diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 3819410..2069a87 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -26,16 +26,10 @@ lint: dependencies
 		printf "Please update PHP version to 5.5 or above for code formatting."; \
 	fi
 
-release:
-	@printf "releasing ${VERSION}..."
-	@printf '<?php\nglobal $$SEGMENT_VERSION;\n$$SEGMENT_VERSION = "%b";\n' ${VERSION} > ./lib/Version.php
-	@git changelog -t ${VERSION}
-	@git release ${VERSION}
-
 clean:
 	rm -rf \
 		composer.phar \
 		vendor \
 		composer.lock
 
-.PHONY: bootstrap release clean
+.PHONY: bootstrap clean
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 40d8a28..8ea284e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ Documentation is available at [segment.com/docs/sources/server/php](https://segm
 
 ## Releasing
 
-Run `make release VERSION=<version>`. It should automatically tag and release in composer
+See [RELEASING.md](RELEASING.md).
 
 ## License
 
diff --git a/RELEASING.md b/RELEASING.md
index 8713e98..1b8dba2 100644
--- a/RELEASING.md
+++ b/RELEASING.md
@@ -1,6 +1,16 @@
 Releasing
 =========
 
- 1. Run `VERSION=X.Y.Z make release` (where X.Y.Z is the new version).
+Packagist learns about a new version from the tag and fetches the code from GitHub.
+Nothing is uploaded, so there is no publish workflow and no credentials.
 
- That's it! Composer will pick up the new tag and you can see the latest version at https://packagist.org/packages/segmentio/analytics-php.
+1. Update `$SEGMENT_VERSION` in `lib/Version.php`.
+2. In `HISTORY.md`, change the `Unreleased` heading to `X.Y.Z / YYYY-MM-DD`.
+3. Open a PR and merge it to `master`.
+4. Tag the merged commit — no `v` prefix:
+
+   ```
+   git tag X.Y.Z && git push origin X.Y.Z
+   ```
+
+5. Confirm at https://packagist.org/packages/segmentio/analytics-php