diff --git a/django/views/debug.py b/django/views/debug.py
index 3854b76f75..aa0a93b863 100644
--- a/django/views/debug.py
+++ b/django/views/debug.py
@@ -641,8 +641,8 @@ EMPTY_URLCONF_TEMPLATE = """
 <div id="instructions">
   <p>Of course, you haven't actually done any work yet. Here's what to do next:</p>
   <ul>
-    <li>Edit the <code>DATABASE_*</code> settings in <code>{{ project_name }}/settings.py</code>.</li>
-    <li>Start your first app by running <code>{{ project_name }}/manage.py startapp [appname]</code>.</li>
+    <li>If you plan to use a database, edit the <code>DATABASE_*</code> settings in <code>{{ project_name }}/settings.py</code>.</li>
+    <li>Start your first app by running <code>python {{ project_name }}/manage.py startapp [appname]</code>.</li>
   </ul>
 </div>