diff --git a/src/components/dms/ChatEmptyPill.tsx b/src/components/dms/ChatEmptyPill.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a6c4906a62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/dms/ChatEmptyPill.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+import React from 'react'
+import {Pressable, View} from 'react-native'
+import Animated, {
+  runOnJS,
+  useAnimatedStyle,
+  useSharedValue,
+  withTiming,
+} from 'react-native-reanimated'
+import {msg} from '@lingui/macro'
+import {useLingui} from '@lingui/react'
+
+import {ScaleAndFadeIn} from 'lib/custom-animations/ScaleAndFade'
+import {ShrinkAndPop} from 'lib/custom-animations/ShrinkAndPop'
+import {useHaptics} from 'lib/haptics'
+import {isWeb} from 'platform/detection'
+import {atoms as a, useTheme} from '#/alf'
+import {Text} from '#/components/Typography'
+
+const AnimatedPressable = Animated.createAnimatedComponent(Pressable)
+
+let lastIndex = 0
+
+export function ChatEmptyPill() {
+  const t = useTheme()
+  const {_} = useLingui()
+  const playHaptic = useHaptics()
+  const [promptIndex, setPromptIndex] = React.useState(lastIndex)
+
+  const scale = useSharedValue(1)
+
+  const prompts = React.useMemo(() => {
+    return [
+      _(msg`Say hello!`),
+      _(msg`Share your favorite feed!`),
+      _(msg`Tell a joke!`),
+      _(msg`Share a fun fact!`),
+      _(msg`Share a cool story!`),
+      _(msg`Send a neat website!`),
+      _(msg`Clip 🐴 clop 🐴`),
+    ]
+  }, [_])
+
+  const onPressIn = React.useCallback(() => {
+    if (isWeb) return
+    scale.value = withTiming(1.075, {duration: 100})
+  }, [scale])
+
+  const onPressOut = React.useCallback(() => {
+    if (isWeb) return
+    scale.value = withTiming(1, {duration: 100})
+  }, [scale])
+
+  const onPress = React.useCallback(() => {
+    runOnJS(playHaptic)()
+    let randomPromptIndex = Math.floor(Math.random() * prompts.length)
+    while (randomPromptIndex === lastIndex) {
+      randomPromptIndex = Math.floor(Math.random() * prompts.length)
+    }
+    setPromptIndex(randomPromptIndex)
+    lastIndex = randomPromptIndex
+  }, [playHaptic, prompts.length])
+
+  const animatedStyle = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
+    transform: [{scale: scale.value}],
+  }))
+
+  return (
+    <View
+      style={[
+        a.absolute,
+        a.w_full,
+        a.z_10,
+        a.align_center,
+        {
+          bottom: 70,
+        },
+      ]}>
+      <AnimatedPressable
+        style={[
+          a.px_xl,
+          a.py_md,
+          a.rounded_full,
+          t.atoms.bg_contrast_25,
+          a.align_center,
+          animatedStyle,
+        ]}
+        entering={ScaleAndFadeIn}
+        exiting={ShrinkAndPop}
+        onPress={onPress}
+        onPressIn={onPressIn}
+        onPressOut={onPressOut}>
+        <Text style={[a.font_bold, a.pointer_events_none]} selectable={false}>
+          {prompts[promptIndex]}
+        </Text>
+      </AnimatedPressable>
+    </View>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/custom-animations/ShrinkAndPop.ts b/src/lib/custom-animations/ShrinkAndPop.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ea2386c14e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/custom-animations/ShrinkAndPop.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import {withDelay, withSequence, withTiming} from 'react-native-reanimated'
+
+export function ShrinkAndPop() {
+  'worklet'
+
+  const animations = {
+    opacity: withDelay(125, withTiming(0, {duration: 125})),
+    transform: [
+      {
+        scale: withSequence(
+          withTiming(0.7, {duration: 75}),
+          withTiming(1.1, {duration: 150}),
+        ),
+      },
+    ],
+  }
+
+  const initialValues = {
+    opacity: 1,
+    transform: [{scale: 1}],
+  }
+
+  return {
+    animations,
+    initialValues,
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/screens/Messages/Conversation/MessagesList.tsx b/src/screens/Messages/Conversation/MessagesList.tsx
index e303545085..167cc72bdb 100644
--- a/src/screens/Messages/Conversation/MessagesList.tsx
+++ b/src/screens/Messages/Conversation/MessagesList.tsx
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import {AppBskyRichtextFacet, RichText} from '@atproto/api'
 
 import {shortenLinks} from '#/lib/strings/rich-text-manip'
 import {isIOS, isNative} from '#/platform/detection'
-import {useConvoActive} from '#/state/messages/convo'
+import {isConvoActive, useConvoActive} from '#/state/messages/convo'
 import {ConvoItem, ConvoStatus} from '#/state/messages/convo/types'
 import {useAgent} from '#/state/session'
 import {ScrollProvider} from 'lib/ScrollContext'
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import {List} from 'view/com/util/List'
 import {ChatDisabled} from '#/screens/Messages/Conversation/ChatDisabled'
 import {MessageInput} from '#/screens/Messages/Conversation/MessageInput'
 import {MessageListError} from '#/screens/Messages/Conversation/MessageListError'
+import {ChatEmptyPill} from '#/components/dms/ChatEmptyPill'
 import {MessageItem} from '#/components/dms/MessageItem'
 import {NewMessagesPill} from '#/components/dms/NewMessagesPill'
 import {Loader} from '#/components/Loader'
@@ -340,18 +341,20 @@ export function MessagesList({
         />
       </ScrollProvider>
       <KeyboardStickyView offset={{closed: -bottomOffset, opened: 0}}>
-        {!blocked ? (
-          <>
-            {convoState.status === ConvoStatus.Disabled ? (
-              <ChatDisabled />
-            ) : (
-              <MessageInput onSendMessage={onSendMessage} />
-            )}
-          </>
-        ) : (
+        {convoState.status === ConvoStatus.Disabled ? (
+          <ChatDisabled />
+        ) : blocked ? (
           footer
+        ) : (
+          <>
+            {isConvoActive(convoState) && convoState.items.length === 0 && (
+              <ChatEmptyPill />
+            )}
+            <MessageInput onSendMessage={onSendMessage} />
+          </>
         )}
       </KeyboardStickyView>
+
       {newMessagesPill.show && <NewMessagesPill onPress={scrollToEndOnPress} />}
     </>
   )
diff --git a/src/screens/Messages/List/ChatListItem.tsx b/src/screens/Messages/List/ChatListItem.tsx
index 682a2197e8..ce0c7eee8e 100644
--- a/src/screens/Messages/List/ChatListItem.tsx
+++ b/src/screens/Messages/List/ChatListItem.tsx
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {isNative} from '#/platform/detection'
 import {useProfileShadow} from '#/state/cache/profile-shadow'
 import {useModerationOpts} from '#/state/preferences/moderation-opts'
 import {useSession} from '#/state/session'
+import {useHaptics} from 'lib/haptics'
 import {logEvent} from 'lib/statsig/statsig'
 import {sanitizeDisplayName} from 'lib/strings/display-names'
 import {TimeElapsed} from '#/view/com/util/TimeElapsed'
@@ -70,6 +71,7 @@ function ChatListItemReady({
     () => moderateProfile(profile, moderationOpts),
     [profile, moderationOpts],
   )
+  const playHaptic = useHaptics()
 
   const blockInfo = React.useMemo(() => {
     const modui = moderation.ui('profileView')
@@ -134,8 +136,9 @@ function ChatListItemReady({
   )
 
   const onLongPress = useCallback(() => {
+    playHaptic()
     menuControl.open()
-  }, [menuControl])
+  }, [playHaptic, menuControl])
 
   return (
     <View
@@ -162,7 +165,7 @@ function ChatListItemReady({
             : undefined
         }
         onPress={onPress}
-        onLongPress={isNative ? menuControl.open : undefined}
+        onLongPress={isNative ? onLongPress : undefined}
         onAccessibilityAction={onLongPress}
         style={[
           web({