diff --git a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
index 19bb38765..2e838a8e4 100644
--- a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
+++ b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ### Required for all PRs:
 
-- [ ] CHANGELOG.md updated
+- [ ] CHANGELOG.md updated (we recommend not updating this until the PR has been approved by a maintainer)
 - [ ] Sign [CLA](https://influxdata.com/community/cla/) (if not already signed)
 - [ ] README.md updated (if adding a new plugin)