diff --git a/API_TRANSITION_GUIDE.md b/API_TRANSITION_GUIDE.md
index 4370a732..f968e902 100644
--- a/API_TRANSITION_GUIDE.md
+++ b/API_TRANSITION_GUIDE.md
@@ -59,8 +59,9 @@ const { emitterFor, Mode } = require("cloudevents");
 function sendWithAxios(message) {
   // Do what you need with the message headers
   // and body in this function, then send the
-  // event
-  axios({
+  // event. Return the promise so that `await emit(event)`
+  // waits for the send and rejects if it fails.
+  return axios({
     method: 'post',
     url: '...',
     data: message.body,
@@ -81,8 +82,9 @@ const { emitterFor, Mode, CloudEvent, Emitter } = require("cloudevents");
 function sendWithAxios(message) {
   // Do what you need with the message headers
   // and body in this function, then send the
-  // event
-  axios({
+  // event. Return the promise so that `await emit(event)`
+  // waits for the send and rejects if it fails.
+  return axios({
     method: "post",
     url: "...",
     data: message.body,
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b40b8de3..abac1560 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -91,8 +91,9 @@ const { emitterFor, Mode, CloudEvent } = require("cloudevents");
 function sendWithAxios(message) {
   // Do what you need with the message headers
   // and body in this function, then send the
-  // event
-  axios({
+  // event. Return the promise so that `await emit(event)`
+  // waits for the send and rejects if it fails.
+  return axios({
     method: "post",
     url: "...",
     data: message.body,