There is a long tradition of copywriting going back to at least P.T. Barnum in the mid-19th century and certainly Claude Hopkins around the turn of the century (1900 that is, not 2000).

Certainly by the time this classic Underwood portable was manufactured in 1933, copywriting was a well developed mixture of art and science, as it is and should be today.

Sure, language has changed. but puffery (what I call "throwaway language") is still puffery and most that's where most ad copy falls - whether Superbowl ad or small business website. Still one sometimes sees (or hears) copy that sings.

It starts with a well-developed understanding of what it's like to stand in the shoes of the people you are trying to sell to.

(Yes, this typewriter is mine. A real beauty, and fully functional.)