How Steve Madden connects with Gen Z holiday shoppers on Pinterest
June 10, 2026
When the holidays hit, brands know how important it is to earn a place on shoppers’ wish lists. To secure their spot, Steve Madden (@stevemadden) wanted to reach Gen Z audiences with content that showcased their on-trend, giftable styles. Gen Z is Pinterest’s fastest-growing audience, making up more than 40% of people on the platform worldwide, so the brand knew just where to reach them.1
The goal
Steve Madden set out to own holiday gifting with a full-funnel strategy that met shoppers at every stage, from inspiration to adding to cart. By creating content that felt like an extension of how Gen Z plans outfits, shops and gifts, the brand aimed to increase discovery and saves during peak shopping moments—and encourage clicks and checkouts from people ready to cross items off their list.
The strategy
First up, Steve Madden uploaded their full catalog to Pinterest, turning all of their top styles into actionable product Pins in one go. The brand focused on editorial-style content that mirrored the types of visuals audiences are used to seeing on Pinterest—outfit and styling inspo and casual-feeling flat lays instead of highly staged product shots—to make content feel familiar, engaging and worth saving. The Steve Madden team also added detailed descriptions that included suggested occasions, outfit pairing options and brief profiles of people and scenarios the products were “ideal for.” This gave shoppers gifting ideas and easily translated to key themes around which audiences could create holiday boards. All of the content was highly actionable, including links to shop the featured products.
Next, the brand collaborated with Pinterest’s Editorial team to create “Gifts for the Fashion Girly,” a gift guide full of looks that inspired everything from dream gift lists to practical party outfits. By leaning into seasonal trends, Steve Madden filled the board with content that could organically meet Gen Z audiences where searches were peaking.After launching the gift guide board, the Steve Madden team kept a close eye on performance. Reviewing initial results, they identified the best-performing Pins and included them in their end-of-year paid strategy, expanding their reach and extending their momentum both during and after the holiday season.
The results
Steve Madden’s Pinterest strategy paid off during a crucial shopping moment.2 Between November and December 2025, revenue driven by organic content on Pinterest jumped 44% as the brand tapped into the platform’s strength in helping people discover and inspire their next purchase. Organic checkouts surged by 58% and page views driven by organic content also increased by 36%.
The combination of paid and organic content was also powerful for Steve Madden. After organic content confirmed what resonated with audiences, paid helped scale those proven winners, extending their shelf life. Combined paid and organic page views rose 16% and add-to-carts increased 60%, driving a 16% increase in overall revenue driven by Pinterest.
The “Gifts for the Fashion Girly” board also became Steve Madden’s top-performing board, highlighting the role curation played in their results.
Tips to try
Get more out of your Pinterest content with these best practices.
Tap into trends when creating content that resonates
Seeing what’s trending can be a helpful starting point when you plan content, making Pins feel relevant to searches people are already making—especially during key shopping moments.
Try combining paid and organic strategies to gain audience insight and help amplify results
Test, learn and iterate with organic content. See which Pins take off and give them a boost by including them in paid strategies, which could extend your reach and support stronger performance. Use additional insights to guide paid campaigns or inform your next batch of content.
Curate content into collections
Boards that map to real shopping needs (think: gift guides or outfit planning) can make it easier for your audience to save, shop and share. Learn more about boards.