I Got Rejected 12 Times Before My First Bounty

Twelve reports. All rejected.

"Informative." "Duplicate." "Not a security issue."

I almost quit. Thought maybe I wasn't cut out for this.

Then I looked back at my reports and realized something painful. I wasn't finding bad bugs. I was writing bad reports.

Here's what I changed.

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The First Few Rejections Were My Fault

I was rushing. Finding something weird and immediately reporting it without understanding if it was actually a bug.

A custom 404 page isn't a bug. A parameter that reflects but doesn't execute isn't a bug. A missing security header on a static file isn't a bug.

I was wasting triager time. They were right to reject me.

What I learned: Just because something is weird doesn't mean it's a vulnerability. Prove impact before you report.

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The Middle Rejections Were Different

I had real bugs. But my reports were garbage.

No clear steps. No proof. Rambling explanations.

One triager actually replied nicely: "I can't reproduce this. Can you send clearer steps?"

I got annoyed. Then I read my own report and realized I wouldn't be able to follow it either.

What I learned: Write like the triager has never seen the app before. Assume nothing.

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What I Changed

I stopped reporting same day.

Found something. Sat on it for 24 hours. Tested it again with fresh eyes. Made sure it was real.

Half the time I realized it wasn't a bug and saved myself the embarrassment.

I started using a template.

Title. Description. Steps. Proof. Impact.

Same order every time. Nothing fancy. Just clear.

I added screenshots with red boxes.

Not just text. Show them exactly where to click and what to look for.

Triagers love this. Less work for them. Faster approvals for you.

I stopped arguing.

If they rejected something I believed in, I asked politely why. Sometimes I was wrong. Sometimes they were. Being rude never helped.

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The Report That Finally Got Accepted

It wasn't a critical bug. Just an IDOR that leaked user emails.

But my report was clean. Steps were numbered. Screenshot had a red circle. Impact was clear.

Triager confirmed in 10 minutes. Paid in 3 days.

That first acceptance felt better than any bounty since.

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What I Wish Someone Told Me

Rejections aren't failure. They're feedback.

Every "informative" taught me something. Every "duplicate" showed me I was too slow. Every "not a security issue" made me rethink what a bug actually is.

The hunters who last aren't the ones who never get rejected. They're the ones who learn from it and come back sharper.

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Your Turn

If you're getting rejected, don't quit. Fix your reports.

One small change in how you write can turn an "informative" into a "paid."

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Been rejected before? We all have. Drop your worst rejection story in the comments. Let's laugh about it together.

If this helped you not give up, clap and follow.

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