diff --git a/.changeset/slow-ravens-destroy.md b/.changeset/slow-ravens-destroy.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a75793f86f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/slow-ravens-destroy.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend': minor
+---
+
+Allow for a commit message to differ from the PR title when publishing a GitHub pull request.
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/api-report.md b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/api-report.md
index 2faaeca7cc..5b12455d0f 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/api-report.md
@@ -559,6 +559,7 @@ export const createPublishGithubPullRequestAction: (
     token?: string | undefined;
     reviewers?: string[] | undefined;
     teamReviewers?: string[] | undefined;
+    commitMessage?: string | undefined;
   },
   JsonObject
 >;
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/publish/githubPullRequest.test.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/publish/githubPullRequest.test.ts
index 70fff20446..7750277728 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/publish/githubPullRequest.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/publish/githubPullRequest.test.ts
@@ -545,4 +545,56 @@ describe('createPublishGithubPullRequestAction', () => {
       expect(ctx.output).toHaveBeenCalledWith('pullRequestNumber', 123);
     });
   });
+
+  describe('with commit message', () => {
+    let input: GithubPullRequestActionInput;
+    let ctx: ActionContext<GithubPullRequestActionInput>;
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      input = {
+        repoUrl: 'github.com?owner=myorg&repo=myrepo',
+        title: 'Create my new app',
+        branchName: 'new-app',
+        description: 'This PR is really good',
+        commitMessage: 'Create my new app, but in the commit message',
+      };
+
+      mockFs({
+        [workspacePath]: { 'file.txt': 'Hello there!' },
+      });
+
+      ctx = {
+        createTemporaryDirectory: jest.fn(),
+        output: jest.fn(),
+        logger: getRootLogger(),
+        logStream: new Writable(),
+        input,
+        workspacePath,
+      };
+    });
+
+    it('creates a pull request', async () => {
+      await instance.handler(ctx);
+
+      expect(fakeClient.createPullRequest).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+        owner: 'myorg',
+        repo: 'myrepo',
+        title: 'Create my new app',
+        head: 'new-app',
+        body: 'This PR is really good',
+        changes: [
+          {
+            commit: 'Create my new app, but in the commit message',
+            files: {
+              'file.txt': {
+                content: Buffer.from('Hello there!').toString('base64'),
+                encoding: 'base64',
+                mode: '100644',
+              },
+            },
+          },
+        ],
+      });
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/publish/githubPullRequest.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/publish/githubPullRequest.ts
index b8c0068d70..6706ad9c06 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/publish/githubPullRequest.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/publish/githubPullRequest.ts
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ export const createPublishGithubPullRequestAction = (
     token?: string;
     reviewers?: string[];
     teamReviewers?: string[];
+    commitMessage?: string;
   }>({
     id: 'publish:github:pull-request',
     schema: {
@@ -202,6 +203,11 @@ export const createPublishGithubPullRequestAction = (
             description:
               'The teams that will be added as reviewers to the pull request',
           },
+          commitMessage: {
+            type: 'string',
+            title: 'Commit Message',
+            description: 'The commit message for the pull request commit',
+          },
         },
       },
       output: {
@@ -233,6 +239,7 @@ export const createPublishGithubPullRequestAction = (
         token: providedToken,
         reviewers,
         teamReviewers,
+        commitMessage,
       } = ctx.input;
 
       const { owner, repo, host } = parseRepoUrl(repoUrl, integrations);
@@ -298,7 +305,7 @@ export const createPublishGithubPullRequestAction = (
           changes: [
             {
               files,
-              commit: title,
+              commit: commitMessage ?? title,
             },
           ],
           body: description,