diff --git a/public/app/plugins/datasource/tempo/traceql/QueryEditor.tsx b/public/app/plugins/datasource/tempo/traceql/QueryEditor.tsx
index a88677957a3..f950c630045 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/datasource/tempo/traceql/QueryEditor.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/datasource/tempo/traceql/QueryEditor.tsx
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ export function QueryEditor(props: Props) {
         </a>
       </InlineLabel>
       <TraceQLEditor
+        placeholder="Enter a TraceQL query (run with Shift+Enter)"
         value={query.query}
         onChange={onEditorChange}
         datasource={props.datasource}
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/datasource/tempo/traceql/TraceQLEditor.tsx b/public/app/plugins/datasource/tempo/traceql/TraceQLEditor.tsx
index 7ab59b6a8d4..548ed623c65 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/datasource/tempo/traceql/TraceQLEditor.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/datasource/tempo/traceql/TraceQLEditor.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import type { languages } from 'monaco-editor';
 import React, { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
 
 import { GrafanaTheme2 } from '@grafana/data';
-import { CodeEditor, Monaco, useStyles2, monacoTypes } from '@grafana/ui';
+import { CodeEditor, Monaco, monacoTypes, useTheme2 } from '@grafana/ui';
 
 import { createErrorNotification } from '../../../../core/copy/appNotification';
 import { notifyApp } from '../../../../core/reducers/appNotification';
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { CompletionProvider } from './autocomplete';
 import { languageDefinition } from './traceql';
 
 interface Props {
+  placeholder: string;
   value: string;
   onChange: (val: string) => void;
   onRunQuery: () => void;
@@ -21,9 +22,11 @@ interface Props {
 }
 
 export function TraceQLEditor(props: Props) {
-  const { onRunQuery } = props;
+  const { onRunQuery, placeholder } = props;
   const setupAutocompleteFn = useAutocomplete(props.datasource);
-  const styles = useStyles2(getStyles);
+  const theme = useTheme2();
+  const styles = getStyles(theme, placeholder);
+
   return (
     <CodeEditor
       value={props.value}
@@ -50,11 +53,40 @@ export function TraceQLEditor(props: Props) {
       onEditorDidMount={(editor, monaco) => {
         setupAutocompleteFn(editor, monaco);
         setupActions(editor, monaco, onRunQuery);
+        setupPlaceholder(editor, monaco, styles);
       }}
     />
   );
 }
 
+function setupPlaceholder(editor: monacoTypes.editor.IStandaloneCodeEditor, monaco: Monaco, styles: EditorStyles) {
+  const placeholderDecorators = [
+    {
+      range: new monaco.Range(1, 1, 1, 1),
+      options: {
+        className: styles.placeholder, // The placeholder text is in styles.placeholder
+        isWholeLine: true,
+      },
+    },
+  ];
+
+  let decorators: string[] = [];
+
+  const checkDecorators = (): void => {
+    const model = editor.getModel();
+
+    if (!model) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const newDecorators = model.getValueLength() === 0 ? placeholderDecorators : [];
+    decorators = model.deltaDecorations(decorators, newDecorators);
+  };
+
+  checkDecorators();
+  editor.onDidChangeModelContent(checkDecorators);
+}
+
 function setupActions(editor: monacoTypes.editor.IStandaloneCodeEditor, monaco: Monaco, onRunQuery: () => void) {
   editor.addAction({
     id: 'run-query',
@@ -135,12 +167,24 @@ function ensureTraceQL(monaco: Monaco) {
   }
 }
 
-const getStyles = (theme: GrafanaTheme2) => {
+interface EditorStyles {
+  placeholder: string;
+  queryField: string;
+}
+
+const getStyles = (theme: GrafanaTheme2, placeholder: string): EditorStyles => {
   return {
     queryField: css`
       border-radius: ${theme.shape.borderRadius()};
       border: 1px solid ${theme.components.input.borderColor};
       flex: 1;
     `,
+    placeholder: css`
+      ::after {
+        content: '${placeholder}';
+        font-family: ${theme.typography.fontFamilyMonospace};
+        opacity: 0.3;
+      }
+    `,
   };
 };