his or her own show.”

Facebook Timeline Undergoing More Changes

Chris Taylor of Mashable reports that soon, Facebook is going to be coming out with a new Timeline that eliminates the thumbnail photos for “Friends,” “Photos,” and “Map.”

A new “About” tab will appear at the top of the page and “subscribers” will now be called “followers.”

Storytelling Tips for Content Marketers

Arnie Kuenn of Marketing Land gives tips for brands when it comes to storytelling. Marketers should learn from the greats by finding out their personal histories and what inspired them to write stories.

He also advises to dissect why certain stories resonate with people: “Is it the plot line or the characters? Does the story teach a lesson that resonates with you? It may be easy to see why you love certain movies or novels, but applying it to business may be more difficult.” He also suggests showing the brand’s personality and being honest.