22 NotebookLM Prompts for Audio & Video Overviews (2026)

Talk to a complete beginner who knows nothing about this topic. Assume zero background. Define every term the first time you use it, use a plain everyday analogy for each hard concept, and build the ideas up in a logical order from the simplest to the more advanced. Keep the energy warm and encouraging. Skip inside jargon and edge cases. By the end, the listener should be able to explain the main idea to a friend in a sentence.

The listeners are experts in [field] who already know the fundamentals. Skip the basics and the definitions. Focus on the non-obvious findings, the methodology, the trade-offs, and where these sources challenge or refine conventional thinking. Use precise technical language. Spend the most time on the parts a specialist would find genuinely new or debatable, and flag any claims in the sources that seem weakly supported.

Focus only on [specific chapter, section, or theme, e.g. "the pricing strategy section"] and ignore the rest of the sources. Go deep rather than broad: unpack the key arguments, the supporting evidence, and any examples given for this part specifically. If other parts of the sources are relevant to this theme, mention them only where they directly connect. Do not try to summarize the whole document.

Prioritize what the listener can actually do with this material. For every concept you cover, spell out the practical implication or the concrete action it points to. Pull out the tips, steps, rules of thumb, and mistakes to avoid that appear in the sources. Spend less time on background and theory. End with a short recap of the top 3 things the listener should do differently after listening.

I've added two sources: [Source A] and [Source B]. Compare and connect them rather than summarizing each one separately. Where do they agree, where do they conflict, and what does each add that the other misses? Use one to illuminate the other. Call out any tension or contradiction between them explicitly instead of smoothing it over, and end with what someone should take away from reading both together.

Keep this to about 3 minutes — a quick commute-length listen. Cover only the 3 or 4 most important points from the sources and nothing else. Lead with the single biggest takeaway in the first 20 seconds. Be brisk and direct, skip the small talk and the setup, and don't try to be comprehensive. If a point isn't essential, cut it.

Turn this into a genuine debate. Have one host argue the strongest possible case for [position A] and the other argue the strongest case for [position B], both using only evidence from the sources. Make each side steelman its own argument, then respond to the other's best point. Do not let either host win easily or agree too quickly. End by laying out which specific facts are actually in dispute versus where both sides agree.

Critically evaluate the material rather than just summarizing it. Assess the strength of the main argument: is the evidence solid, are the claims supported, and where are the gaps, assumptions, or weak spots? Point out anything that's asserted without backing, any missing counterarguments, and any places the reasoning overreaches. Be fair but rigorous. End with an honest verdict on how convincing the sources actually are.

Explain everything at a level a curious 15-year-old would understand and enjoy. Use simple words, short sentences, and relatable examples from everyday life. Keep it accurate but never dry — make it feel like a smart older sibling explaining something cool. Avoid jargon entirely; if a technical term is unavoidable, immediately say what it means in plain language. Keep the pace lively.

Generate this entire episode in [target language, e.g. Spanish]. The sources are in [source language], but the hosts should speak only in [target language] throughout, using natural, conversational phrasing that a native speaker would use rather than a stiff translation. Keep any proper nouns, product names, or technical terms in their original form where that's how they're normally referred to. Explain the key ideas clearly for a listener in that language.

Create a beginner-friendly explainer video. Walk through the topic step by step in a logical order, building from the simplest idea to the more complex ones. For each concept, describe a clear visual — a diagram, a labeled example, or a simple comparison — that would help it stick on screen. Define terms as they come up, keep the narration calm and clear, and recap the main points at the end.

Make a short, punchy highlights video that covers only the top 3 to 5 takeaways from the sources. Open with the single most striking point or statistic to hook the viewer immediately. Keep each point to one clear visual and one or two sentences of narration. No long setup, no filler. This is meant to be shareable and watched in under two minutes — every second should earn its place.

Explain this as if you're teaching at a whiteboard, building up the idea piece by piece. Structure the narration so each step logically adds to a diagram or framework — first the core concept, then the parts around it, then how they connect. Describe what should be drawn or labeled at each stage. Keep the tone like a patient teacher walking through a problem, pausing on the parts that trip people up.

Center this video on the data, numbers, and results in the sources. For each key figure, state what it is, what it means, and how it compares to what came before or to a benchmark. Describe charts or simple visuals that would show the trend or comparison clearly on screen. Skip the narrative fluff and focus on what the numbers actually tell us. Flag any figure the sources present with a caveat.

Make this friendly, warm, and playful for a young or first-time audience. Keep the narration simple and upbeat, use cheerful everyday examples, and describe cute, approachable visuals that match a light, fun mood. Break the content into small, easy-to-follow steps and celebrate each one. Avoid anything intimidating or overly technical — the goal is to make the viewer feel welcome and confident.

Run this as a quiz session. After you explain each main concept, stop and ask me a question to check whether I understood it, then wait for my answer before moving on. Start easy and get harder. If I get something wrong, gently correct me and explain why using the sources. Keep track of the themes I struggle with and revisit them at the end. Make it feel like a friendly tutor testing me.

When I join, I'll ask follow-up questions. For each one, answer directly from the sources, give a concrete example if the sources contain one, and tell me exactly which part of the material your answer draws from. If my question goes beyond what the sources cover, say so clearly rather than guessing. Keep answers focused and conversational, and offer one useful related point I might not have thought to ask about.

Let's set aside the general overview. I want you to go deeper on [specific subtopic] right now. Walk me through what the sources say about it in detail — the key points, the evidence, and any examples. Stay on this subtopic until I tell you to move on, and don't drift back to the broader summary. If there's a nuance or exception in the sources about this subtopic, make sure to cover it.

You just said [paste or paraphrase the claim]. Push back on that with me. What exactly in the sources supports it, and how strong is that support? Is there anything in the same sources that complicates or contradicts it? Don't just restate the claim — show me the evidence, name any assumptions behind it, and tell me honestly how confident I should be. If the claim goes beyond what the sources actually say, admit it.

The audience is a sales team who needs to sell [product/service] confidently. From the sources, pull out the value propositions, the proof points and customer outcomes, the most common objections and how to answer them, and how this compares to alternatives. Frame everything around what a rep can say in a conversation. Skip internal detail that wouldn't come up on a call. End with the 3 strongest talking points to lead with.

The listener is a patient or a member of the public with no medical or technical background. Explain everything in plain, reassuring language. Avoid jargon completely, and when a term must appear, say what it means simply. Focus on what this means for the person practically — what to expect, what to do, and what questions to ask a professional. Be calm and clear, don't overstate certainty, and never replace professional advice.

The audience is a busy executive board. Lead with the bottom line: the key decision, risk, or recommendation in the first 30 seconds. Then give only the context and evidence that supports it, focused on impact, cost, timeline, and trade-offs. Skip operational detail. Be concise and direct, quantify wherever the sources allow, and end with the specific decision or action the board needs to take and what's at stake if they don't.