diff --git a/site/content/includes/m3query/annotated_config.yaml b/site/content/includes/m3query/annotated_config.yaml
index 5dc1368821..99e4e9b2d1 100644
--- a/site/content/includes/m3query/annotated_config.yaml
+++ b/site/content/includes/m3query/annotated_config.yaml
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ clusters:
       connectTimeout: <duration>
       # Configuration for retrying write operations
       writeRetry:
+        # Defaults to 5s.
         initialBackoff: <duration>
         # Factor for exponential backoff
         backoffFactor: <float>
diff --git a/src/msg/producer/writer/options.go b/src/msg/producer/writer/options.go
index a6f696d5bc..05912c403a 100644
--- a/src/msg/producer/writer/options.go
+++ b/src/msg/producer/writer/options.go
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ const (
 	// Using 65k which provides much better performance comparing
 	// to lower values like 1k ~ 8k.
 	defaultConnectionBufferSize = 2 << 15 // ~65kb
+
+	defaultWriterRetryInitialBackoff = time.Second * 5
 )
 
 // ConnectionOptions configs the connections.
@@ -397,11 +399,13 @@ type writerOptions struct {
 
 // NewOptions creates Options.
 func NewOptions() Options {
+	messageRetryOpts := retry.NewOptions().
+		SetInitialBackoff(defaultWriterRetryInitialBackoff)
 	return &writerOptions{
 		topicWatchInitTimeout:             defaultTopicWatchInitTimeout,
 		placementOpts:                     placement.NewOptions(),
 		placementWatchInitTimeout:         defaultPlacementWatchInitTimeout,
-		messageRetryOpts:                  retry.NewOptions(),
+		messageRetryOpts:                  messageRetryOpts,
 		messageQueueNewWritesScanInterval: defaultMessageQueueNewWritesScanInterval,
 		messageQueueFullScanInterval:      defaultMessageQueueFullScanInterval,
 		messageQueueScanBatchSize:         defaultMessageQueueScanBatchSize,
diff --git a/src/msg/producer/writer/options_test.go b/src/msg/producer/writer/options_test.go
index 4be135fc0f..8bbef5face 100644
--- a/src/msg/producer/writer/options_test.go
+++ b/src/msg/producer/writer/options_test.go
@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@ func TestOptions(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Equal(t, time.Second, opts.SetCloseCheckInterval(time.Second).CloseCheckInterval())
 
 	require.Nil(t, opts.SetInstrumentOptions(nil).InstrumentOptions())
+
+	require.NotNil(t, opts.MessageRetryOptions())
+	require.Equal(t, defaultWriterRetryInitialBackoff, opts.MessageRetryOptions().InitialBackoff())
 }
 
 func TestConnectionOptions(t *testing.T) {