diff --git a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/release-checklist.md b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/release-checklist.md
index a9e509fc..25b25df0 100644
--- a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/release-checklist.md
+++ b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/release-checklist.md
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ To check if any of the top-level crates need version increments, go to the zebra
 - [ ] Use the `zebrad` crate version in the `zebra-network` user agent string
       (currently the constant `USER_AGENT` in `zebra-network/src/constants.rs`)
 - [ ] Use the latest git tag in `README.md`
+- [ ] Use the latest git tag in `book/src/user/install.md`
 
 ### How to Increment Versions
 
@@ -59,12 +60,9 @@ Once you know which versions you want to increment, you can find them in the:
 - [ ] tower-* `Cargo.toml`s
 - [ ] `zebra-network` protocol user agent: https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/blob/main/zebra-network/src/constants.rs
 - [ ] `README.md`
+- [ ] `book/src/user/install.md`
 - [ ] `Cargo.lock`: automatically generated by `cargo build`
 
-Merge all these version increments as one commit, by squashing and rebasing the PR onto the main branch.
-
-After you have your changes pushed start a PR with them using this template by adding `&template=release-checklist.md` to the comparing url ([Example](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/compare/v1.0.0-alpha.16?expand=1&template=release-checklist.md)).
-
 #### Version Tooling
 
 You can use `fastmod` to interactively find and replace versions.
@@ -76,7 +74,7 @@ fastmod --extensions rs,toml,md --fixed-strings '0.2.9' '0.2.10' tower-batch
 fastmod --extensions rs,toml,md --fixed-strings '0.2.8' '0.2.9' tower-fallback
 ```
 
-### Reviewing Version Bump Pull Requests
+### Reviewing Version Bumps
 
 Check for missed changes by going to:
 `https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/tree/<commit-hash>/`
@@ -117,7 +115,6 @@ To create the final change log:
 - [ ] Edit change descriptions so they are consistent, and make sense to non-developers
 - [ ] Check the category for each change
   - prefer the "Fix" category if you're not sure
-- [ ] Create a draft PR to update `CHANGELOG.md`
 
 #### Change Categories
 
@@ -129,14 +126,27 @@ From "Keep a Changelog":
 * `Fixed` for any bug fixes.
 * `Security` in case of vulnerabilities.
 
-## After merging the version update PR
-- [ ] Check for any PRs that have been merged since you created the draft PR to update `CHANGELOG.md` and push any updates if necessary
-- [ ] Mark the PR to update `CHANGELOG.md` as "Ready for Review"
-- [ ] Once the changelog PR has been approved and merged, update the draft release with the final changelog
-- [ ] Set the release title to `Zebra ` followed by the version tag, for example: `Zebra 1.0.0-alpha.0`
+## Create the release PR
+
+After you have the version increments and the updated changelog,
+
+- [ ] Push the version increments and the updated changelog into a branch
+      (name suggestion, example: `v1.0.0-alpha.0-release`)
+- [ ] Create a release PR by adding `&template=release-checklist.md` to the
+      comparing url ([Example](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/compare/v1.0.0-alpha.0-release?expand=1&template=release-checklist.md)).
+- [ ] While the PR is being reviewed, keep track of any PRs that have been merged
+      since you created the PR to update `CHANGELOG.md` and push any updates if necessary
+- [ ] Once the release PR has been approved and merged, create a new release
+      using the draft release as a base, by clicking the Edit icon
+      in the [draft release](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/releases).
+- [ ] Set the release title to `Zebra ` followed by the version tag, for example:
+      `Zebra 1.0.0-alpha.0`
+- [ ] Copy the final changelog of this release to the release description
+      (starting just _after_ the title `## [Zebra ...`)
 - [ ] Set the tag name to the version tag, for example: `v1.0.0-alpha.0`
 - [ ] Set the release to target the `main` branch
 - [ ] Mark the release as 'pre-release' (until we are no longer alpha/beta)
+- [ ] Publish the release
 
 ## Final Testing