AI tool cheat sheets / NotebookLM
NotebookLM tips and Audio Overview guide
NotebookLM is a Google research tool that answers only from the sources you add and can turn them into a podcast. This cheat sheet covers source filtering, the Customize Audio Overview brief, debate prompts, and the Gemini integration. The Customize field is your biggest quality lever, so never leave it blank.
Last verified: 2026-07-06. Free tiers and features change, so check the official site.
At a glance
- What it is
- A Google research tool that answers only from the sources you add.
- Audio Overview
- Turns your sources into a podcast you can listen to.
- Price
- Free.
Features
Sources checkbox A per-prompt source filter.
Example: Uncheck irrelevant docs to narrow an answer.
Customize chat Role, audience, and format sliders.
Example: explain to a high-school level
Customize Audio Overview A pre-generation podcast brief.
Example: Never leave it blank.
Deep Dive and Join An interactive podcast.
Example: Ask follow-ups mid-episode.
Search the web Auto-find sources to add.
Source guide An AI summary per doc.
Example: Pick sources before querying.
Google Drive import Search your Drive as sources.
Slide deck A presentation built from your sources.
Example: Upload a template as a style reference.
Public link Share a read-only notebook.
Gemini integration Import a notebook into Gemini for cross-tool analysis.
No rows match that search. Clear the box to see all 10.
Tips
Customize is the quality lever
The Audio Overview Customize field is the biggest quality lever; the default is generic, so never leave it blank.
Write for a non-expert
Give an audience prompt like "explain to someone with no background, no jargon."
Ask for a narrative arc
Ask for a shape: start with the problem, build in the middle, and end with steps I can do tomorrow.
Force a debate
Use a debate prompt, an optimist host versus a devil's advocate, to kill AI agreeableness.
Prep before you Join
For interactive mode, prep a few simple questions before you Join the episode.
Turn a prompt into a source
Put a complex prompt in a Google Doc, add it as a source, and reference it by filename.
One source for a deep dive
For a focused deep dive, uncheck all sources but one before you generate.
Mind order and reuse
Upload foundational docs first and commentary last, reuse a style template for slide decks, and use the Gemini integration for multi-notebook analysis without switching tabs.
Copy-paste prompts
Workflow ladder
Upload PDFs and use the default Audio Overview.
Customize the overview and filter sources with the checkboxes.
Combine a debate format, an interactive Join, and Gemini cross-analysis across notebooks.
Frequently asked questions
- Does NotebookLM make things up?
- It is grounded in the sources you add and cites them, so it avoids outside facts; if an answer is not in your sources it will usually tell you.
- Is NotebookLM free to use?
- Yes, the core research tool and Audio Overview are free; you just add your own sources.
- Can I control the Audio Overview focus and voices?
- Yes. Use Customize Audio Overview before generating to set the audience, focus, and format, and you can Join a Deep Dive to steer it live.
This is reference content. The prompts and settings run in your own AI tool, not on glunty, so reading this page makes zero requests to those services. Details change often, so verify current pricing and limits on the official site.
Official reference: NotebookLM docs. Details change, so verify version-specific features there.
Related on glunty: AI prompt library, Prep your PDFs, Cite your sources.
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