diff --git a/app/javascript/images/friends-cropped.png b/app/javascript/images/friends-cropped.png
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b13e16a5809abad8f2ee906025ed99e4ec79d129
Binary files /dev/null and b/app/javascript/images/friends-cropped.png differ
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/community_timeline/index.jsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/community_timeline/index.jsx
index a18da2f6428ba502035a313579f35e76fa78286a..7e3b9babe904db4e7d4c663fcca618a1382ac224 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/community_timeline/index.jsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/community_timeline/index.jsx
@@ -140,11 +140,8 @@ class CommunityTimeline extends PureComponent {
           <ColumnSettingsContainer columnId={columnId} />
         </ColumnHeader>
 
-        <DismissableBanner id='community_timeline'>
-          <FormattedMessage id='dismissable_banner.community_timeline' defaultMessage='These are the most recent public posts from people whose accounts are hosted by {domain}.' values={{ domain }} />
-        </DismissableBanner>
-
         <StatusListContainer
+          prepend={<DismissableBanner id='community_timeline'><FormattedMessage id='dismissable_banner.community_timeline' defaultMessage='These are the most recent public posts from people whose accounts are hosted by {domain}.' values={{ domain }} /></DismissableBanner>}
           trackScroll={!pinned}
           scrollKey={`community_timeline-${columnId}`}
           timelineId={`community${onlyMedia ? ':media' : ''}`}
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/explore/links.jsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/explore/links.jsx
index df91337fdd0c8a2b3105456b4715d595fdc4cd73..49c667f027e123a310d2b096c2c0406e54dd4f3b 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/explore/links.jsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/explore/links.jsx
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ class Links extends PureComponent {
 
     const banner = (
       <DismissableBanner id='explore/links'>
-        <FormattedMessage id='dismissable_banner.explore_links' defaultMessage='These news stories are being talked about by people on this and other servers of the decentralized network right now.' />
+        <FormattedMessage id='dismissable_banner.explore_links' defaultMessage='These are news stories being shared the most on the social web today. Newer news stories posted by more different people are ranked higher.' />
       </DismissableBanner>
     );
 
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/explore/statuses.jsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/explore/statuses.jsx
index c90273714a244c4fe43297a8b26dcc988c436f11..eb2fe777a67914ad993b49378668dda59474a9fa 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/explore/statuses.jsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/explore/statuses.jsx
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ class Statuses extends PureComponent {
     return (
       <>
         <DismissableBanner id='explore/statuses'>
-          <FormattedMessage id='dismissable_banner.explore_statuses' defaultMessage='These posts from this and other servers in the decentralized network are gaining traction on this server right now.' />
+          <FormattedMessage id='dismissable_banner.explore_statuses' defaultMessage='These are posts from across the social web that are gaining traction today. Newer posts with more boosts and favourites are ranked higher.' />
         </DismissableBanner>
 
         <StatusList
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/explore/tags.jsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/explore/tags.jsx
index ba6f31cd0ad27a19496a5bbdcf35b1fdf5a38728..f558b48a60d18965a96f3ae11370c96323f92b1e 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/explore/tags.jsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/explore/tags.jsx
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ class Tags extends PureComponent {
 
     const banner = (
       <DismissableBanner id='explore/tags'>
-        <FormattedMessage id='dismissable_banner.explore_tags' defaultMessage='These hashtags are gaining traction among people on this and other servers of the decentralized network right now.' />
+        <FormattedMessage id='dismissable_banner.explore_tags' defaultMessage='These are hashtags that are gaining traction on the social web today. Hashtags that are used by more different people are ranked higher.' />
       </DismissableBanner>
     );
 
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/home_timeline/components/explore_prompt.jsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/home_timeline/components/explore_prompt.jsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..172f1a96c85ad65811450bcdc4020dc71c91a052
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/home_timeline/components/explore_prompt.jsx
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import React from 'react';
+
+import { FormattedMessage } from 'react-intl';
+
+import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';
+
+import background from 'mastodon/../images/friends-cropped.png';
+import DismissableBanner from 'mastodon/components/dismissable_banner';
+
+
+export const ExplorePrompt = () => (
+  <DismissableBanner id='home.explore_prompt'>
+    <img src={background} alt='' className='dismissable-banner__background-image' />
+
+    <h1><FormattedMessage id='home.explore_prompt.title' defaultMessage='This is your home base within Mastodon.' /></h1>
+    <p><FormattedMessage id='home.explore_prompt.body' defaultMessage="Your home feed will have a mix of posts from the hashtags you've chosen to follow, the people you've chosen to follow, and the posts they boost. It's looking pretty quiet right now, so how about:" /></p>
+
+    <div className='dismissable-banner__message__actions'>
+      <Link to='/explore' className='button'><FormattedMessage id='home.actions.go_to_explore' defaultMessage="See what's trending" /></Link>
+      <Link to='/explore/suggestions' className='button button-tertiary'><FormattedMessage id='home.actions.go_to_suggestions' defaultMessage='Find people to follow' /></Link>
+    </div>
+  </DismissableBanner>
+);
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/home_timeline/index.jsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/home_timeline/index.jsx
index c9fe078755ec14b719d543554edd021b910a71c1..f936e8327ef9f1de0d333747bec39da29158887e 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/home_timeline/index.jsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/home_timeline/index.jsx
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@ import { defineMessages, injectIntl, FormattedMessage } from 'react-intl';
 
 import classNames from 'classnames';
 import { Helmet } from 'react-helmet';
-import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';
 
+import { List as ImmutableList } from 'immutable';
 import { connect } from 'react-redux';
+import { createSelector } from 'reselect';
 
 import { fetchAnnouncements, toggleShowAnnouncements } from 'mastodon/actions/announcements';
 import { IconWithBadge } from 'mastodon/components/icon_with_badge';
@@ -20,6 +21,7 @@ import Column from '../../components/column';
 import ColumnHeader from '../../components/column_header';
 import StatusListContainer from '../ui/containers/status_list_container';
 
+import { ExplorePrompt } from './components/explore_prompt';
 import ColumnSettingsContainer from './containers/column_settings_container';
 
 const messages = defineMessages({
@@ -28,12 +30,36 @@ const messages = defineMessages({
   hide_announcements: { id: 'home.hide_announcements', defaultMessage: 'Hide announcements' },
 });
 
+const getHomeFeedSpeed = createSelector([
+  state => state.getIn(['timelines', 'home', 'items'], ImmutableList()),
+  state => state.get('statuses'),
+], (statusIds, statusMap) => {
+  const statuses = statusIds.take(20).map(id => statusMap.get(id));
+  const uniqueAccountIds = (new Set(statuses.map(status => status.get('account')).toArray())).size;
+  const oldest = new Date(statuses.getIn([statuses.size - 1, 'created_at'], 0));
+  const newest = new Date(statuses.getIn([0, 'created_at'], 0));
+  const averageGap = (newest - oldest) / (1000 * (statuses.size + 1)); // Average gap between posts on first page in seconds
+
+  return {
+    unique: uniqueAccountIds,
+    gap: averageGap,
+    newest,
+  };
+});
+
+const homeTooSlow = createSelector(getHomeFeedSpeed, speed =>
+  speed.unique < 5 // If there are fewer than 5 different accounts visible
+  || speed.gap > (30 * 60) // If the average gap between posts is more than 20 minutes
+  || (Date.now() - speed.newest) > (1000 * 3600) // If the most recent post is from over an hour ago
+);
+
 const mapStateToProps = state => ({
   hasUnread: state.getIn(['timelines', 'home', 'unread']) > 0,
   isPartial: state.getIn(['timelines', 'home', 'isPartial']),
   hasAnnouncements: !state.getIn(['announcements', 'items']).isEmpty(),
   unreadAnnouncements: state.getIn(['announcements', 'items']).count(item => !item.get('read')),
   showAnnouncements: state.getIn(['announcements', 'show']),
+  tooSlow: homeTooSlow(state),
 });
 
 class HomeTimeline extends PureComponent {
@@ -52,6 +78,7 @@ class HomeTimeline extends PureComponent {
     hasAnnouncements: PropTypes.bool,
     unreadAnnouncements: PropTypes.number,
     showAnnouncements: PropTypes.bool,
+    tooSlow: PropTypes.bool,
   };
 
   handlePin = () => {
@@ -121,11 +148,11 @@ class HomeTimeline extends PureComponent {
   };
 
   render () {
-    const { intl, hasUnread, columnId, multiColumn, hasAnnouncements, unreadAnnouncements, showAnnouncements } = this.props;
+    const { intl, hasUnread, columnId, multiColumn, tooSlow, hasAnnouncements, unreadAnnouncements, showAnnouncements } = this.props;
     const pinned = !!columnId;
     const { signedIn } = this.context.identity;
 
-    let announcementsButton = null;
+    let announcementsButton, banner;
 
     if (hasAnnouncements) {
       announcementsButton = (
@@ -141,6 +168,10 @@ class HomeTimeline extends PureComponent {
       );
     }
 
+    if (tooSlow) {
+      banner = <ExplorePrompt />;
+    }
+
     return (
       <Column bindToDocument={!multiColumn} ref={this.setRef} label={intl.formatMessage(messages.title)}>
         <ColumnHeader
@@ -160,11 +191,13 @@ class HomeTimeline extends PureComponent {
 
         {signedIn ? (
           <StatusListContainer
+            prepend={banner}
+            alwaysPrepend
             trackScroll={!pinned}
             scrollKey={`home_timeline-${columnId}`}
             onLoadMore={this.handleLoadMore}
             timelineId='home'
-            emptyMessage={<FormattedMessage id='empty_column.home' defaultMessage='Your home timeline is empty! Follow more people to fill it up. {suggestions}' values={{ suggestions: <Link to='/start'><FormattedMessage id='empty_column.home.suggestions' defaultMessage='See some suggestions' /></Link> }} />}
+            emptyMessage={<FormattedMessage id='empty_column.home' defaultMessage='Your home timeline is empty! Follow more people to fill it up.' />}
             bindToDocument={!multiColumn}
           />
         ) : <NotSignedInIndicator />}
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/public_timeline/index.jsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/public_timeline/index.jsx
index 01b02d402479bec0ed1cbaf80078246f3039dd99..d77b76a63e56ed5e471e791c1ed5875a636513b2 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/public_timeline/index.jsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/public_timeline/index.jsx
@@ -142,11 +142,8 @@ class PublicTimeline extends PureComponent {
           <ColumnSettingsContainer columnId={columnId} />
         </ColumnHeader>
 
-        <DismissableBanner id='public_timeline'>
-          <FormattedMessage id='dismissable_banner.public_timeline' defaultMessage='These are the most recent public posts from people on this and other servers of the decentralized network that this server knows about.' />
-        </DismissableBanner>
-
         <StatusListContainer
+          prepend={<DismissableBanner id='public_timeline'><FormattedMessage id='dismissable_banner.public_timeline' defaultMessage='These are the most recent public posts from people on this and other servers of the decentralized network that this server knows about.' /></DismissableBanner>}
           timelineId={`public${onlyRemote ? ':remote' : ''}${onlyMedia ? ':media' : ''}`}
           onLoadMore={this.handleLoadMore}
           trackScroll={!pinned}
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/locales/en.json b/app/javascript/mastodon/locales/en.json
index 9f7ffad66ccd0500e0b5fa4eae3ecc065d90bafd..fc46f9c5e62de7100c91256d5a5b756f9cd6907a 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/locales/en.json
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/locales/en.json
@@ -197,9 +197,9 @@
   "disabled_account_banner.text": "Your account {disabledAccount} is currently disabled.",
   "dismissable_banner.community_timeline": "These are the most recent public posts from people whose accounts are hosted by {domain}.",
   "dismissable_banner.dismiss": "Dismiss",
-  "dismissable_banner.explore_links": "These news stories are being talked about by people on this and other servers of the decentralized network right now.",
-  "dismissable_banner.explore_statuses": "These posts from this and other servers in the decentralized network are gaining traction on this server right now.",
-  "dismissable_banner.explore_tags": "These hashtags are gaining traction among people on this and other servers of the decentralized network right now.",
+  "dismissable_banner.explore_links": "These are news stories being shared the most on the social web today. Newer news stories posted by more different people are ranked higher.",
+  "dismissable_banner.explore_statuses": "These are posts from across the social web that are gaining traction today. Newer posts with more boosts and favourites are ranked higher.",
+  "dismissable_banner.explore_tags": "These are hashtags that are gaining traction on the social web today. Hashtags that are used by more different people are ranked higher.",
   "dismissable_banner.public_timeline": "These are the most recent public posts from people on this and other servers of the decentralized network that this server knows about.",
   "embed.instructions": "Embed this post on your website by copying the code below.",
   "embed.preview": "Here is what it will look like:",
@@ -232,8 +232,7 @@
   "empty_column.follow_requests": "You don't have any follow requests yet. When you receive one, it will show up here.",
   "empty_column.followed_tags": "You have not followed any hashtags yet. When you do, they will show up here.",
   "empty_column.hashtag": "There is nothing in this hashtag yet.",
-  "empty_column.home": "Your home timeline is empty! Follow more people to fill it up. {suggestions}",
-  "empty_column.home.suggestions": "See some suggestions",
+  "empty_column.home": "Your home timeline is empty! Follow more people to fill it up.",
   "empty_column.list": "There is nothing in this list yet. When members of this list publish new posts, they will appear here.",
   "empty_column.lists": "You don't have any lists yet. When you create one, it will show up here.",
   "empty_column.mutes": "You haven't muted any users yet.",
@@ -292,9 +291,13 @@
   "hashtag.column_settings.tag_toggle": "Include additional tags for this column",
   "hashtag.follow": "Follow hashtag",
   "hashtag.unfollow": "Unfollow hashtag",
+  "home.actions.go_to_explore": "See what's trending",
+  "home.actions.go_to_suggestions": "Find people to follow",
   "home.column_settings.basic": "Basic",
   "home.column_settings.show_reblogs": "Show boosts",
   "home.column_settings.show_replies": "Show replies",
+  "home.explore_prompt.body": "Your home feed will have a mix of posts from the hashtags you've chosen to follow, the people you've chosen to follow, and the posts they boost. It's looking pretty quiet right now, so how about:",
+  "home.explore_prompt.title": "This is your home base within Mastodon.",
   "home.hide_announcements": "Hide announcements",
   "home.show_announcements": "Show announcements",
   "interaction_modal.description.favourite": "With an account on Mastodon, you can favourite this post to let the author know you appreciate it and save it for later.",
diff --git a/app/javascript/styles/mastodon-light/diff.scss b/app/javascript/styles/mastodon-light/diff.scss
index 7498477caa39981effbe7bae4c0ae6053f6f6253..91828d408ac2d40ca6fb9eeb09f6b2a6875e3d8e 100644
--- a/app/javascript/styles/mastodon-light/diff.scss
+++ b/app/javascript/styles/mastodon-light/diff.scss
@@ -653,11 +653,6 @@ html {
   border: 1px solid lighten($ui-base-color, 8%);
 }
 
-.dismissable-banner {
-  border-left: 1px solid lighten($ui-base-color, 8%);
-  border-right: 1px solid lighten($ui-base-color, 8%);
-}
-
 .status__content,
 .reply-indicator__content {
   a {
diff --git a/app/javascript/styles/mastodon/components.scss b/app/javascript/styles/mastodon/components.scss
index a9c19a231fda80bf903f26b4a36d21514c7fe274..c966eb5ee3ab835e88053a44cdeb57243653da8d 100644
--- a/app/javascript/styles/mastodon/components.scss
+++ b/app/javascript/styles/mastodon/components.scss
@@ -8695,27 +8695,71 @@ noscript {
 }
 
 .dismissable-banner {
-  background: $ui-base-color;
-  border-bottom: 1px solid lighten($ui-base-color, 8%);
-  display: flex;
-  align-items: center;
-  gap: 30px;
+  position: relative;
+  margin: 10px;
+  margin-bottom: 5px;
+  border-radius: 8px;
+  border: 1px solid $highlight-text-color;
+  background: rgba($highlight-text-color, 0.15);
+  padding-inline-end: 45px;
+  overflow: hidden;
+
+  &__background-image {
+    width: 125%;
+    position: absolute;
+    bottom: -25%;
+    inset-inline-end: -25%;
+    z-index: -1;
+    opacity: 0.15;
+    mix-blend-mode: luminosity;
+  }
 
   &__message {
     flex: 1 1 auto;
-    padding: 20px 15px;
-    cursor: default;
-    font-size: 14px;
-    line-height: 18px;
+    padding: 15px;
+    font-size: 15px;
+    line-height: 22px;
+    font-weight: 500;
     color: $primary-text-color;
+
+    p {
+      margin-bottom: 15px;
+
+      &:last-child {
+        margin-bottom: 0;
+      }
+    }
+
+    h1 {
+      color: $highlight-text-color;
+      font-size: 22px;
+      line-height: 33px;
+      font-weight: 700;
+      margin-bottom: 15px;
+    }
+
+    &__actions {
+      display: flex;
+      align-items: center;
+      gap: 4px;
+      margin-top: 30px;
+    }
+
+    .button-tertiary {
+      background: rgba($ui-base-color, 0.15);
+      backdrop-filter: blur(8px);
+    }
   }
 
   &__action {
-    padding: 15px;
-    flex: 0 0 auto;
-    display: flex;
-    align-items: center;
-    justify-content: center;
+    position: absolute;
+    inset-inline-end: 0;
+    top: 0;
+    padding: 10px;
+
+    .icon-button {
+      color: $highlight-text-color;
+    }
   }
 }