Exercise 8: Generate a Podcast with NotebookLM
NotebookLM is a free tool from Google that does something genuinely surprising: upload any document, and it will generate a two-host podcast discussing it — complete with natural conversation, follow-up questions, and the kind of back-and-forth you'd hear on a real show.
The feature is called Audio Overview. It takes a few minutes to generate, and the result is something you can listen to while doing dishes, driving, or taking a walk.
NotebookLM is free and requires a Google account.
Go to notebooklm.google and sign in with your Google account to get started. No paid plan required.
Step 1: Find a document to upload
Almost any document works. Here are some good ones to try for this exercise:
- A long article or news story you've been meaning to read but haven't gotten to
- A PDF from your insurance company, Medicare, or HOA — the kind of document that's dense and hard to get through
- A meeting agenda or minutes from a neighborhood association or city council
- A recipe collection or cookbook chapter (yes, it works — and it's delightful)
- Any Google Doc or web URL — NotebookLM can pull from those directly
The more substance the document has, the better the podcast. A one-page flyer won't generate much conversation. A 10-page report will give the hosts plenty to work with.
Step 2: Create a notebook and upload your source
- Go to notebooklm.google and click New Notebook
- Click Add Source and choose how you want to add your document:
- Upload a PDF or text file from your computer
- Paste in a Google Doc link
- Paste a web URL
- Or paste in raw text
- Wait a moment while NotebookLM processes the document — it reads and indexes the content before you can do anything with it
Step 3: Generate the Audio Overview
Once your source is loaded:
- Look for the Audio Overview panel on the right side of the screen
- Click Generate (or "Generate Audio Overview")
- Wait — this takes 3 to 10 minutes depending on the length of the document
Don't close the tab while it's generating. The audio is being created in real time. You'll see a progress indicator — when it finishes, a play button will appear.
Step 4: Listen and explore
Hit play. Two AI hosts will discuss your document as if they're recording a podcast episode — summarizing key ideas, asking each other questions, and occasionally expressing genuine curiosity or surprise about what they found.
A few things to try after you listen:
- Ask a question in the chat — NotebookLM also works as a regular AI assistant about your document. Ask it to explain something the hosts mentioned, or find a specific section.
- Check the citations — when you chat with NotebookLM, it cites the exact part of your document it's drawing from. This is one of the most accurate AI tools available for document-based questions.
- Try a different document — the contrast between how it handles a dense insurance document vs. a casual article is striking.
You can customize the Audio Overview before generating. Before clicking Generate, look for a "Customize" option where you can add notes — for example: "Focus on the financial details" or "Explain this as if the audience has never heard of Medicare before." This steers the hosts toward what you actually care about.
Why this matters
Most AI tools require you to write a good prompt to get a good result. NotebookLM flips that — you provide the document, and it does the work of figuring out what's interesting and worth discussing. It's one of the best examples of AI making a genuinely hard thing (getting through a dense document) into something you can do on a walk.