diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/components/banner.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/components/banner.scss
index 97154f5fd..82c45ccec 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/components/banner.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/components/banner.scss
@@ -76,18 +76,14 @@
   @extend %banner;
   background: $govuk-blue;
   color: $white;
-  margin-top: $gutter;
+  margin: 0 0 $gutter 0;
   padding: $gutter-half;
 
   p {
     margin: 0 0 10px 0;
   }
 
-  &-action {
-
-    display: block;
-    text-align: right;
-    float: right;
+  a {
 
     &:link,
     &:visited {
@@ -107,6 +103,12 @@
 
   }
 
+  &-action {
+    display: block;
+    text-align: right;
+    float: right;
+  }
+
 }
 
 .banner-intro {
diff --git a/app/templates/views/dashboard/dashboard.html b/app/templates/views/dashboard/dashboard.html
index 5af2c752e..ea5e6433e 100644
--- a/app/templates/views/dashboard/dashboard.html
+++ b/app/templates/views/dashboard/dashboard.html
@@ -10,7 +10,11 @@
 
     <h1 class="visuallyhidden">Dashboard</h1>
 
-    {% if not current_user.has_permissions(['send_texts', 'send_emails', 'send_letters'], any_=True) %}
+    {% if current_user.has_permissions(['manage_templates'], admin_override=True) %}
+      {% if not templates %}
+        {% include 'views/dashboard/write-first-messages.html' %}
+      {% endif %}
+    {% elif not current_user.has_permissions(['send_texts', 'send_emails', 'send_letters'], any_=True) %}
       {% include 'views/dashboard/no-permissions-banner.html' %}
     {% endif %}
 
diff --git a/app/templates/views/dashboard/write-first-messages.html b/app/templates/views/dashboard/write-first-messages.html
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ad5f61465
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/templates/views/dashboard/write-first-messages.html
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+{% from "components/banner.html" import banner_wrapper %}
+
+<h2 class="heading-medium">Get started</h2>
+
+  <nav class="grid-row">
+    <div class="column-half">
+      {% call banner_wrapper(type="mode") %}
+        <a href="{{ url_for('.choose_template', service_id=current_service.id, template_type='email') }}">Write an email
+      {% endcall %}
+    </div>
+    <div class="column-half">
+      {% call banner_wrapper(type="mode") %}
+        <a href="{{ url_for('.choose_template', service_id=current_service.id, template_type='email') }}">Write a text message</a>
+      {% endcall %}
+    </div>
+  </nav>