diff --git a/lib/github.js b/lib/github.js
index 26b8011..f536eed 100644
--- a/lib/github.js
+++ b/lib/github.js
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@
         if (typeof(content) === "string") {
           content = {
             "content": content,
-            "encoding": "utf-8"
+            "encoding": "base64"
           };
         }