Update release checklist

RELEASES_CHECKLIST.md

@@ -31,10 +31,15 @@ crates.io.
 
 ## Checklist
 
-We'll be using [`cargo-release`](https://github.com/crate-ci/cargo-release) to release ink!. There are still a few manual
-steps though, and we hope to make this more streamlined in the future.
+We'll be using [`cargo-release`](https://github.com/crate-ci/cargo-release) to release 
+ink!. There are still a few manual steps though, and we hope to make this more streamlined 
+in the future.
 
 1. Create a new feature branch off `master`.
+1. Copy the release notes that appear in the [`CHANGELOG.md`](https://githubcom/paritytech/ink/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md)
+   into the PR description. 
+   - This will cause the individual PRs to be linked to the release in which they are 
+     included.
 1. Bump the version in all TOML files to the new version.
     ```
     find . -type f -name *.toml -exec sed -i -e 's/$OLD_VERSION/$NEW_VERSION/g' {} \;
@@ -49,21 +54,47 @@ steps though, and we hope to make this more streamlined in the future.
 1. Open a release PR
     - Wait for approvals from Core team members.
     - Ensure the entire CI pipeline is green.
-1. Do a dry run with `cargo release [level] -v --no-tag --no-push`
-    - `[level]` will depend on what you're releasing.
+1. Do a dry run with `cargo release [new_version] -v --no-tag --no-push`
+    - `[new_version]` should be the **exact** SemVer compatible version you are attempting 
+      to release e.g. `4.0.0-alpha.3`
+      - It is possible to supply a SemVer level here e.g. `major`, `minor`, `patch` or 
+        `<pre-release-name>`, however this will automatically bump and commit the changes 
+        to the `Cargo.toml` manifests. We have already done that in an earlier step so it 
+        is not necessary.
     - We don't want `cargo-release` to create any releases or push any code, we'll do
-       that manually once we've actually published to `crates.io`.
-1. If there are no errors, merge the release PR into `master`.
-1. Publish with `export PUBLISH_GRACE_SLEEP=5 && cargo release [level] -v --no-tag --no-push --execute`
+      that manually once we've actually published to `crates.io`.
+1. Check the output of the dry run:
+   - Does not show any automatic bumping of crate versions.
+   - Runs without error.
+1. Following a successful dry run, we can now publish to crates.io. 
+   - This will be done from the release branch itself.
+   - This is because it is possible for the dry run to succeed but for the actual publish 
+     to fail and require some changes. So before running the next step:
+     - Ensure there have been no new commits to `master` which are not included in this 
+       branch.
+     - Notify core team members in the Element channel that no PRs should be merged to 
+       `master` during the release.
+     - The above are to ensure that the bundled code pushed to crates.io is the same as 
+       the tagged release on GitHub.
+1. Publish with `export PUBLISH_GRACE_SLEEP=5 && cargo release [new_version] -v --no-tag --no-push --execute`
+    - Ensure the same `[new_version]` as the dry run, which should be the **exact** SemVer 
+      compatible version you are attempting to release e.g. `4.0.0-alpha.3`.
     - We add the grace period since crates depend on one another.
     - We add the `--execute` flag to _actually_ publish things to crates.io.
+1. Following a successful release from the release PR branch, now the PR can be merged 
+   into `master`
+    - Once merged, notify core team members in the Element channel that PRs can be merged 
+      again into `master`
 1. Replace `vX.X.X` with the new version in the following command and then execute it:
     ```
     git tag -s vX.X.X && git push origin vX.X.X
     ```
     - Ensure your tag is signed with an offline GPG key!
+    - Alternatively, the `Create release` GitHub UI below allows creating this tag when 
+      creating the release.
 1. Create a GitHub release for this tag. In the [tag overview](https://github.com/paritytech/ink/tags)
-   you'll see your new tag appear. Click the `…` on the right of the tag and then `Create release`.
+   you'll see your new tag appear. Click the `…` on the right of the tag and then 
+   `Create release`.
 1. Paste the release notes that appear in the [`CHANGELOG.md`](https://github.com/paritytech/ink/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md)
    there. The title of the release should be `vX.X.X`.
 1. Post an announcement to those Element channels: