June 8, 2026
I Got Rejected 12 Times Before My First Bounty
Here’s what I was doing wrong and how I fixed it.
Decline
1 min read
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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