diff --git a/site/index.ts b/site/index.ts
index 5c2c7d72..335949a1 100644
--- a/site/index.ts
+++ b/site/index.ts
@@ -199,6 +199,7 @@ domReady(() => {
                     },
                 },
             },
+            placeholderText: "This is placeholder text, so start typing…",
             richTextOptions: {
                 linkPreviewProviders: [
                     ExampleTextOnlyLinkPreviewProvider,
diff --git a/src/commonmark/editor.ts b/src/commonmark/editor.ts
index 0ba60a6f..ce81af7a 100644
--- a/src/commonmark/editor.ts
+++ b/src/commonmark/editor.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import {
     defaultImageUploadHandler,
 } from "../shared/prosemirror-plugins/image-upload";
 import { interfaceManagerPlugin } from "../shared/prosemirror-plugins/interface-manager";
+import { placeholderPlugin } from "../shared/prosemirror-plugins/placeholder";
 import {
     editableCheck,
     readonlyPlugin,
@@ -58,6 +59,7 @@ export class CommonmarkEditor extends BaseView {
                             this.options.imageUpload,
                             this.options.parserFeatures.validateLink
                         ),
+                        placeholderPlugin(this.options.placeholderText),
                         readonlyPlugin(),
                     ],
                 }),
@@ -77,6 +79,7 @@ export class CommonmarkEditor extends BaseView {
             editorHelpLink: null,
             menuParentContainer: null,
             parserFeatures: defaultParserFeatures,
+            placeholderText: null,
             imageUpload: {
                 handler: defaultImageUploadHandler,
             },
diff --git a/src/rich-text/editor.ts b/src/rich-text/editor.ts
index 57a20d6b..cbf4d418 100644
--- a/src/rich-text/editor.ts
+++ b/src/rich-text/editor.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import { codePasteHandler } from "./plugins/code-paste-handler";
 import { linkPasteHandler } from "./plugins/link-paste-handler";
 import { linkPreviewPlugin, LinkPreviewProvider } from "./plugins/link-preview";
 import { linkTooltipPlugin } from "./plugins/link-editor";
+import { placeholderPlugin } from "../shared/prosemirror-plugins/placeholder";
 import { plainTextPasteHandler } from "./plugins/plain-text-paste-handler";
 import { spoilerToggle } from "./plugins/spoiler-toggle";
 import { tables } from "./plugins/tables";
@@ -96,6 +97,7 @@ export class RichTextEditor extends BaseView {
                             this.options.pluginParentContainer
                         ),
                         linkTooltipPlugin(this.options.parserFeatures),
+                        placeholderPlugin(this.options.placeholderText),
                         richTextImageUpload(
                             this.options.imageUpload,
                             this.options.parserFeatures.validateLink
diff --git a/src/shared/prosemirror-plugins/placeholder.ts b/src/shared/prosemirror-plugins/placeholder.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c8885cac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/shared/prosemirror-plugins/placeholder.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+import { Node } from "prosemirror-model";
+import { Plugin, PluginKey } from "prosemirror-state";
+import { Decoration, DecorationSet } from "prosemirror-view";
+
+/**
+ * Creates a placeholder decoration on the document's first child
+ * @param doc The root document node
+ * @param placeholder The placeholder text
+ */
+function createPlaceholderDecoration(doc: Node, placeholder: string) {
+    // TODO check for image upload placeholder
+    const showPlaceholder =
+        !doc.textContent &&
+        doc.childCount === 1 &&
+        doc.firstChild.childCount === 0;
+
+    if (!showPlaceholder) {
+        return DecorationSet.empty;
+    }
+
+    const $pos = doc.resolve(1);
+    return DecorationSet.create(doc, [
+        Decoration.node($pos.before(), $pos.after(), {
+            "data-placeholder": placeholder,
+        }),
+    ]);
+}
+
+/** Plugin that adds placeholder text to the editor when it's empty */
+export function placeholderPlugin(placeholder: string): Plugin {
+    if (!placeholder?.trim()) {
+        return new Plugin({});
+    }
+
+    return new Plugin<DecorationSet>({
+        key: new PluginKey("placeholder"),
+        state: {
+            init: (_, state) =>
+                createPlaceholderDecoration(state.doc, placeholder),
+            apply: (tr, value) => {
+                if (!tr.docChanged) {
+                    return value.map(tr.mapping, tr.doc);
+                }
+
+                return createPlaceholderDecoration(tr.doc, placeholder);
+            },
+        },
+        props: {
+            decorations(this: Plugin<DecorationSet>, state) {
+                return this.getState(state);
+            },
+        },
+        view(view) {
+            view.dom.setAttribute("aria-placeholder", placeholder);
+
+            return {
+                destroy() {
+                    view.dom.removeAttribute("aria-placeholder");
+                },
+            };
+        },
+    });
+}
diff --git a/src/shared/view.ts b/src/shared/view.ts
index 9af39dec..cbcda165 100644
--- a/src/shared/view.ts
+++ b/src/shared/view.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ export interface CommonViewOptions {
     editorHelpLink?: string;
     /** The features to allow/disallow on the markdown parser */
     parserFeatures?: CommonmarkParserFeatures;
+    /** The placeholder text for an empty editor */
+    placeholderText?: string;
     /**
      * Function to get the container to place the menu bar;
      * defaults to returning this editor's target's parentNode
diff --git a/src/styles/custom-components.less b/src/styles/custom-components.less
index a9a1bcc1..6df2b978 100644
--- a/src/styles/custom-components.less
+++ b/src/styles/custom-components.less
@@ -209,6 +209,21 @@
         font-variant-ligatures: none;
     }
 
+    & [data-placeholder] {
+        position: relative;
+
+        &::before {
+            color: var(--fc-light);
+            position: absolute;
+            content: attr(data-placeholder);
+            pointer-events: none;
+        }
+
+        .s-input__readonly &::before {
+            color: inherit;
+        }
+    }
+
     // taken from prosemirror.css for compatibility
     .ProseMirror-hideselection *::selection {
         background: transparent;
diff --git a/test/shared/plugins/placeholder.test.ts b/test/shared/plugins/placeholder.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4311f5d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/shared/plugins/placeholder.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+import { CommonmarkEditor } from "../../../src/commonmark/editor";
+import { RichTextEditor } from "../../../src/rich-text/editor";
+import { placeholderPlugin } from "../../../src/shared/prosemirror-plugins/placeholder";
+
+const PLACEHOLDER_TEXT = "This is a placeholder";
+
+function commonmarkView(
+    markdown: string,
+    placeholderText: string
+): CommonmarkEditor {
+    return new CommonmarkEditor(document.createElement("div"), markdown, {
+        placeholderText,
+    });
+}
+
+function richView(markdownInput: string, placeholderText: string) {
+    return new RichTextEditor(document.createElement("div"), markdownInput, {
+        placeholderText,
+    });
+}
+
+describe("placeholder plugin", () => {
+    describe("commonmark", () => {
+        it("should add placeholder when the editor is empty", () => {
+            const view = commonmarkView("", PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+            const elAttr =
+                view.editorView.dom.firstElementChild.getAttribute(
+                    "data-placeholder"
+                );
+            const ariaAttr =
+                view.editorView.dom.getAttribute("aria-placeholder");
+
+            expect(elAttr).toBe(PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+            expect(ariaAttr).toBe(PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+        });
+
+        it("should not add placeholder when the editor is populated", () => {
+            const view = commonmarkView("Hello world", PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+            const elAttr =
+                view.editorView.dom.firstElementChild.getAttribute(
+                    "data-placeholder"
+                );
+            const ariaAttr =
+                view.editorView.dom.getAttribute("aria-placeholder");
+
+            expect(elAttr).toBeNull();
+            expect(ariaAttr).toBe(PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+        });
+
+        it("should remove placeholder when text is added", () => {
+            const view = commonmarkView("", PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+            let elAttr =
+                view.editorView.dom.firstElementChild.getAttribute(
+                    "data-placeholder"
+                );
+
+            expect(elAttr).toBe(PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+
+            view.editorView.dispatch(
+                view.editorView.state.tr.insertText("Hello world")
+            );
+
+            elAttr =
+                view.editorView.dom.firstElementChild.getAttribute(
+                    "data-placeholder"
+                );
+            expect(elAttr).toBeNull();
+        });
+    });
+
+    describe("rich-text", () => {
+        it("should add placeholder when the editor is empty", () => {
+            const view = richView("", PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+            const elAttr =
+                view.editorView.dom.firstElementChild.getAttribute(
+                    "data-placeholder"
+                );
+            const ariaAttr =
+                view.editorView.dom.getAttribute("aria-placeholder");
+
+            expect(elAttr).toBe(PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+            expect(ariaAttr).toBe(PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+        });
+
+        it("should not add placeholder when the editor is populated", () => {
+            const view = richView("# Hello", PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+            const elAttr =
+                view.editorView.dom.firstElementChild.getAttribute(
+                    "data-placeholder"
+                );
+            const ariaAttr =
+                view.editorView.dom.getAttribute("aria-placeholder");
+
+            expect(elAttr).toBeNull();
+            expect(ariaAttr).toBe(PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+        });
+
+        it("should remove placeholder when text is added", () => {
+            const view = richView("", PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+            let elAttr =
+                view.editorView.dom.firstElementChild.getAttribute(
+                    "data-placeholder"
+                );
+
+            expect(elAttr).toBe(PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+
+            view.editorView.dispatch(
+                view.editorView.state.tr.insertText("Hello world")
+            );
+
+            elAttr =
+                view.editorView.dom.firstElementChild.getAttribute(
+                    "data-placeholder"
+                );
+            expect(elAttr).toBeNull();
+        });
+    });
+
+    describe("plugin", () => {
+        it("should not activate when the placeholder text is invalid", () => {
+            // start with a valid option to set the base case
+            let plugin = placeholderPlugin(PLACEHOLDER_TEXT);
+            expect(plugin.spec.state).toBeDefined();
+
+            // now try with an invalid option
+            plugin = placeholderPlugin("");
+            expect(plugin.spec.state).toBeUndefined();
+        });
+    });
+});