diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index a394f6eadcd6..dc5fd1aab0ba 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ commands = /bin/sh -c "isort -c --df --sp setup.cfg synapse tests scripts-dev sc
 skip_install = True
 deps = towncrier>=18.6.0rc1
 commands =
-   python -m towncrier.check --compare-with=origin/develop
+   python -m towncrier.check --compare-with=origin/develop || echo "Please see the contributing guide for help: https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md#changelog"
 
 [testenv:check-sampleconfig]
 commands = {toxinidir}/scripts-dev/generate_sample_config --check