Freerolls vs lower stakes..
The basic strategy for
freerolls: to get your
bankroll, LAG(Loose Aggressive). Because you start freerolls with a free, small stack, you have to build it up quickly, taking bigger chances than you would if you had put some money into the tourney. If you succeed with LAG, you can continue with that strategy, taking chances necessary to keep your stack in range of the leaders. Since it's a freeroll, others are taking a lot of risk, they have nothing to lose. You will see the limits of LAG, and take that with you for other tournies.
Lower limits, it's not the same as freeroll. Since the other players have some money in the game, expect tighter play. Make sure you sit down at the small stakes table with enough money, so you won't be bullied by those who like to bully, and to them, losing a little bit of money is worth the thrill of bullying.