OpenAI’s New Prompting Guide: Best Practices for AI Reasoning Models

OpenAI has released a new prompting guide designed to optimize how users interact with their reasoning models. This guide provides best practices for crafting prompts that enhance clarity, efficiency, and output quality.

The new recommendations emphasize:

• Simplicity — Using straightforward instructions for better results.
• Avoiding Chain-of-Thought (CoT) Prompts — Reducing unnecessary complexity in reasoning-based tasks.
• Using Delimiters — Structuring prompts with clear sections for better comprehension.
• Adapting the Prompt Structure — Fine-tuning prompts to match the user’s intent.

In this article, we’ll break down OpenAI’s new approach to prompt design and provide an optimized template for generating high-quality content that mirrors a specific writing style.

Key Takeaways from OpenAI’s New Prompting Guide

1️⃣ Prioritizing Simplicity

The guide strongly recommends concise and clear prompts rather than overly detailed or multi-step instructions. Simplicity ensures that the AI:

• Understands the intent without unnecessary processing.