diff --git a/command.js b/command.js
index 4ea6c1c3e..25b0a5abd 100755
--- a/command.js
+++ b/command.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ const { readFileSync } = require('fs')
 const configPath = findUp.sync(['.versionrc', '.version.json'])
 const config = configPath ? JSON.parse(readFileSync(configPath)) : {}
 const spec = require('conventional-changelog-config-spec')
+const { START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN } = require('./lib/lifecycles/changelog')
 
 const yargs = require('yargs')
   .usage('Usage: $0 [options]')
@@ -87,6 +88,10 @@ const yargs = require('yargs')
     type: 'string',
     describe: 'Only populate commits made under this path'
   })
+  .option('changelogHeader', {
+    type: 'string',
+    describe: 'Use a custom header when generating and updating changelog.'
+  })
   .option('preset', {
     type: 'string',
     default: defaults.preset,
@@ -108,6 +113,13 @@ const yargs = require('yargs')
   .pkgConf('standard-version')
   .config(config)
   .wrap(97)
+  .check((args) => {
+    if (args.changelogHeader && args.changelogHeader.search(START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN) !== -1) {
+      throw Error(`custom changelog header must not match ${START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN}`)
+    } else {
+      return true
+    }
+  })
 
 Object.keys(spec.properties).forEach(propertyKey => {
   const property = spec.properties[propertyKey]
diff --git a/lib/lifecycles/changelog.js b/lib/lifecycles/changelog.js
index 43733225d..512d63a50 100644
--- a/lib/lifecycles/changelog.js
+++ b/lib/lifecycles/changelog.js
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@ const fs = require('fs')
 const presetLoader = require('../preset-loader')
 const runLifecycleScript = require('../run-lifecycle-script')
 const writeFile = require('../write-file')
-const START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN = /(^##? (?!Change Log$)|<a name=)/m
+const START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN = /(^#+ \[?[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+|<a name=)/m
 
-module.exports = function (args, newVersion) {
+function Changelog (args, newVersion) {
   if (args.skip.changelog) return Promise.resolve()
   return runLifecycleScript(args, 'prechangelog')
     .then(() => {
@@ -19,12 +19,17 @@ module.exports = function (args, newVersion) {
     })
 }
 
+Changelog.START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN = START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN
+
+module.exports = Changelog
+
 function outputChangelog (args, newVersion) {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     createIfMissing(args)
-    var header = '# Change Log\n\nAll notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. See [standard-version](https://github.com/conventional-changelog/standard-version) for commit guidelines.\n'
-    var oldContent = args.dryRun ? '' : fs.readFileSync(args.infile, 'utf-8')
-    var oldContentStart = oldContent.search(START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN)
+    const header = args.changelogHeader || '# Changelog\n\nAll notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. See [standard-version](https://github.com/conventional-changelog/standard-version) for commit guidelines.\n'
+
+    let oldContent = args.dryRun ? '' : fs.readFileSync(args.infile, 'utf-8')
+    let oldContentStart = oldContent.search(START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN)
     // find the position of the last release and remove header:
     if (oldContentStart !== -1) {
       oldContent = oldContent.substring(oldContentStart)
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 7e64173aa..e4f9b2918 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -39,9 +39,9 @@
   "homepage": "https://github.com/conventional-changelog/standard-version#readme",
   "dependencies": {
     "chalk": "2.4.2",
-    "conventional-changelog": "3.1.7",
+    "conventional-changelog": "3.1.8",
     "conventional-changelog-config-spec": "1.0.0",
-    "conventional-recommended-bump": "4.1.1",
+    "conventional-recommended-bump": "5.0.0",
     "detect-indent": "5.0.0",
     "detect-newline": "2.1.0",
     "dotgitignore": "2.1.0",
diff --git a/test.js b/test.js
index 6a2dbacff..1ee100e3c 100644
--- a/test.js
+++ b/test.js
@@ -165,23 +165,31 @@ describe('cli', function () {
       content.should.not.match(/legacy header format/)
     })
 
+    // TODO: we should use snapshots which are easier to update than large
+    // string assertions; we should also consider not using the CLI which
+    // is slower than calling standard-version directly.
     it('appends the new release above the last release, removing the old header (new format)', function () {
+      // we don't create a package.json, so no {{host}} and {{repo}} tag
+      // will be populated, let's use a compareUrlFormat without these.
+      const cliArgs = '--compareUrlFormat=/compare/{{previousTag}}...{{currentTag}}'
+
       commit('feat: first commit')
       shell.exec('git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "my awesome first release"')
       commit('fix: patch release')
 
-      execCli().code.should.equal(0)
-      var content = fs.readFileSync('CHANGELOG.md', 'utf-8')
+      execCli(cliArgs).code.should.equal(0)
+      let content = fs.readFileSync('CHANGELOG.md', 'utf-8')
 
       // remove commit hashes and dates to make testing against a static string easier:
       content = content.replace(/patch release [0-9a-f]{6,8}/g, 'patch release ABCDEFXY').replace(/\([0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}\)/g, '(YYYY-MM-DD)')
-      content.should.equal('# Change Log\n\nAll notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. See [standard-version](https://github.com/conventional-changelog/standard-version) for commit guidelines.\n\n## [1.0.1](/compare/v1.0.0...v1.0.1) (YYYY-MM-DD)\n\n\n### Bug Fixes\n\n* patch release ABCDEFXY\n')
+      content.should.equal('# Changelog\n\nAll notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. See [standard-version](https://github.com/conventional-changelog/standard-version) for commit guidelines.\n\n### [1.0.1](/compare/v1.0.0...v1.0.1) (YYYY-MM-DD)\n\n\n### Bug Fixes\n\n* patch release ABCDEFXY\n')
 
       commit('fix: another patch release')
-      execCli().code.should.equal(0)
+      // we've populated no package.json, so no {{host}} and
+      execCli(cliArgs).code.should.equal(0)
       content = fs.readFileSync('CHANGELOG.md', 'utf-8')
       content = content.replace(/patch release [0-9a-f]{6,8}/g, 'patch release ABCDEFXY').replace(/\([0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}\)/g, '(YYYY-MM-DD)')
-      content.should.equal('# Change Log\n\nAll notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. See [standard-version](https://github.com/conventional-changelog/standard-version) for commit guidelines.\n\n## [1.0.2](/compare/v1.0.1...v1.0.2) (YYYY-MM-DD)\n\n\n### Bug Fixes\n\n* another patch release ABCDEFXY\n\n\n\n## [1.0.1](/compare/v1.0.0...v1.0.1) (YYYY-MM-DD)\n\n\n### Bug Fixes\n\n* patch release ABCDEFXY\n')
+      content.should.equal('# Changelog\n\nAll notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. See [standard-version](https://github.com/conventional-changelog/standard-version) for commit guidelines.\n\n### [1.0.2](/compare/v1.0.1...v1.0.2) (YYYY-MM-DD)\n\n\n### Bug Fixes\n\n* another patch release ABCDEFXY\n\n\n\n### [1.0.1](/compare/v1.0.0...v1.0.1) (YYYY-MM-DD)\n\n\n### Bug Fixes\n\n* patch release ABCDEFXY\n')
     })
 
     it('commits all staged files', function () {
@@ -206,6 +214,20 @@ describe('cli', function () {
       content.should.match(/1\.0\.1/)
       content.should.not.match(/legacy header format/)
     })
+
+    it('allows for a custom changelog header', function () {
+      fs.writeFileSync('CHANGELOG.md', '', 'utf-8')
+      commit('feat: first commit')
+      execCli('--changelogHeader="# Pork Chop Log"').code.should.equal(0)
+      let content = fs.readFileSync('CHANGELOG.md', 'utf-8')
+      content.should.match(/# Pork Chop Log/)
+    })
+
+    it('exits with error if changelog header matches last version search regex', function () {
+      fs.writeFileSync('CHANGELOG.md', '', 'utf-8')
+      commit('feat: first commit')
+      execCli('--changelogHeader="## 3.0.2"').code.should.equal(1)
+    })
   })
 
   describe('with mocked git', function () {