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Seven pitches and no positive replies can feel like a verdict on your writing. In Sameer Qaiser’s account, they were instead seven early attempts marked by a mix of closed submissions, mismatched forms, a paywall and silence. His experience offers practical ideas for what to try next, but it does not establish a general response rate or prove that silence is not a rejection.
What happened in Qaiser’s seven-pitch experiment
In a DEV Community article with a displayed posting date of October 1 (the year is not established in the available text), Sameer Qaiser described pitching seven companies that pay for technical writing over two weeks. He reported following up with five and receiving no replies at the time he wrote. His tally listed four closed doors, three pitches still awaiting a reply and zero positive replies. These are his self-reported figures, not independently verified results. Read Qaiser’s account on DEV Community.
The obstacles were not all the same. One company said it was not seeking authors at that time. A submission form at another company offered Elixir, Ruby and JavaScript, but not Python. A third required a paid subscription just to submit. For the remaining pitches, Qaiser said he received neither an acknowledgement nor a response timeline.
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What the experience can—and cannot—tell a writer
It shows that a pitch can hit friction before an editor evaluates the writing
A closed contributor pipeline, a form that does not fit a writer’s subject or a fee to submit can block a pitch for reasons distinct from its quality. Silence is less informative: without a reply or stated timeline, a writer cannot know from that alone whether a pitch was read, declined or simply left unanswered.
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Seven attempts do not establish an industry-wide response rate
Qaiser’s account is one person’s experience, without a representative sample, comparison group or independently sourced response-rate data. It cannot show how often companies respond, whether nonresponse is universal, or how many pitches any particular writer must send. Nor does it prove that silence is not a rejection; that is the author’s interpretation, not a finding established by the account.
What Qaiser did while pitching
Qaiser said he chose companies that pay, provided writing samples, followed up professionally, tracked his outreach in a spreadsheet and described his experience honestly. He also reported publishing 16 articles while waiting. Those details describe his own approach and output; they do not guarantee a reply or establish that every writer should follow the same plan.
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Practical next steps for your own outreach
Check whether the opportunity is open and relevant
Before investing time in a pitch, look for current contributor guidance and confirm that the outlet accepts the kind of work you want to offer. A subject or language missing from a form may indicate a mismatch; a stated pause in submissions is a reason to wait or choose another outlet rather than force a submission.
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Make the pitch easy to assess
Qaiser’s account points to a straightforward baseline: include relevant writing samples, be accurate about your experience and keep a record of where and when you pitched. A spreadsheet can help you track the outlet, topic, submission date, follow-up date and any response, so you do not accidentally send repeated messages or lose track of open pitches.
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Follow up once, then keep working
Qaiser suggested sending one more follow-up after two weeks of silence, broadening outreach to more companies, considering smaller publications and lesser-known developer-tool startups, and continuing to publish. These are his recommendations, not a proven formula. If an outlet gives its own response window or follow-up instructions, use those instead of imposing a universal two-week rule.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read a no-reply outcome
A pitch with no reply is an unresolved outcome from the writer’s perspective, not useful feedback about what to change unless the editor provides a reason. Separate what you know—where you sent the pitch, whether submissions were open, and whether a response arrived—from what you cannot infer, such as whether the editor read it or judged the idea unsuitable. Use that distinction to decide whether to follow up, redirect the idea or move on without treating one small batch as a definitive measure of your prospects.
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Qaiser captured his own outlook this way: “Zero replies doesn’t mean zero chances. It means the story isn’t finished yet. I’ll let you know when it is.” That is an encouraging personal interpretation, not evidence that silence will eventually turn into an opportunity.
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