As said, add a dummy element. In the properties set AppendDataBoundItems = True, and in the down of properties windows -> Items , add an item
1 <asp:DropDownList ID="DropDownList1" runat="server" AppendDataBoundItems="True" AutoPostBack="true">
2 <asp:ListItem Value="0">Select an item</asp:ListItem>
3 </asp:DropDownList>
Thanks