Blog · Published November 2, 2026

How to set up a personal CRM: add your first 25 people

A personal CRM only helps once the right people are in it. Here’s how to pick your first 25, get them into BlackBook on your iPhone in a few minutes, and set it up so it tells you who to reach out to next.

Quick answer

Don’t import everyone. Pick the 20 to 25 people you most want to stay close to or follow up with, bring them in from your iPhone Contacts (or add them by hand), add one or two useful details for each, and set a birthday or follow-up reminder. That is enough for BlackBook’s Pulse screen to start showing you a clear next move. The free plan covers 25 people, so this whole setup costs nothing.

Why start with 25, not your whole address book

Most address books are full of plumbers, old coworkers and people you met once. Importing all of them turns a personal CRM back into a phone book, and the people who matter get buried. A short list keeps your attention on relationships you actually want to invest in. BlackBook’s own setup screen says it well: start with the people you actually want to invest in. If you are not sure what a personal CRM is for, start with this explainer.

Step 1: Make your list of 25

Before you open the app, jot down names in a few groups. You don’t need all of them; aim for a mix:

The “people you owe something” row is the most important one. Those are open commitments, and getting them out of your head is the quickest win. (More on that in how to follow through on promises.)

Step 2: Import them from your iPhone Contacts

When you first open BlackBook, the setup screen offers Import Contacts (you can also tap Skip and do it later). Any time after that:

1. Open the Contacts tab and tap the gold + button in the bottom corner.
2. Choose Import from Contacts, then tap Continue and allow access when iOS asks.
3. Use the search field to find each person on your list and tap to select them. On the free plan, the screen shows how many of your 25 spots you have selected.
4. Tap Import. When it finishes, you’ll see how many people were imported.

You can also start an import later from Settings with Import from Contacts. Imported people sync to your other devices through your private iCloud, not a BlackBook server.

Step 3: Add anyone who isn’t in your Contacts

For someone you just met, tap the + button and choose Add Contact. Only a first name is required. You can add a last name, nickname, company and job title, plus phone numbers, emails, addresses and social profiles if you have them. Skip anything you don’t know yet; you can fill it in later.

Step 4: Add the details you’ll actually use

Contact cards are full of fields, but only a few help you reach out. For each person, aim for these:

• Birthday, under Important Dates. It is the easiest reason to reach out every year.
• How we met: how, where and when you met. This is gold six months from now.
• Importance (VIP, High, Normal or Low) and the Favorite star for your inner circle, so the people who matter most stand out.

Don’t try to complete every profile in one sitting. Do your top ten today and the rest over the week.

Step 5: Write a note and set your first follow-ups

For each person, open their profile and capture the one thing you’d want to remember before you next talk: what they’re working on, a trip coming up, something you promised. The free plan includes 2 notes per person, which is plenty for preferences and context. If you talked recently, log that call, message, meeting or coffee chat too.

Then set reminders: birthdays for your inner circle and a follow-up for anyone in your “owe something” group. For ideas on what to capture, see how to remember details about people.

Step 6: Open Pulse tomorrow morning

Once people, notes and reminders are in, the Pulse tab turns them into a daily Best Next Action: one clear thing to do next, like following up with someone about an intro you promised. Check it once a day, act on the top item, and log what happened. That small loop is the whole habit. For a rhythm to follow, read how to keep in touch with people.

Your first-day checklist

1. Write a list of 20 to 25 people.
2. Import them from Contacts, and add anyone missing with Add Contact.
3. Add birthdays and how you met for your top ten.
4. Write one note for each person you owe something.
5. Set those follow-ups, then check Pulse tomorrow.

What the free plan covers, and when Pro makes sense

BlackBook is free for 25 people, with 2 notes per person and 30 days of interaction history. There is no account to create, no ad SDKs, and your data is never sold. It runs on iPhone with iOS 17.6 or later. If your list outgrows 25 people, BlackBook Pro lets you add more people and keeps your full interaction history for $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, and adds on-device BlackBook AI (Apple Intelligence) on iOS 26.

Frequently asked questions

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Personal CRM for iPhone · Keep-in-touch reminder app · Birthday reminder app for iPhone · Apple Contacts alternative · Personal CRM with no account