diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 71520d18e0a7ee..9d60ae5c92e815 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -103,8 +103,8 @@ Writing good commit logs is important. A commit log should describe what
 changed and why. Follow these guidelines when writing one:
 
 1. The first line should:
-   - contain a short description of the change
-   - be 50 characters or less
+   - contain a short description of the change (preferably 50 characters or less,
+     and no more than 72 characters)
    - be entirely in lowercase with the exception of proper nouns, acronyms, and
    the words that refer to code, like function/variable names
    - be prefixed with the name of the changed subsystem and start with an