diff --git a/programs/fileio.c b/programs/fileio.c
index 6514bf32c..6c6faa485 100644
--- a/programs/fileio.c
+++ b/programs/fileio.c
@@ -660,6 +660,9 @@ FIO_openDstFile(FIO_ctx_t* fCtx, FIO_prefs_t* const prefs,
 #endif
         if (f == NULL) {
             DISPLAYLEVEL(1, "zstd: %s: %s\n", dstFileName, strerror(errno));
+            if (UTIL_isFileDescriptorPipe(dstFileName)) {
+                DISPLAYLEVEL(1, "When using process substitution (<(...)), specify an output destination with -o or -c. \n");
+            }
         } else {
             /* An increased buffer size can provide a significant performance
              * boost on some platforms. Note that providing a NULL buf with a