Problem uploading to ATMega using ArduinoIDE ("unbricking" "bricked" microcontroller?)
We use these a lot, and it's very easy to accidentally program the boards with the incorrect settings - particularly as the Sparkfun Pro Micro library defaults to the 3.3V/8 MHz variant instead of the more common 5V/16MHz.

I have recovered the boards with the bootloader reset method, but it is hard - you have to get the timing just right. What we do now is to simply reinstall the bootloader using an ISP programmer (instructions: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/installing-an-arduino-bootloader). It works first time, and ends up being much quicker than repeated tries to get the reset timing right. Just make sure that you have the right board selected when you burn the bootloader. We use a USBASP, and it only takes a couple of minutes to set up.