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Memory & Knowledge

How to use NotebookLM (Gemini Notebook) for client work

3 min read

Set up one notebook per client, load the right sources, and get cited answers and briefings from them.

Short answer: NotebookLM is now called Gemini Notebook. Create one notebook per client, add the client's key documents and call transcripts as sources, set notebook instructions, then ask questions and generate briefings. Answers cite the sources, and a notebook cannot see other notebooks, which keeps clients apart.

Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026. Steps below follow the Gemini Notebook Help as of October 2026.

What you need

  • A Google Account. Work and school accounts need the admin to turn on access.
  • The client's documents: brief, brand guide, strategy deck, and call transcripts as text, Docs or PDFs.

Step 1: Create a notebook per client

  1. Open Gemini Notebook.
  2. Select Create new notebook.
  3. Name it after the client, for example "Harbor Dental Group".

Google's help says each notebook is independent and Gemini Notebook can't access information across multiple notebooks at the same time. That is what keeps one client's facts out of another's answers.

You can also create notebooks from the Gemini app sidebar with New notebook; Google says notebooks stay in sync between the two.

Step 2: Add sources

Select + Add in the Sources panel. Sources can be uploaded files (PDFs, documents, audio and more), Google Docs and Slides, websites and YouTube links, or pasted text.

Limits to plan around, from Google's FAQ: free accounts get 100 notebooks with up to 50 sources each, and each source can be up to 500,000 words or 200 MB. Paid Google AI plans raise these.

Tips for client work:

  • One running transcript doc per month keeps you under the source cap. Paste each call into it with a date heading.
  • Name sources clearly: "2026-10-07 call transcript", "Brand guide v3".

Step 3: Add notebook instructions

Give the notebook standing instructions, such as: "You support a fractional CMO for Harbor Dental Group. Answer in short bullets. When sources disagree, prefer the most recent dated source and say so."

Step 4: Ask, cite, and brief

  • Ask: "What did the client decide about the spring campaign? Cite the call."
  • Generate a briefing or report from the Studio panel before a meeting.
  • Use an audio overview to catch up on a long engagement on the way to a call.

Check the citations. Google notes that when a notebook has many sources it retrieves the most relevant ones first, so rephrase if an answer misses something you know is there.

Step 5: Share with your team

Share the notebook with a teammate or VA. Sharing does not change the source limit for anyone.

Sources

Checked October 9, 2026.

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