diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/animation.py b/lib/matplotlib/animation.py
index 985181a574c6..f93f6f1559d0 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/animation.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/animation.py
@@ -888,9 +888,11 @@ def __del__(self):
         if not getattr(self, '_draw_was_started', True):
             warnings.warn(
                 'Animation was deleted without rendering anything. This is '
-                'most likely unintended. To prevent deletion, assign the '
-                'Animation to a variable that exists for as long as you need '
-                'the Animation.')
+                'most likely not intended. To prevent deletion, assign the '
+                'Animation to a variable, e.g. `anim`, that exists until you '
+                'have outputted the Animation using `plt.show()` or '
+                '`anim.save()`.'
+            )
 
     def _start(self, *args):
         """