diff --git a/src/applications/search/field/PhabricatorSearchDateField.php b/src/applications/search/field/PhabricatorSearchDateField.php
index 21b1627de7..41decd9503 100644
--- a/src/applications/search/field/PhabricatorSearchDateField.php
+++ b/src/applications/search/field/PhabricatorSearchDateField.php
@@ -1,53 +1,54 @@
 <?php
 
 final class PhabricatorSearchDateField
   extends PhabricatorSearchField {
 
   protected function newControl() {
-    return new AphrontFormTextControl();
+    return id(new AphrontFormTextControl())
+      ->setPlaceholder(pht('"2022-12-25" or "7 days ago"...'));
   }
 
   protected function getValueFromRequest(AphrontRequest $request, $key) {
     return $request->getStr($key);
   }
 
   public function getValueForQuery($value) {
     return $this->parseDateTime($value);
   }
 
   protected function validateControlValue($value) {
     if (!strlen($value)) {
       return;
     }
 
     $epoch = $this->parseDateTime($value);
     if ($epoch) {
       return;
     }
 
     $this->addError(
       pht('Invalid'),
       pht('Date value for "%s" can not be parsed.', $this->getLabel()));
   }
 
   protected function parseDateTime($value) {
     if (!strlen($value)) {
       return null;
     }
 
     // If this appears to be an epoch timestamp, just return it unmodified.
     // This assumes values like "2016" or "20160101" are "Ymd".
     if (is_int($value) || ctype_digit($value)) {
       if ((int)$value > 30000000) {
         return (int)$value;
       }
     }
 
     return PhabricatorTime::parseLocalTime($value, $this->getViewer());
   }
 
   protected function newConduitParameterType() {
     return new ConduitEpochParameterType();
   }
 
 }