Read a 50-page report with NotebookLM

How to do it

1. 1

   Upload just this file and confirm it was read

   Create the notebook, upload the PDF and wait for processing. Don't ask for conclusions first.

   Prompt

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   Answer only from the document I uploaded. Don't add information that isn't in it. What time period, regions and industries does this document cover? If the document doesn't say, answer "not stated in the document." Don't fill in from general industry knowledge.
2. 2

   Ask for three points, each separating the document from inference

   Put what you actually sell into the prompt. Require page numbers.

   Prompt

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   I do product planning at a company that sells office chairs. From this document, find the points related to office chair purchasing or office furniture, 3 at most. For each point include: - A one-sentence claim - The number or exact quote from the document - The page number - What this might mean for us. Label this part clearly as "my inference," separate from the document's text If the document barely mentions office chairs or office furniture, say relevance is low. Don't force three points. Don't add market share or prices that aren't in the document.
3. 3

   Open the citation and go to that page

   NotebookLM usually shows source markers beside its answers. Click through and check that the page says the same thing.

4. 4

   Write three lines and you're ready for the meeting

   Use the same format for each line: what the document claims (page) / my inference / what we still don't know. Don't state the inference more firmly than the document does.