These NotebookLM prompts help you summarise, study and compare the documents you've added, and shape its Audio Overviews. Copy one, swap the [brackets] for your details, and check the citations. Google says answers come from your own sources, so add the right ones first.
NotebookLM is different from most AI chat tools because it works from your own material. You add your documents, notes, web pages or videos, and then you ask questions about them. Google says its answers are based on the sources you add, with inline citations, which makes it handy when you need to stay close to what a document says.
That also changes how to prompt it. You're not asking it to know things, you're asking it to read, compare and organise what you've given it. The prompts below are grouped by job. Swap the [brackets] for your own details, and check the citations against the source before you quote anything. For wider ideas on putting AI to work in a small business, see my list of the best AI tools for small business owners.
NotebookLM prompts for making sense of your sources
Start here after you've added a few documents. Google says chat answers come from your sources, so it may not answer if the information isn't in them.
Get a quick briefing
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Give me a briefing on these sources in six bullet points: the main idea, the key facts, any disagreements between sources, and what's still unclear.
Find the main themes
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What themes appear in more than one of my sources? Group them under short headings and cite which sources support each one.
Spot the disagreements
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Where do my sources disagree about [topic]? Put each position side by side with citations, and say which source gives the strongest reasoning.
Pull out key terms
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List the technical terms in these sources with a one-sentence plain-English definition for each, based only on how the sources use them.
Check what's missing
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Based only on my sources, what questions about [topic] can't be answered yet? List them so I know what else to add.
NotebookLM prompts for studying and learning
Google says sources can become study guides, briefings and more. These prompts do the same job inside the chat.
Build a study guide
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Create a study guide from my sources for [exam or topic], with key points, definitions and five short questions I should be able to answer.
Quiz me
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Quiz me on my sources one question at a time. Wait for my answer, tell me if I'm right, and quote the passage that backs it up.
Explain it simply
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Explain [concept] from my sources as if I'm new to the subject. Use everyday language and one example, with a citation for each point.
Make a revision timeline
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Create a timeline of the events in my sources in date order, with one line on why each one matters and where it came from.
Explain a hard passage
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Pick the hardest passage in my sources about [topic], rewrite it in plain English, and tell me exactly which part of the original it came from.
Turn notes into flashcards
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Turn the key facts in my sources into [number] flashcards, with a question on one side and a short answer on the other.
NotebookLM prompts for business, research and client work
Use these on your own documents, reports and notes. Don't upload anything you aren't allowed to share.
Summarise a long report
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Summarise this report for a busy owner in one page: what it says, what it means for [my business], and three things worth acting on.
Work with meWant AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Compare competitors
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Using my sources only, compare [company one] and [company two] on what they offer, who they serve and how they describe themselves.
Prepare for a meeting
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I'm meeting [who] about [topic]. Based on my sources, give me the background I need, five good questions to ask and any points to be careful about.
Extract action items
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Read my meeting notes and list every decision and action, with who owns it and any date mentioned. Flag anything that's vague.
Draft from evidence
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Draft a short [email, summary or proposal section] about [topic] using only facts from my sources, and cite the source after each key claim.
NotebookLM prompts for Audio Overviews
Google's help page says you can customise an Audio Overview with the format, the length and a prompt that focuses on specific topics or adjusts the expertise level.
Focus on one topic
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Focus the discussion on [topic] and skip the background I already know. Spend most of the time on practical takeaways.
Pitch it at beginners
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Pitch the conversation at complete beginners. Explain every technical term the first time it comes up and use simple, everyday examples.
Pitch it at experts
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Assume the listener already knows the basics of [field]. Go straight to the detail, the open questions and the points where the sources disagree.
Make it a debate
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Have the hosts take opposite sides on [question], using evidence from my sources, and finish with what each side would need to change its mind.
Give a short brief
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Keep it tight. Cover only the three most important ideas in my sources and end with one thing the listener should do next.
How to get better results from NotebookLM prompts
- Add the right sources first. Google says answers come from what you've added, so thin sources give thin answers.
- Ask about your sources, not the wider world. Phrases like "based only on my sources" keep it grounded.
- Click the citations. Google adds inline citations so you can verify the original passage.
- Customise Audio Overviews instead of accepting the default, and use the three-dot menu in the Studio panel to see the custom prompt you used.
- Remember Google's own warning that Audio Overviews are generated discussions, not a comprehensive or objective view of a topic.
One habit I'd build early: keep each notebook to a single project or topic. A notebook full of unrelated papers, client notes and half-read articles gives muddled answers, because the chat has to decide which material matters. Smaller, focused notebooks let you ask sharper questions and trust the citations more. When you start something new, make a fresh notebook rather than adding to an old one.
If you're curious how chat tools get their answers in the first place, I've written about where ChatGPT gets its information, and my productivity prompts cover the everyday side.
For the rest of the series, see the ChatGPT Prompts and Limits: 30 Guides to Fun Prompts, Photo Edits and Daily Caps. To write your own, try the free prompt builder.
Frequently asked questions
What are NotebookLM prompts?
They're the questions and instructions you type into NotebookLM's chat, or the focus instructions you add to an Audio Overview, to get answers from your own sources.
What sources can I use in NotebookLM?
Google's help page lists PDFs, websites, YouTube videos, audio files, Google Docs and Google Slides.
Why does NotebookLM sometimes not answer?
Google says chat answers come from the sources you add, so it may not answer if the information isn't in them. Add a relevant source or rephrase the question.
Can I customise an Audio Overview?
Yes. Google says you can choose a format and length and add a prompt to focus on specific topics or adjust the expertise level.
Are Audio Overviews completely accurate?
No. Google says they're generated discussions, not a comprehensive or objective view of a topic, so verify anything important against your sources.
