Customize Your Audio

Expert Strategies & Templates

How to Customize NotebookLM Audio: Master Guide (2026)

The difference between generic NotebookLM audio and a perfectly tailored podcast comes down to customization. While quick generate creates decent results, the customize feature transforms Audio Overview from "useful" to "exactly what I needed." This guide reveals every customization option, proven prompt strategies, and real examples demonstrating the dramatic difference customization makes.

Why Customization Matters

Generic Generate: NotebookLM decides what's important, chooses tone and length, covers everything equally. Result: Fine but forgettable. With Customization: You direct the conversation, emphasize what matters, match your audience's level, get exactly what you need. Result: Perfectly targeted content.

Understanding NotebookLM's Customization Options

Click "Customize" in Audio Overview to unlock four powerful controls:

1. Custom Instructions (Most Powerful)

This text box directs the AI conversation. Write 1-3 sentences specifying what to focus on, who the audience is, and what tone to use. Character limit: ~500 characters.

2. Length Selection

Brief (2-3 min): High-level overview, main points only Standard (5-6 min): Balanced coverage with examples Extended (8-10 min): Comprehensive, detailed analysis

Match length to complexity. Simple topics = Brief. Complex research = Extended.

3. Tone Control

Professional: Formal, business-appropriate, minimal humor Conversational: Casual, friendly, accessible Educational: Clear explanations, patient pacing Enthusiastic: Energetic, positive, motivational

Note: Available tones adapt based on your source content.

4. Source Selection

Deselect sources you don't want included. Create multiple Audio Overviews from the same notebook by selecting different source combinations.

Writing Effective Custom Instructions

The custom instruction box is where customization magic happens. Here's how to write prompts that produce exceptional results.

The Three-Part Formula

Effective custom instructions follow this pattern:

1. Audience Definition: Who's listening and what's their background? 2. Focus Direction: What specific aspects to emphasize? 3. Outcome Goal: What should the listener understand or be able to do?

Bad vs Good Custom Instructions

❌ Bad Example: "Make it interesting and easy to understand"

Too vague
No specific direction
AI has to guess what you want

✅ Good Example: "Create a conversation for marketing managers with no AI background. Focus on practical applications of large language models in customer service. Emphasize ROI and implementation challenges rather than technical architecture."

Clear audience (marketing managers, no AI background)
Specific focus (LLMs in customer service)
Directed emphasis (ROI and challenges over technical details)

❌ Bad Example: "Talk about the main points"

Doesn't tell AI which points matter
No audience context
Generic outcome

✅ Good Example: "Discuss this research paper for medical students preparing for board exams. Focus on clinical applications and diagnostic criteria. Skip the statistical methodology sections."

Clear audience (med students, exam prep context)
Specific focus (clinical applications, diagnostics)
Explicit skip instruction (statistics)

Custom Instruction Templates

Students: "Explain for [subject] students. Focus on exam concepts. Use simple analogies. Make it encouraging." Professionals: "Brief for [role] professionals. Emphasize actionable insights. Skip theory unless implementation-relevant." Research: "Discuss for [field] researchers. Compare methodologies. Highlight contradictory findings and research gaps." Beginners: "Explain for complete beginners. Start with foundations before advanced topics. Use everyday analogies."

Advanced Strategies

Comparison Focus: "Compare the three approaches. For each, discuss pros, cons, and ideal use cases." Application Filter: "Extract only actionable advice. For each recommendation, explain exactly how to implement it." Critical Analysis: "Critically analyze arguments. Identify strengths, weaknesses, and unsupported claims." Time-Conscious: "Answer only: [specific question]. Keep under 3 minutes."

Real-World Customization Examples

Example 1: Marketing Research Transformation

Sources: 5 market research reports on social media trends (total 200 pages) Without Customization (Quick Generate):

8-minute overview covering all platforms equally
Mix of statistics, user demographics, platform features
Generic observations applicable to any business
Missed the client's specific focus on B2B LinkedIn strategy

With Customization: Custom Instruction: "Focus exclusively on LinkedIn trends for B2B SaaS companies. Emphasize content strategies that drive lead generation, not brand awareness. Extract specific post types, posting frequencies, and engagement tactics that convert prospects." Length: Standard (5-6 min) Tone: Professional Result:

6-minute podcast laser-focused on LinkedIn B2B tactics
Specific strategies: post types (thought leadership vs company updates), optimal timing (Tuesday-Thursday mornings), engagement techniques (comment strategy)
Directly applicable to client's campaign planning
Saved 3 hours of manual report analysis

Impact: Marketing manager implemented three strategies from the audio, saw 34% increase in qualified leads within a month.

Example 2: Medical School Study Guide

Sources: Cardiology textbook chapters (120 pages), lecture notes, practice questions Without Customization:

10-minute comprehensive cardiology overview
Equal coverage of anatomy, physiology, pathology, treatments
Academically thorough but exam-inefficient
Didn't prioritize high-yield topics

With Customization: Custom Instruction: "Create exam prep focused on the five most commonly tested cardiology topics: heart failure, MI, arrhythmias, valvular disease, and hypertension. For each, emphasize key diagnostic criteria, first-line treatments, and common exam traps. Use clinical vignette language." Length: Extended (8-10 min) Tone: Educational Result:

9-minute high-yield review structured exactly like Step 1 questions
Covered all five topics with diagnostic pearls
Included "commonly confused" distinctions
Perfect format for last-minute review

Impact: Student listened 3x before exam, scored in 90th percentile on cardiology section.

Example 3: Tech Documentation for Non-Technical Users

Sources: API documentation, technical specs, developer guides Without Customization:

7-minute technical discussion assuming developer audience
Code examples, API endpoints, technical architecture
Completely unusable for sales team who needed to explain product to clients

With Customization: Custom Instruction: "Explain these technical features for sales professionals selling to non-technical buyers. Focus on business benefits and customer pain points solved, not implementation details. Use analogies to explain technical concepts. Include objection-handling points." Length: Standard (5-6 min) Tone: Conversational Result:

6-minute sales enablement audio
Technical features translated to customer benefits
Included competitive advantages
Ready-made talk tracks for discovery calls

Impact: Sales team adoption rate 90%, average deal size increased 15% due to better technical articulation.

Common Customization Mistakes

Vague Instructions: Don't say "Make it good" → Say "Focus on X for Y audience emphasizing Z" Conflicting Instructions: Don't request "Be brief but cover everything in detail" → Choose one approach Ignoring Length: Don't request comprehensive coverage with Brief selected → Match instruction to length Forgetting Audience: Always specify audience background and needs One-and-Done: Generate 2-3 versions, compare, choose best

Your Customization Action Plan

1. Identify Specific Need: What exact outcome do you want?

2. Define Audience: Who's listening? What do they know?

3. Write Focused Prompt: Audience + focus + goal

4. Choose Length: Brief/Standard/Extended based on complexity

5. Select Tone: Match content and audience

6. Generate & Evaluate: Does it meet your need?

7. Iterate: Try different prompts until perfect

Customization transforms NotebookLM from generic tool into your personalized audio assistant. The difference is dramatic—from "this is fine" to "this is exactly what I needed."

Start customizing at notebooklm.google.com today.

--- Last updated: February 2026