diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 64a2dcf22..5167c8df6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,20 +1,28 @@
 # ESP-AWS-IoT
 
-> **IMPORTANT**: If you are using the older (3.x.x) `aws-iot-device-sdk-embedded-C` release, please checkout the [`release/v3.1.x`](https://github.com/espressif/esp-aws-iot/tree/release/v3.1.x) branch.
+> **IMPORTANT**: Please choose the branch of this repo, based on the [FreeRTOS-LTS release](https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS-LTS/releases) that you would like to base your application on.
 
-This framework enables AWS IoT cloud connectivity with ESP32 based platforms using [AWS IoT Device Embedded SDK](https://github.com/aws/aws-iot-device-sdk-embedded-C).
+If you are using the older (3.x.x) `aws-iot-device-sdk-embedded-C` release, please checkout the [`release/v3.1.x`](https://github.com/espressif/esp-aws-iot/tree/release/v3.1.x) branch.
+
+This framework enables AWS IoT cloud connectivity with ESP32 based platforms using [AWS IoT Device Embedded C SDK](https://github.com/aws/aws-iot-device-sdk-embedded-C).
 
 ## Getting Started
 
-- Please clone this repository using,
+- Please clone this branch of the repository using
     ```
-    git clone --recursive https://github.com/espressif/esp-aws-iot
+    git clone -b "<name_of_the_release_branch>" --recursive https://github.com/espressif/esp-aws-iot
     ```
-- Please refer to https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/get-started/index.html for setting ESP-IDF
+  For example: To clone just `release/202012.04-LTS`, you may run:
+  ```
+  git clone -b "release/202012.04-LTS" --recursive https://github.com/espressif/esp-aws-iot
+  ```
+- Please refer to https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/get-started/index.html for setting up ESP-IDF
   - ESP-IDF can be downloaded from https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/
-  - Please set your branch to `release/v4.3` and pull in the latest changes.
-- Please refer to [example README](examples/README.md) for more information on setting up examples
+  - Please set your branch to `release/v4.3` or `release/v4.4` and pull in the latest changes.
+  - IDF `release/v5.0` is not supported.
+- Please refer to [example README](examples/README.md) for more information on setting up examples.
+- For a production-ready starting point for making applications that connect to AWS IoT Core using esp-aws-iot, refer to the [reference example](https://github.com/FreeRTOS/iot-reference-esp32c3).
 - This framework supports multiple ways to securely store the PKI credentials.
   - The default method is to use PKI credentials which are embedded in the binary, using the certs from the `certs/` in every example. 
   - For using Secure Element (ATECC608A), you will need to use [esp-cryptoauthlib](https://github.com/espressif/esp-cryptoauthlib#how-to-use-esp-cryptoauthlib-with-esp-idf).
-  - For using Digial Signature Peripheral (Available on the ESP32-C3, ESP32-S2 and ESP32-S3), you will need to [provision it](https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/tree/master/examples/protocols/mqtt/ssl_ds#configure_dspy) first.
+  - For using Digial Signature Peripheral (Available on the ESP32-C3, ESP32-S2 and ESP32-S3), you will need to use [esp_secure_cert_mgr](https://github.com/espressif/esp_secure_cert_mgr).