diff --git a/tools/test-backend b/tools/test-backend
index 74961ef9b8..58b9bc16dc 100755
--- a/tools/test-backend
+++ b/tools/test-backend
@@ -26,7 +26,13 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
     # "-u" uses unbuffered IO, which is important when wrapping it in subprocess
     os.environ['PYTHONUNBUFFERED'] = 'y'
 
-    parser = optparse.OptionParser()
+    usage = """%prog [options]
+    test-backend # Runs all backend tests
+    test-backend zerver.tests.test_bugdown # run all tests in a test module
+    test-backend zerver.tests.test_bugdown.BugdownTest # run all tests in a test class
+    test-backend zerver.tests.test_bugdown.BugDownTest.test_inline_youtube # run a single test"""
+
+    parser = optparse.OptionParser(usage)
     parser.add_option('--nonfatal-errors', action="store_false", default=True,
                       dest="fatal_errors", help="Continue past test failures to run all tests")
     parser.add_option('--coverage', dest='coverage',