Editorial
The Gist
- AI-powered note-taking revolution. NotebookLM integrates AI with note-taking to streamline content workflows and improve productivity for marketers.
- Innovative features like Audio Overview. NotebookLM generates podcast-quality audio summaries, turning static content into interactive resources.
- Enterprise-ready solutions. NotebookLM Plus offers advanced access and data management for collaborative marketing teams.
A variety of note-taking apps have flooded the internet in recent years. So many people feel overwhelmed when selecting the best app for their notetaking needs. Confusing choices make everyone, marketers included, feel like a class is required to understand what is available.
But now class is being cut short and simplified thanks to the AI apps arriving in the business solution marketplace. The current leader is Google NotebookLM, which received a few interesting feature updates since its launch.
If you have not taken a look at NotebookLM, you should. Here’s why it can aid your content management, and support a content workflow meant to support customer experience activities.
Table of Contents
- The Brief History of Notebook Apps
- Some Background on Google Notebook LM
- Where to Start With Google NotebookLM
- 'Audio Overview' – A Podcast Meant for You
- Some Caveats to NotebookLM
- Enterprise-Level Notebooks Are Available
- How Can Marketers Benefit From Google NotebookLM?
- Core Questions Around NotebookLM and AI-Powered Note-Taking
The Brief History of Notebook Apps
Notebook apps have existed for years. I discovered my personal favorite, Evernote, back in 2010. Evernote was designed for users who frequently use a browser or smartphone to organize information and sync version history across personal devices. Apps like Evernote made note-taking and information-sharing easy to manage without extensive knowledge of a user interface to get tasks done quickly.
Fast forward to the AI age, where multimodal AI models incorporate various media types added at the prompt to produce a variety of content. The rapid incorporation of AI in software has introduced new ways to interact with documents.
Some Background on Google Notebook LM
Google first launched NotebookLM as a development project called “Project Tailwind." In July 2023, Google then quickly changed the name to NotebookLM, establishing its current format. Since then, NotebookLM has gained popularity online, with plenty of articles highlighting its features and discovered uses. It’s free and only requires a Google email account.
Since its inception, Google has added features. Last spring, Google added Gemini 1.5 Pro, Google’s generative AI solution. Google has been introducing its AI solutions into the cloud services, offering users a streamlined workflow to iterate on documents and services. NotebookLM has long had access to Google documents like Google Slides, so adding Gemini Pro extends those conveniences into the Notebook environment. NotebookLM can also convert a wide range of sources into FAQs, briefs, study guides and other documentation types.
This particular aspect of AI makes the output from Google NotebookLM stand out from a ChatGPT, or even Google’s own Gemini. Unlike general AI models, NotebookLM places AI functionality behind an interface similar to productivity apps, integrating seamlessly with the users' existing notes and documents. This lets the AI be used in a transformative way against documents the user provides rather than documents at the discretion of the AI.
Related Article: Generative AI Boom: ChatGPT's Traffic Surges by 115.9% Year-Over-Year
Where to Start With Google NotebookLM
At the interface of Google NotebookLM, users view three channels: a Source channel where files appear; a Chat channel, very similar to a prompt window in Gemini; and a Studio channel where note outputs can be edited or saved in a few formats.
Users start by adding their documents to the source. Users can upload different types of source materials, such as PDFs, text files, Markdown documents and audio files. Media stored in Google Drive properties like Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides can also be stored in a NotebookLM. YouTube or website links can also be stored. Each of these types appears in the drop-down window.
Once uploaded, users will see a summary of the source documents at the top of the Chat Channel. Users can use the chat channel to ask questions and summarize information.
The Studio channel is meant to provide additional options, such as a timeline that highlights major events from your documents. The timeline can be saved as another source for further refining the chats.
'Audio Overview' – A Podcast Meant for You
Google added a real party trick to NotebookLM with “Audio Overview”, a feature to create audio media from saved documents. To do so, users should upload a source file of material that the podcast is based upon, and then click on the “Audio Overview” button that appears in the note section. The process takes a few moments to execute, but once complete, the overview appears in the Studio channel where the user can listen or download the generated audio as a wav file.
The audio is actually a man and woman speaking about the documents in an excellent conversational tone. When I say excellent, I mean “EXCELLENT!” The dialogue sounds like an outtake of National Public Radio with well-informed journalists.
Yet the dialog is created on your content within minutes. The experience is accurate. I used presentations and documents on data wrangling; Audio Overview thoroughly adopted the material. The dialog incorporated amazing examples based on the document details, all in a natural language.
(Editor's note: A certain editor used NotebookLM as a wedding anniversary gift, asking NotebookLM's fine podcast hosts to analyze his marriage through a series of Facebook posts):
An even newer experimental feature lets users “join” the conversation in podcast-like audio by asking the synthetic hosts for more details or to expand on a concept.
The overall layout allows NotebookLM to build a personalized knowledge repository that can be queried using natural language, turning static information into an interactive resource. Users can share links to documents, chats, and the audio overview.
Marketers: imagine the number of podcasts you could scale, of course remembering these hosts need to reflect your brand's vision.
Some Caveats to NotebookLM
There are some limitations. The number of sources is limited to 50, so you only have up to 50 files and links combined to add to a notebook. The most notable is that CSV and Excel files are not accepted. This differs from other apps like Evernote in which an Excel or CSV file can be added and clicked when users need to explore the file contents.
Enterprise-Level Notebooks Are Available
Marketing teams looking to manage more should note the introduction of an enterprise version of NotebookLM called NotebookLM Plus, rolled out Dec. 13, 2024. NotebookPlus builds on the features in the standard version and adds controls for access and data management controls.
Employees can upload data and files to create notebooks, podcast-like audio summaries (called Audio Overviews) and more; they can also search across and share these projects with colleagues. The NotebookLM Plus will also be available to subscribers of the Google One AI Premium plan, a combo package that features Gemini Advanced access and extra documentation.
How Can Marketers Benefit From Google NotebookLM?
With NotebookLM, marketers benefit from an AI assistant specific to their content. This personalization offers a more recognizable approach for users who are not familiar with generative AI. The intriguing fact is that many generative AI apps have launched subfeatures that can also provide personalized content. A Google Gemini Gem or a ChatGPT CustomGPT can be set up for prompt guidance, for example.
In contrast, NotebookLM was designed to address stored content locally with an AI-powered assistant. NotebookLM allows for guidance similar to that of Gemini, but with a focus on familiar documents rather than on prompt techniques. Analysts who need to parse content quickly will see NotebookLM features as a elements for a custom learning experience, such as gathering technical documents or business reviews. This is also an advantage for consolidating key information from market reports, technical updates and regulatory documents into a single workspace.
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Overall marketers will gain better productivity with NotebookLM. The amazing “Audio Overview” alone is worth the time spent with NotebookLM. The audio and sourcing features will simplify productivity choices much faster and will make marketers better prepared to deliver fresh ideas that enhance customer experiences.
Core Questions Around NotebookLM and AI-Powered Note-Taking
Editor's note: Here are two pivotal questions exploring how NotebookLM and similar tools can reshape content workflows and marketing strategies.
How does NotebookLM enhance productivity for marketers?
NotebookLM streamlines content management by integrating AI to analyze, summarize and convert documents into actionable formats like FAQs and audio overviews. Its AI-powered features allow marketers to quickly organize and interact with content, reducing time spent on manual tasks and enhancing efficiency.
What unique benefits does the Google NotebookLM Audio Overview feature provide?
NotebookLM’s Audio Overview transforms written content into engaging, podcast-quality audio. This feature enables marketers to create scalable audio content, offering a new medium to share insights and ideas. It also enhances accessibility by providing auditory summaries for documents.
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