README: release management guide for alpha releases

README.md

@@ -123,6 +123,16 @@ but developers should merge their migration into the latest migration that has b
 release. The above mentioned autogenerate command will not do this for you.
 
 
+## Making a Release
+
+**Note:** These are the release guidelines for pre-production alpha releases. Production release tags must
+be signed with the SecureDrop release key.
+
+1. Update versions: `./update_version.sh $new_version_number`.
+2. Commit the changes with commit message `securedrop-client $new_version_number` and make a PR.
+3. You should confirm via a manual debian package build and manual testing in Qubes that there are no regressions (this is limited pre-release QA).
+4. Once your PR is approved, you can add a tag and push: `git tag $new_version_number`.
+
 ## Qubes Debugging
 
 Using a version of this application installed from a deb package in Qubes,