Build a Living Client Knowledge Base with NotebookLM

1. Go to notebooklm.google and sign in with your Google account
2. Click Create or New notebook
3. Name it clearly with the client's name, since you'll likely have several notebooks eventually

What you should see: An empty notebook with a prompt to add sources on one side and a chat panel on the other. Troubleshooting: If the create button is grayed out, refresh the page; this is usually a loading glitch rather than an account issue.

1. Click Add source (or the upload icon in the sources panel)
2. Upload the client's brand guidelines document
3. Upload two or three of their most recent monthly or quarterly reports
4. Upload past creative briefs if you have them saved separately

What you should see: Each uploaded document listed as a source, with NotebookLM processing it briefly before it becomes searchable. Troubleshooting: If a large PDF fails to upload, try splitting it into smaller sections; very large scanned files sometimes time out.

Confidential data caution: Client brand guidelines, campaign performance numbers, and internal reports are the client's business information, not yours to share freely. Keep each notebook scoped to that one client only, don't cross-upload one client's materials into another's notebook, and check your client contract for any confidentiality clause before uploading anything marked internal-only or NDA-covered.

1. Click Add source again and choose the web link or YouTube option
2. Paste in the client's website URL if their site content is relevant context
3. Add a link to any recorded webinar or video the client has published, if useful for background

What you should see: The web page or video listed alongside your uploaded documents in the sources panel. Troubleshooting: Some websites block automated fetching. If a URL fails, copy the page text into a plain document and upload that instead.

1. Use the chat panel on the right side of the notebook
2. Ask a specific question about the client, something you'd normally have to dig through files to answer

What you should see: An answer grounded in your uploaded sources, with references pointing back to which document it pulled from. Troubleshooting: If the answer seems to be making something up rather than citing a source, check that the relevant document actually uploaded successfully; NotebookLM only answers from what's in the notebook, so a missing source means a missing answer, not a fabricated one, but it's worth double-checking the citation regardless.

1. Look for Audio Overview or a similar generate button, usually near the top of the notebook
2. Click to generate it
3. Wait a few minutes, then listen while you get ready for the call

What you should see: An audio file, styled like a short conversation between two AI hosts summarizing the client's key history and current status from your uploaded sources. Troubleshooting: If the audio overview feels shallow, add more source material first; it can only summarize what's actually in the notebook.