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Turn NoteBookLM Audio Overviews into a Podcast Feed with PushPod

November 10, 2024 By Bryan Kerr 2 Comments

A man walking in an urban setting, wearing headphones and holding a smartphone, appearing focused as he listens to audio content. He is dressed in a casual yet stylish outfit, including a gray blazer and white T-shirt, with a blurred cityscape in the background.

Taking a break from work can still be productive. (Generated by Google Gemini Advanced)


So you love NotebookLM’s audio overviews feature, but it’s a pain to listen to them on the go. What if you could listen to them on your favorite podcast player? You can!

I found a tool called PushPod that lets you create a private podcast using a Dropbox or OneDrive folder. This tutorial will show you how to create your own NotebookLM podcast feed. But first I’ll briefly introduce NotebookLM and the use case for its AI-generated podcasts.

What is NotebookLM?

NotebookLM is a tool from Google that lets you upload large amounts of text and then have chatbot conversations about it using Google’s Gemini generative AI model. You can upload a wide variety of documents such as PDFs, web pages, and text files, as well as Google Docs and Slides. NotebookLM has actually been out for almost a year, but it’s gotten more attention lately because of its new podcast feature.

Use case for NotebookLM audio overviews

NotebookLM audio overviews are great for previewing long or difficult-to-read documents on the go without having to sit in a chair or look at a screen. For example, NotebookLM created a 13-minute podcast of Common Sense Media’s The Dawn of the AI Era report on how teens are using AI at school and home. Compressing the 58-page report into a 13-minute podcast allowed me to get a sense of the report while I took a walk. It helped me figure out which topics I wanted to explore more deeply when I returned to my office.

Now, you might be wondering, “What if NotebookLM hallucinates and the podcast has inaccuracies?” Good question. At the bottom of the NotebookLM page, Google does indeed warn you that “NotebookLM may still sometimes give inaccurate responses, so you may want to confirm any facts independently.” The podcast “hosts” may also make inferences and conclusions unsupported by the source material.

That’s why I don’t use the NotebookLM podcasts as a substitute or shortcut for reading the source material. I don’t take the podcasts as gospel. They give me some scaffolding to help me understand and digest the reports, white papers, and scientific journal articles I want to read. The podcasts also work as filters,  helping me decide if the content is worth reading in the first place.

Now that you’ve seen the Why for Notebook LM podcasts, let’s get into the How.

How to generate a podcast in NotebookLM

If you need to learn the basics of loading content into NotebookLM, click here.

Once you’ve loaded your content into NotebookLM, click on the “Notebook Guide” link at the bottom right of the window. In the “Audio Overview” section of the notebook guide, click the “Generate” button to create the podcast. This may take a few minutes to generate. 

Screenshot of NotebookLM interface showing a Notebook guide for Augmented Physics. The guide includes options to create FAQ, Study Guide, Table of Contents, Timeline, and Briefing Doc, along with a summary, audio overview, and suggested questions for deeper exploration.

After the conversation has been generated, click the three-dot menu and then click “Download” to download a WAV file of the podcast.

Screenshot of NotebookLM interface showing the Notebook guide for Augmented Physics. The interface includes a summary, options to create FAQ, Study Guide, Table of Contents, Timeline, and Briefing Doc, and an Audio Overview section with playback controls. The three-dot menu in the Audio Overview is expanded, showing options to change playback speed, download the audio, or delete it. Suggested questions related to the topic are also displayed on the right

Note: WAV files can take up significant space and download slowly. To save space and speed up downloads, convert them to MP3 using tools like Audacity or GarageBand.”

Now that you have your podcast audio, let’s create your podcast feed.

How to create your podcast feed

Before creating your podcast feed, you’ll need somewhere to store the audio files. PushPod supports both Dropbox and OneDrive. If you don’t have an account for either of those platforms, create one now.

Next, go to PushPod.net and create your account (it’s free!). Once you’ve created your PushPod account, click “Storage” in the top banner. Click the plus button on the right to add your cloud storage account to PushPod.

Screenshot of PushPod web interface showing the “Storage” tab in the navigation menu, with a highlighted “+” button for adding new items. The table below displays a “No data available” message, indicating no storage items are currently listed. The interface also includes options for “Dashboard” and “Podcasts” in the top menu bar.

Select either Dropbox or OneDrive. 

Screensht of a dropdown menu with Dropbox and One Drive as options.

PushPod will then prompt you to log in to your cloud storage account.

Screenshot of webpage showing Dropbox login to allow linking with PushPod app.

After you confirm your login, you should see your name and cloud storage account in the Storage section of PushPod.Screenshot of PushPod Storage settings showing the post author's name and Bropbox icon under the Type column heading along with the number one in the Podcasts column.

If it doesn’t already exist, PushPod will add an “Apps” folder in your cloud storage account. It will also add a “PushPod” folder inside of “Apps”.Screenshot of macOS Finder window showing folders within the Dropbox folder. The top-level folder is named "Apps" and below that is a PushPod folder, which is highlighted.

Now add a new folder within the PushPod folder to store all of your NotebookLM podcast audio files. I simply named mine, “NotebookLM Podcasts”.Screenshot of MacOS Finder window with a folder at the top named "NotebookLM Podcasts". Inside that folder are two files. One is an mp3 file beginning with the title "Common Sense Media" and the other is an image name "NotebookLM.jpg".

Now move or paste the audio file into the podcast folder. NotebookLM conveniently names the audio file for you to match the content. You can also add cover art for your NotebookLM podcasts. Just place any JPG or PNG image file in the “NotebookLM Podcasts” folder. Square images work best. This is a great use case for using an AI image generator like DALL-E or Gemini.

Now go back to your PushPod tab in your web browser. Click the Podcasts button in the banner, and you should then see your new podcast feed.

Screenshot of PushPod web interface displaying the “Podcasts” tab. It shows a podcast titled “NotebookLM Podcasts” with three episodes. The table includes columns for Hits (113), Storage (Dropbox icon), Updated date (16-Oct-2024 8:35:56 pm), and a URL column with an RSS feed icon. Navigation options for “Dashboard,” “Podcasts,” and “Storage” are visible in the top menu bar.

Click the title of your podcast, and then you’ll be able to see the list of audio files in your feed.

Screenshot of PushPod web interface displaying the “Podcasts” section with a list of episodes. The episode titles include “Augmented Physics - Creating Interactive and Embedded Physics Simulations from Static Textbook Diagrams,” “Common Sense Media - The Dawn of the AI Era,” and “Jamf - Zero-Touch Apple Device Deployments for Beginners.” On the right, there is a “Details” panel showing an RSS feed URL with a “Copy RSS Link” button highlighted above it.

Add your feed to your favorite podcast player

First, you need to get the URL of your new podcast feed. In PushPods’ details for your podcast, click on the RSS feed button to copy the URL. This is what you will paste into your podcast player. 

I use Overcast on my iPhone. I click on the magnifying glass to go to the search pane in Overcast and tap the “Add URL” button. Then I paste in the URL of my podcast feed.

Screenshot of the Overcast podcast app interface. The first screen shows the “Playlists” section with options like “All Episodes,” “Downloaded,” “In Progress,” and “Starred.” The second screen displays the “Search Podcasts” interface with a search bar and categories like “Arts” and “Business,” alongside an “Add URL” option. The third screen shows the “Add Podcast URL” page, where users can input a podcast feed URL and add credentials by selecting “Add Username & Password.”

Now, anytime I add an audio file to the podcast folder in my cloud storage, my podcast player will automatically update with the new content.

Screenshot of the Overcast app showing the “NotebookLM Podcasts” page. The podcast is labeled as “Following” with options to manage settings. Below, a list of episodes is displayed, including “Augmented Physics - Creating Interactive and Embedded Physics Simulations” and “Common Sense Media - The Dawn of the AI Era.” Playback controls, including rewind 15 seconds, play, and forward 30 seconds, are visible at the bottom.

For help in adding the URL to other podcast apps, click here. 

This workflow enables you to preview a lot of material as part of a daily or weekly routine.

How one simple tool compounds productivity

The meta idea I want you to take away is how chaining one small additional tool can make a big impact on the power of another. PushPod unlocked another level of productivity for me because I don’t normally listen to audio when sitting at my desk. It feels counterproductive as the screen and keyboard beg me for attention. I usually listen to my podcasts during walks and commutes, so I probably wouldn’t use audio overviews very much if I couldn’t easily upload them to my phone. Being able to do so means my walks now kill two birds with one productive stone. And that gain compounds by focusing my desktime reading to get the most out of reading the source material.

Finally, just like how small tools can a big impact, so can indy developers. KuzonCode works on PushPod in his spare time. If you also find it helpful, whether it’s making your commutes more productive or helping to filter your reading list, please consider supporting him and buying the Full Access version for $10. Even if you don’t require the features (like more than three podcast feeds), it’s a great feeling when you validate the indy developers making our lives better.

Comments

  1. KuzonCode says

    November 10, 2024 at 9:23 am

    Great post! Always good to see PushPod used in unique ways!

    Reply
    • Bryan Kerr says

      November 10, 2024 at 10:19 am

      Thanks! I could also see this being useful for meeting transcripts, especially now that you can provide instructions to guide the generation of the audio overview.

      Reply

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