Did you know you can now use NotebookLM to build complete website tools without writing a line of code? Or that you can create working mini-apps with it that are ready to use immediately? Most people still use NotebookLM completely wrong: upload document, get summary, done. The tool has evolved massively since then. I have tested the new features and will show you seven use cases that will completely change your workflow.
Note (as of July 2026): Google has renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook. Product, features and your existing notebooks remain unchanged — only the name is new. In this article I keep using “NotebookLM”, because the term is (still) the more widespread one.
First: what is NotebookLM — and what does it cost?
NotebookLM is a free tool from Google. All you need is a free Google email address and you can start right away. But if you genuinely want to use NotebookLM for your business, I strongly recommend the Workspace variant: it is paid and comes with extended data protection.
If NotebookLM is new to you, here is the short version (in full in the fundamentals article What is NotebookLM?): it is an AI-supported research and note-taking tool from Google that works exclusively with the sources you upload — PDFs, documents, web pages, even YouTube videos. That is precisely the difference to a general AI chat: the answers do not come from some training knowledge, but from your material. And every statement gets a source citation you can click and verify.
What you should know about it:
- Up to 50 sources per notebook, with up to 25 million words — so you can feed in entire bodies of knowledge, not just one document.
- No open internet knowledge in the answers (unless you deliberately start a Deep Research, see use case 2). That is the reason far less is hallucinated here than in a free-roaming chat.
- Data protection: Your private documents do not flow into the AI’s public training. In a business context you still go via Workspace — there the protection is contractually regulated.
And getting started really only takes minutes: create a notebook, upload your sources, ask in the chat. That is all. Everything after that — and that is what this article is about — is the question of what you do with it.
Use case 1: repurposing content for other platforms
The first use case solves something that gives all solopreneurs and onlinepreneurs a massive headache: preparing content for other platforms. I loaded a blog post of mine about Google Gems into NotebookLM as a PDF and entered this prompt:
“Act as an experienced copywriter for LinkedIn. Take the core ideas from these sources and create three viral LinkedIn posts for me. Use strong hooks, short paragraphs and a question at the end to generate engagement.”
Within a very short time I have three LinkedIn posts based on my own source. You can add further sources on the left and use the checkboxes to control what the prompt should draw on — or drop in one of your YouTube videos and say: “Turn this into three LinkedIn posts.” The lovely part: The AI invents nothing, stays completely with your content — and above all in your tone of voice.
Use case 2: NotebookLM as a research assistant (Deep Research)
In the same notebook I select “via the web” at the top and start a Deep Research. As the research brief I enter: “Find me current use cases for Gems in Gemini, specifically for the German-speaking market.” The AI starts researching immediately, drawing in particular on sources from the internet.
Two tricks that are worth gold here:
- The results from the chat can be saved to the notes and, via the three dots, set directly as a new source. So you generate a new source out of your existing sources and the chat — and can create specific content formats from it in the studio.
- After the Deep Research you can import the result and are shown additional sources right away, which you can focus on in your notebook. The possibilities expand enormously with this.
A small aside, in case you are wondering how I enter my prompts: I work with Wispr Flow (affiliate link) — an AI that lets me start my microphone from the keyboard and then dictate prompts by voice in any app. I think out loud; I am faster speaking than writing — it has optimised my workflow enormously. Via the link you can test Wispr Flow free for a month in the Pro version.
Use case 3: building an interactive app — without code (my favourite)
Now it gets wild, because this feature blows me away every time: I can create code directly with NotebookLM — even though I cannot code at all myself. Which is why I keep saying: NotebookLM is not just my note helper, it brings my notes into a form I could never manage on my own.
An example: say you need an ROI calculator for your agency, or an interactive tool for your website to collect leads. In the past you needed a developer for that. Now you create a notebook, put a few relevant notes in and give NotebookLM the role of a senior web developer via prompt. Within a few seconds you get the finished code to embed in your website — or you paste it into the tool CodePen and see the result immediately.
Most people think of Lovable or Replit when they hear vibe coding. But things like this also work right inside NotebookLM. And whether you use it to build a prototype or to explain to your developer exactly what you want: NotebookLM is perfectly suited — your notes turn directly into a usable app.
Use case 4: competitor analysis via data table
For the competitor analysis I filed all sources on the topic of coaching for online business on the left. Then I go to the data table, click the pencil and enter my prompt: a comparison table of the offers — prices, features, target group — including the assessment of where which product is better. One click on “Create”, and within a few seconds a wonderful comparison table stands.
You can do this for any topic you want to analyse against each other. Important: I only pull in data that exists in the public domain.
Use case 5: presentations straight from your sources
Use case 5 brings us to the thing many solopreneurs do not enjoy: creating presentations. Imagine you are invited to give a workshop or a keynote. How tedious that used to be with PowerPoint, Keynote — or even with AI tools like Gamma or Canva, which are already really good.
In NotebookLM I have a presentation created directly from my sources. I set up a notebook with a few of my YouTube videos, go to “Presentation” on the right and choose “Slides for presenters” in standard length — that way I get direct notes on what to say. I do not even need a special prompt, just “Create”. Within a few minutes a really cool presentation sits there that I could use one to one. If I want to change something, I download it and touch up the texts in Canva, for example — and of course I can enter a dedicated prompt for a particular style beforehand.
Use case 6: infographics in flipchart look
In the same notebook I go to the pencil, leave all sources selected, choose landscape format and prompt: “Please create an infographic that looks handwritten on a flipchart.” After a few seconds the infographic is done — and I think it is terrific. I did check it for errors again, but I believe there was not a single one.
Use case 7: audio summary as a discussion
In parallel I start the audio summary: the pencil again, format “Discussion” in the shorter variant, and as the prompt only: “In the discussion, please focus in particular on which advantages NotebookLM offers solopreneurs.” After a few minutes, two voices discuss exactly the sources I added — like a small podcast about your own content.
Your next step: 10 power prompts for NotebookLM
Want to really take off with NotebookLM? Then secure my NotebookLM masterclass with 10 selected power prompts — it helps you get more out of every one of the seven use cases.
get the 10 power prompts →Frequently asked questions
Is NotebookLM free?
Yes. All you need is a free Google email address and you can start right away. If you genuinely want to use NotebookLM for your business, I recommend the paid Workspace variant — it has extended data protection.
Does NotebookLM invent content?
No — that is its strength. When repurposing content, the AI stays completely with your content and in your tone of voice. It works only with the sources you have added and selected via the checkboxes.
Do I need programming skills to build an app with NotebookLM?
No. You give NotebookLM the role of a senior web developer via prompt, and it creates the finished code from your notes. You paste that into a tool like CodePen and see the result immediately — without writing a line of code yourself.
NotebookLM or ChatGPT — what is the difference?
That is the question I get asked most often, and it has a clear answer: It is about the knowledge base.
ChatGPT answers from its general training and — if you allow it — from the web. It is the well-read generalist who can say something about almost anything. NotebookLM answers exclusively from the sources you have put in. It is the assistant who has read precisely your documents and shows you, for every statement, which page it is on.
The division of labour follows almost by itself:
- Take NotebookLM when traceability counts: your own documents, client files, research material, offers, minutes. Everywhere you must be sure nothing is invented.
- Take a general AI chat when you need ideas, are developing something from scratch or want knowledge that is not in your files.
So it is not an either-or. In my day-to-day, both run — just for different tasks.
Honestly: where NotebookLM hits its limits
So you have no false expectations — the three points where I get stuck in practice:
- It only knows what you feed it. That is strength and limit at once. If a source is missing, the answer is missing — and NotebookLM does not pretend to know more. I much prefer that to an invented answer, but you have to take your source selection seriously.
- The look is not yours. Presentations and infographics come out in Google standard, watermark included. Completely fine for internal purposes. If it goes outward, you give your branding guidelines beforehand via prompt — or touch up the result in Canva.
- It does not replace thinking. The ROI calculator from use case 3 is built in minutes. Whether you need it — and what it should do for your offer — is still your decision. That is exactly why I never start with the tool, but with the process.
What is NotebookLM?
An AI-supported research and note-taking tool from Google that works exclusively with the sources you upload — PDFs, documents, web pages, YouTube videos. Every answer gets a source citation. Per notebook you can file up to 50 sources with up to 25 million words.
What is the difference between ChatGPT and NotebookLM?
The knowledge base. ChatGPT answers from its general training and optionally from the web. NotebookLM answers exclusively from your own sources and cites every statement. Take NotebookLM when traceability counts — and a general AI chat when you need ideas or knowledge that is not in your files.
How do I get started with NotebookLM?
In three steps: create a notebook, upload your sources, ask in the chat. Getting started needs no more. The real question afterwards is what you do with it — that is what the seven use cases in this article are for.
Conclusion: far more than a note-taking tool
As you have hopefully seen from the seven use cases: NotebookLM is far, far more than a simple note-taking tool. Whoever uses NotebookLM strategically and smartly in their business is at a clear advantage. For that, get the 10 power prompts from my NotebookLM masterclass — and if you want to exchange ideas about workflows like these, come into my free community.
And if you would rather not stay alone with this: In my AI Business Community we go through use cases like these together — live every month, on your own documents.
