“Knife Crime” and Other Reasons I Open Emails Immediately

Email subject lines can make your heart skip a beat, especially when one lands in your inbox with just two chilling words: “Knife Crime”.

This morning I received an email from my child’s school with the subject line: “Knife Crime”. That was it. Two words. No punctuation. No context. Just… knife crime.

Reader, I opened it immediately. No hesitation. No “I’ll get to that after my coffee”. Just a sudden rush of dread, adrenaline and the very real sense that this was going to ruin my day. Because let’s face it, “Knife Crime” is not a phrase that says “don’t worry, it’s just the Year 6 bake sale flyer again”.

It turned out to be about a knife crime awareness session, important, absolutely. But here’s the thing, that email subject line did its job with ruthless efficiency. It yanked my attention like a toddler with a biscuit craving.

But was that the right approach? Let’s talk about it.

Why Email Subject Lines Matter More Than Ever

In marketing land, email subject lines are the first handshake, the cheeky wink across the room, the “oi, look at me” in a sea of inbox beige. Get it wrong and you’re banished to the spam folder of shame. Get it right, and boom, open rates soar like a toddler on sherbet.

But what is right? Should we be using phrases that scare people into action? Should every newsletter start with a heart-thumper like “Your Account Is In Danger”, only to reveal it’s a 10% discount on beard oil?

Let’s unpick the (slightly sneaky) psychology behind successful email subject lines.

Shock Value in Email Subject Lines: Genius or Gimmick?

Subject lines like “Oops”, “Uh oh…”, or “Is this you?” are practically bait these days. You know they’re probably marketing fluff, and yet your thumb hovers over them like a moth to a passive-aggressive flame.

Why do they work?

Because they create curiosity and a sense of urgency. Human brains are nosy and mildly paranoid. If there’s a chance someone’s messed something up, especially us, we want to know.

These kinds of email subject lines lean on human psychology – urgency, fear of missing out, and the need for resolution.

Other honking great examples include:

• “We need to talk”, emotionally manipulative, but compelling
• “This is not a drill”, dramatic, often followed by socks being 30% off
• “You missed this”, we hate missing things, even when we don’t know what they are

But let’s not pretend these tactics are universally beloved. Too much clickbait and your audience feels duped, like when you realise the “knife crime” email is actually about an assembly.

Best Practices for Writing Email Subject Lines That Work

Here’s where marketing has to dance a careful cha cha between clever and crass

✔️ Do:

• Use curiosity with integrity. Make sure the email lives up to the drama
• Be personal, but not creepy. “We haven’t seen you in a while, Janine” is nice. “We saw you buying bin bags last Tuesday” is not
• Keep it short. Inbox real estate is tiny. Think haiku, not Hamlet

✖️ Don’t:

• Use fear just for the sake of it. If someone opens an email expecting bad news, they’d better not find a sales pitch for scented candles
• Rely solely on “oops” and “uh oh”. Once or twice is cheeky. Every week is exhausting
• Shout in ALL CAPS. It’s not 2004 and you’re not selling dodgy concert tickets

These tiny banners of intention are the first and sometimes only thing people see, which is why crafting powerful email subject lines is both an art and a science.

Cheeky But Effective Email Subject Line Examples

There is space for playfulness, even in professional settings, if you know your audience. Some safe but sassy bets:

• “We did a thing…”
• “Don’t open this email. Seriously.”
• “Probably the best thing you’ll read today”, but make sure it is
• “Hot take inside 🔥”, use the emoji if you dare
• “Yes, this is about wine”, be specific. People love specifics

And if you’re looking to dive deeper into what really makes people click, check out this excellent guide to writing high-performing subject lines by Mailchimp.

Should You Use Words Like “Knife Crime” in Email Subject Lines?

No, unless it’s actually about knife crime. But the feeling it sparked, that sense of this is urgent and serious, that’s gold dust in marketing. The challenge is to find your version of that, something that jolts your audience’s curiosity without breaching the Geneva Conventions of inbox behaviour.

Final Thought on Email Subject Lines

The subject line that made me stop mid toast was powerful, maybe a bit too powerful for comfort. But it reminded me of something we marketers sometimes forget

Every subject line is a promise.
Make sure what’s inside the email is worth the emotional response it demands.

Nail your email subject lines, and you’re halfway to winning the inbox battle.

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